This episode of Zone 7’s Crime Roundup captures the energy of the first stop on Sheryl McCollum’s 10-8 Tour: a packed house, a hot mic, and the kind of stories you only get when prosecutors, defense attorneys, detectives, and crime-scene folks are all sitting at the same table.

With Joshua Schiffer and Franz Borghardt alongside her, Sheryl recaps an unforgettable night featuring surprise moments, Trial Lawyers College stories, and Nancy Grace taking a rapid-fire stack of audience questions like only she can. Want to be in the room for the next event?

North Carolina is up next on February 28 at Kefi Vineyards & Winery. Grab your tickets here.

Highlights:

• (0:00) Welcome to Zone 7’s Crime Roundup with Sheryl McCollum, Joshua Schiffer, and Franz Borghardt

• (1:30) Dinner and stories at Manuel’s Tavern: packed full room full of energy

• (5:30) A Baton Rouge serial-killer case that kick-started Franz’s career

• (7:30) The “lean into what you’ve got” defense strategy when a club-shooting video is the evidence

• (9:15) Josh frames trial storytelling as emotional truth, clarity, and human stakes over technical brilliance

• (11:30) Trial Lawyers College in Wyoming and Gerry Spence as the foundation for storytelling that translates to true crime

• (19:30) The difference between networking and real respect, and why outcomes are better when lawyers and investigators talk

• (26:00) Sheryl on the CrimeCon glasses moment and the kind of crowd that looks out for you

• (28:30) Sheryl introduces Detective Jarion Shepherd and the Melissa Wolfenbarger connection

• (32:15) Nancy Grace walks in, takes the mic, and flips the room into live-show mode with nonstop Q&A

• (35:15) The 10-8 Tour roadmap, North Carolina on February 28, and the meaning of 10- 8

• (39:45) Sheryl lays down her friendship standard and closes with a true-friends quote

Guest Bio:

Joshua Schiffer is a Veteran trial attorney and one of Southeast's most respected legal voices. He is the founding partner at ChancoSchiffer P .C., where he has litigated high-stakes criminal, civil rights, and personal injury cases for over 2 decades. Schiffer is a frequent media contributor and an outspoken advocate for accountability.

Franz Borghardt is an attorney with more than a decade of experience. Franz has served as both a felony public defender and prosecutor in east Baton Rouge. He maintains a private practice spanning criminal defense, personal injury, family law, and small business matters.

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than 4 decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

• Email: coldcase2004@gmail.com

• X: @ColdCaseTips

• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

• Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

Preorder Sheryl’s upcoming book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Lessons in Life, Justice, and Joy from a Forensic Scientist, releasing May 2026 from Simon and Schuster.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Swans-Dont-Swim-in-a-Sewer/Sheryl-MacMcCollum/9798895652824

 

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