CRU with Sheryl McCollum and Joshua Schiffer: 7.25.25 | Kohberger Sentencing & the Power of Victim Impact
Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum
iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline
4.4 • 696 Ratings
🗓️ 25 July 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week marks a powerful shift on Crime Roundup as Emmy-winning CSI Sheryl “Mac” McCollum welcomes her new cohost: legal heavyweight and courtroom force Joshua Schiffer. In this episode, Sheryl and Joshua unpack the sentencing of Bryan Kohberger, the man behind one of the most gut-wrenching mass murders in recent memory.
Through the lens of law, justice, and most of all, parenthood, they reflect on the strength of the victims' families, the purpose of the court system, and the brutal reality of maximum-security prison. They also examine the legal mechanics behind the plea deal that spared Kohberger the death penalty, the boldness of the Chapin family’s absence, and the lasting impact of survivor statements.
With heart, grit, and powerful legal insight, Sheryl and Joshua hold nothing back in honoring the victims—Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin—and challenging listeners to choose light in the darkest of stories.
Show Notes:
- (0:00) Welcome to the “Schiffa Zone” – Sheryl introduces new cohost Joshua Schiffer
- (1:00) Kohberger’s sentencing through the eyes of parents and legal pros
- (2:30) “Our system hasn’t worked better... We received justice that was fulsome and appropriate.” —Joshua on justice done right
- (4:00) Grief, guilt, and impact: survivor and family statements that shook the courtroom
- (12:30) A look inside maximum-security prison: no peace, no control
- (15:00) “The warden don’t run that place”—violence, silence, and punishment
- (18:00) Justice over vengeance: why the plea deal was the right call
- (23:45) Why the Chapin family’s absence may have been the most powerful message
- (24:15) Final reflections: the power of memory, and the choice to look up
---
About the Hosts
Joshua Schiffer is a veteran trial attorney and one of the Southeast’s most respected legal voices. He is a founding partner at ChancoSchiffer P.C., where he has litigated high-stakes criminal, civil rights, and personal injury cases for over two decades. Known for his bold courtroom presence and ability to clearly explain complex legal issues, Schiffer is a frequent media contributor and fearless advocate for accountability.
Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice.
If you enjoyed this episode, follow Crime Roundup on your favorite podcast platform and leave a review to help others find the show. Have a case you’d like Sheryl and Joshua to cover? Email [email protected], or connect with the hosts on social media:
Sheryl on X at @ColdCaseTips or Facebook at @sheryl.mccollum
Joshua on X at and Instagram at @lawyerschiff
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. Only you know what your laptop really is, your storyboard, your soundstage, |
| 0:09.1 | your sandbox, and what it takes to create, speed, power, precision. So get started building your |
| 0:15.3 | custom PC only at Lenovo.com slash customize, From frame perfect edits to color accurate displays |
| 0:21.3 | to processes that crush 4K. |
| 0:23.9 | Only you know what you need |
| 0:25.3 | and you won't find it better anywhere else. |
| 0:27.8 | Build your Lenovo PC at Lenovo.com slash customize. |
| 0:30.9 | Lenovo, Lenovo. Welcome to the crime roundup. |
| 0:46.8 | I'm Cheryl McCollum, and I got to tell you right off the bat. |
| 0:50.6 | This episode has a warning attached. |
| 0:59.3 | Caution, because y'all are entering the Shiffa zone, honey. Y'all, please welcome the new co-host of Crime Roundup. You know him, you love him, |
| 1:08.3 | you admire him, fame, defense attorney. |
| 1:11.8 | A legal legend that has come straight from the haberdashery, Joshua Schiffer. |
| 1:19.3 | Welcome, welcome, welcome, my friend. |
| 1:22.0 | You are too kind, and it is a profound honor. |
| 1:25.9 | Every time I hear from you, you know what a giant fan I am of your coverage and your perspective and the fact that you really have conversations. |
| 1:35.7 | Well, this one is going to be an important one because I tell you, you and I have talked often about people that are familiar with the court system. |
| 1:44.1 | We have talked as folks that admire law enforcement and prostitians. often about people that are familiar with the court system. |
| 1:48.7 | We have talked as folks that admire law enforcement and prosecutors. |
| 1:53.2 | We have talked about when you're on the opposite side of the aisle. |
| 2:00.6 | We have talked about all kinds of things from both sides of the world that we live in. |
| 2:02.6 | Defense attorney, prosecution, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.