Our card this week is Clarence Buddha Sullivan, the Ace of Diamonds from South Carolina.

I'm sure you've already noticed, but we released two episodes today, two shorter ones.

But despite the lack of information or length, we knew that these stories had to be told.

In May 2013, 40-year-old Buddha was gunned down in his quiet South Carolina neighborhood.

For years, investigators have tried to bring his killer to justice.

But rumors surrounding his life have muddied the waters.

I'm Ashley Flowers, and this is The Deck.

It was a bit past 3am, and Rhonda Renee Cunningham was inside her Anderson South Carolina home,

waiting for her boyfriend, Buddha, to get there.

The two of them didn't officially live together.

Actually, Buddha had a house just a mile or so down the road, but it was pretty typical for him to crash at her place for the night.

As she waited for him to walk through the door at any moment, she suddenly heard a really loud banging.

According to the independent mail, Rhonda thought it was Buddha knocking on the door because he'd forgotten his key or maybe was stuck outside.

But when she opened it, what she saw was a scene that would be ingrained in her memory forever.

Her boyfriend, Buddha, was sprawled out on the front porch, covered in blood.

And lying beside him was some kind of knife that police described as a, quote, miniature samurai sword.

And that sword was also covered in blood.

Rhonda bent down and picked it up to examine it.

But as she held it, Buddha, who was barely clinging to life, said something weird.

Here's Sergeant Kendall Cash.

According to Miss Cunningham, he tells her, don't touch the knife.

They brought that with them, put it down.

...