The 29-Minute Investigation: Joanna Hunter

Crime Salad

BLACKCAT | Realm

True Crime

4.4 • 3.4K Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2026

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Omaha Steaks: Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com and use promo code CRIMESALAD at checkout for $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply. OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CRIMESALAD at https://www.oneskin.co/CRIMESALAD #oneskinpod In this episode of Crime Salad, Ricky and Ashley dive deep into the chilling timeline of Joanna's final hours. We expose the massive, unexplained gaps in Mark's alibi, the harrowing paper trail of restraining orders Joanna filed in her early twenties, and the psychological fortress Mark built around his wife after taking control of the Fellowship Baptist Church. This is more than a true crime story about a botched police investigation. It is a story about a family's relentless pursuit of the truth. We discuss how Joanna's brother, Joe Hunter, and her mother, Patricia, refused to accept the official police narrative. Their fierce advocacy ultimately led to the passage of Joanna's Law (Senate Bill 989) in California, which fundamentally changes how law enforcement must investigate the suspicious deaths of domestic violence victims. Joanna's case remains officially closed as a suicide, and her family needs your help to unlock a real homicide investigation. Tune in to hear the full timeline, the forensic red flags, and how you can take action today. Take Action & Support Joanna’s Family: Joanna's family is working tirelessly to have her death certificate amended from "suicide" to "homicide" or "undetermined." You can support their fight and learn more about the organizations helping victims of hidden homicides at the links below. Alliance for HOPE International (The Justice Project): allianceforhope.com Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center: hopethriveshere.org Joanna’s Voice Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/p/Joannas-Voice-100068890904659/ 48 Hours: Joe Hunter's Mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEZutwn6Dpo Domestic Violence Resources: If you or someone you know is navigating intimate partner violence, please know that you are not alone and help is available 24/7. It is completely free and confidential. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) Text: Text the word "START" to 88788 Visit: thehotline.org Our Sponsors: Omaha Steaks: Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com and use promo code CRIMESALAD at checkout for $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply. OneSkin: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CRIMESALAD at https://www.oneskin.co/CRIMESALAD #oneskinpod Quince: Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to https://Quince.com/crimesalad for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. (Now available in Canada!) Support Crime Salad: Shop our Memorial Day Sale: Grab your gear at crimesaladpodcast.com Listen Ad-Free: Join our Patreon community at patreon.com/crimesaladpodcast or subscribe directly through Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before we dive into today's case, we want to give you a quick heads up.
0:21.8	This episode deals with a deeply heavy but important topic, intimate partner violence.
0:29.1	Throughout our discussion, there will be direct mentions of strangulation, domestic abuse, suicide, and murder.
0:34.9	Please take care of yourself while listening.
0:37.8	And if this is too heavy for you right now, feel free to skip this one.
0:42.7	Everything we share on crime salad is for informational and awareness purposes.
0:47.5	We build these episodes directly from public records, court documents, and verified news reporting.
0:53.5	And we're here to tell you exactly what the official records show
0:56.8	and what the family believes and exactly where those two things do not line up.
1:04.8	If a man inflicts a non-fatal strangulation on a woman just once, and she manages to survive. Her risk of being
1:13.8	murdered by that exact same man skyrockets by 750 percent. It's a cold, hard statistical fact backed by
1:23.8	nearly two decades of forensic data. Criminalologists call it the ultimate lethality marker,
1:29.8	the ultimate red flag of domestic homicide.
1:33.1	When an abuser cuts off their partner's air supply with their bare hands,
1:37.2	they aren't simply lashing out.
1:39.3	They are showing them exactly how easy it is to take their life.
1:42.9	It's basically an invisible ticking time bomb.
1:46.3	And when researchers look closely at women who were killed by an intimate partner, they went
1:51.4	back through the prior case files and interviewed the grieving families.
1:55.5	What they found was terrifying.
1:58.1	Close to half of those murdered women had been strangled by that same partner at some
2:03.2	point before the night that they died, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, or even years prior.
	...

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