344. [TENNESSEE] The Man in Black || The Murder of Emma Walker

Big Mad True Crime

Big Mad Media

True Crime

4.7 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2026

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A young relationship, a fake “abduction,” and a man who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence help is available, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE, which is 1-800-799-7233. You can also chat@thehotline.org or text start to 8 8 7 8 8. All options are available 24 7 free and confidential. Contributing writing & research: The Queen of all things, Haley Gray. For information pertaining to this case, check out the highlight at the top of my profile at Instagram.com/TheHeatherAshley. Sponsors: Head to https://Brodo.com/BIGMAD for 20% off your first subscription order and use code BIGMAD for an additional $10 off. #ad For up to 45% off your order, head to https://VeracityHealth.co and use code BIGMAD. Go to https://livemomentous.com , and use promo code BIGMAD for up to 35% off your first order Get 20% off all IQBAR products, including the Ultimate Sampler Pack, plus free shipping—text BIG to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, and welcome back to Big Mad True Crime, where we get Big Mad over True Crime.
0:06.4	I'm your host, Heather Ashley, and today's case is out of Knoxville, Tennessee.
0:11.2	Small talk sucks, so let's dive in.
0:36.8	Thank you. February is national teen dating violence awareness month, and I think that means it's time to talk about how common teen dating violence
0:39.0	really is, how early it can begin, and how quickly it can escalate. So today, I want to share the
0:46.2	very important story of Emma Jane Walker with you. Emma was loving and kind to everyone, just a helper by nature. People described her as a spark of
0:59.4	light, strong-willed, silly, sarcastic, with a sweet side and a spunky sense of humor that came out once
1:06.6	you really got to know her. She grew up in the Stierchy Hills neighborhood of Knoxville, Tennessee with
1:12.4	her parents. Their names were Jill and Mark, and she also had a younger brother named Evan.
1:18.9	In the fall of 2014, 14-year-old Emma started at Central High School in Knoxville, where she was
1:25.7	popular and well-liked. She was a cheerleader and a good
1:29.8	student who made honor roll. She already knew she wanted to be a neonatal nurse, so she had joined
1:35.6	clubs like the Health Occupation Students of America. During her freshman year, Emma met a junior
1:43.6	football player named Riley Gaul. According to court documents,
1:48.3	Emma's parents didn't have a problem with the relationship at first because Riley seemed to be
1:53.6	very nice and sweet to Emma. Jill and Mark found him polite, well-mannered, and likable. They felt
2:00.3	comfortable with a relationship because
2:02.2	they monitored Emma's phone, and when Riley came over, which was two or three times a week,
2:08.2	Emma's bedroom door always stayed open. But by the winter of 2015, after about a year or so together,
2:16.4	things started to shift. Riley began trying to reconnect with an ex-girlfriend
2:21.8	while still dating Emma, playing both of them at the same time. And as Jill and Mark continued monitoring
2:28.8	Emma's phone and social media, they started seeing messages that concern them. Some of the text showed Riley
	...

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