logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
1h 7m

220: The Murder of Rhonda Oakley

Erica Kelley
About this episode
On September 1, 2016, 52-year-old Rhonda Oakley was due home from a business trip. Only gone one night, she and her husband of less than three years had missed each other. The empty nester and single dad had been inseparable since they met. Rhonda had recently become a full time stepmom to Phillip’s teenaged kids, who had moved from Indiana to the Oakley’s home on the outskirts of Danville, Kentucky. That afternoon, her stepson came home and found Rhonda in a pool of blood, viciously murdered. His father was devastated and his sister was missing. A national manhunt ensued as investigators realized tried to unravel what happened in this peaceful little town where folks had always felt safe. 

Hosted and produced by Erica Kelley 
Researched and written by Erica Kelley & Gemma Harris
Original Graphic Art by Coley Horner 
Original Music by Rob Harrison of Gamma Radio 
Edited & Mixed by Brandon Schexnayder & Erica Kelley 

Sources: https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/rhonda-oakley

This episode is brought to you by:  
  • This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/SOUTHERN and get on your way to being your best self.
  • Start saving and investing for your future today at Acorns.com/southernfried
  • Get your coolest and most comfortable sleep with 20% off and free shipping at BollandBranch.com/SFTC
  • Visit SimpliSafe.com/southernfried to get 20% off any new system with Fast Protect Monitoring. There’s no safe like SimpliSafe.
  • Free the pain and discomfort, keep the support with 20% off at HoneyLove.com/SFTC
  • Get the confidence of smelling great from your pits to your feet, go to LumeDeodorant.com and enter code SFTC for 15% off your order. 
Up next
Oct 2024
The Best of October Southern Fried: 2022, Ep167: The Murder of Fred Jablin
Today's episode is a "best of October" Southern Fried is from 2022, 167: The Murder of Fred Jablin Dr. Fred Jablin, a highly regarded professor of communication, was a dedicated husband to his wife, Piper Rountree. For years, he did everything in his power to make her happy, but ... Show More
1h 19m
Jul 2024
The Disappearance & Murder of Emily Anderson - Part 1 of 2
The last time anyone saw 49-year-old Emily Anderson was December 29, 2005. As husband, Jerry Anderson was naturally the first suspect. But he seemed to be able to account for his time that day and he passed a polygraph. After an anonymous call, Emily’s body was discovered on Janu ... Show More
52m 8s
Jul 2024
Introducing Gone Cold – Texas True Crime
Texas is known for being tough on crime and those who commit it. Or at least the ones who get caught. There are tens of thousands of unsolved homicides in Texas and nearly as many open missing persons cases. Every week, Gone Cold Podcast—Texas true crime—presents in-depth account ... Show More
8m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 26
S3 Ep344: The Wrongful Death Lawsuit | The Unanswered Death of Christian Griggs (Part 4)
On the morning of October 12, 2013, 23-year-old Army veteran Christian Griggs went to his in-laws’ property in Angier, North Carolina to pick up his young daughter, Jaden. At 10:54 a.m., he called his father Tony to say that his father-in-law, Reverend Pat Chisenhall, was yelling ... Show More
1h 32m
Sep 12
S3 Ep338: Self-Defense or Setup | The Unanswered Death of Christian Griggs (Part 2)
On the morning of October 12, 2013, 23-year-old Army veteran Christian Griggs went to his in-laws’ property in Angier, North Carolina to pick up his young daughter, Jaden. At 10:54 a.m., he called his father Tony to say that his father-in-law, Reverend Pat Chisenhall, was yelling ... Show More
1h 42m
Jan 2022
#352: Elon Wilson & Banaz Mahmod | "Black and Missing" - Part 4
On today’s show, we discuss a different kind of “missing person”, those who are missing from the lives of their families due to police misconduct, and wrongful arrests. Such was the case for Elon Wilson, Natalie’s son, a former D.C. firefighter who spent almost two years in priso ... Show More
41m 48s
Jun 2022
Case 215: The One-Man Crime Wave
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim *** On May 26 1978, four-year-old Eric Christgen suddenly disappeared while playing in a park in St Joseph, Missouri. The next day, his body was discovered near the Missouri River, sparking a manhunt like the small town had never see ... Show More
1h 12m
Sep 19
S3 Ep341: The Case That Doesn’t Add Up | The Unanswered Death of Christian Griggs (Part 3)
On the morning of October 12, 2013, 23-year-old Army veteran Christian Griggs went to his in-laws’ property in Angier, North Carolina to pick up his young daughter, Jaden. At 10:54 a.m., he called his father Tony to say that his father-in-law, Reverend Pat Chisenhall, was yelling ... Show More
1h 51m
Apr 2025
Episode 260 - Gone Girl? - The Disappearance of Jennifer Dulos
Join us, as we take a look at the mysterious disappearance of Jennifer Dulos - a wealthy mother-of-five who vanished from her Connecticut mansion, leaving behind a blood-spattered garage. You’ll hear the shocking claims made by her estranged husband who claimed, that Jennifer sta ... Show More
50m 54s
May 2024
39: MURDER: Charlotte Fimiano
On the afternoon of September 11, 1997, Charlotte Fimiano, a 40-year-old realtor and beloved mother and wife, went to meet with a potential home buyer at a secluded residence in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania. When she didn’t return home that night, her husband reported her ... Show More
37m 54s
May 2022
Case 211: Cari Farver
When Omaha mechanic Dave Kroupa met Cari Farver in late 2012, he thought he’d found the perfect woman. Unfortunately, their relationship soon turned sour and when Dave ended things, Cari began to obsessively stalk him, turning his life into a living nightmare... --- Narration – A ... Show More
1h 15m
Apr 2025
Who Killed Emily Pike? No More Stolen Sisters
On February 14th, 2025, 14-year-old Emily Pike’s dismembered body was found in garbage bags in a remote part of an Arizonan forest. This discovery came about three weeks after she had gone missing. Not only was this a horrible crime committed against a child, but Emily was also a ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2025
The Dead Man Walking
On May 2, 1962, a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse died of a mysterious illness – or so it seemed at the time. Then, a little over 18 years later, his sister, Angelina, was shopping in a local market and saw a terrifying, vacant-eyed man lurching toward her on the street. Ang ... Show More
1h 27m