Untold – A WTVR Podcast

When he was a teenager, Jens Soering confessed to committing one of Virginia's most shocking crimes. He later recanted, but says he understands why some people still question why he would ever admit to killing two people if he did not really do it. In spring 1985, Soering, the son of a German diplomat, was a first-year student at the University of Virginia when he and his then-girlfriend Elizabeth Haysom were accused of killing her parents at the Haysom family home in Bedford County, Virginia. It became one of the most talked-about cases in the United States, and five years later, it became one of the first trials to ever be broadcast on television. Soering was ultimately convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. Haysom pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder before the fact and was given a 90-year sentence. Both Soering and Haysom were granted parole in 2019. Soering, who now lives in Germany, joined Catie Beck on the most recent episode of "Untold – A WTVR Podcast," and spoke about the latest effort to clear his name: a petition for a writ of actual innocence before the Virginia Court of Appeals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His life's journey has taken him from the cradle of Western civilization to the West End. Along the way, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas has become one of the most powerful men in Central Virginia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been eight years since Jason Kamras took the job of superintendent for Richmond Public Schools, but he has no plans of leaving anytime soon. And the former math teacher says he is encouraged by the numbers he is seeing. "Last year seniors hit an 80% graduation rate, which is the highest in about a decade," said Kamras. "And our black students and economically disadvantaged students hit the highest rates in 20 years. We've also seen back to back years in growth in our SOL scores, math, reading, science, history." Kamras sat down with Catie Beck on the most recent episode of 'Untold - A WTVR Podcast.' They discussed numerous topics, including the RPS budget situation, and the cuts that Kamras recently proposed. "Let me be clear: I don't want to make those cuts, I don't want to make those reductions, but I felt it was important to give the school board a road map for what seemed likely at the time to be the situation," said Kamras. "Since then, it looks a little bit better for us. There are bills going through the General Assembly that might give us a lot more money." Kamras also talked about the challenges he faces in running the historically troubled school system, including the poverty, hunger, and community violence that many of his students have to live in and around. "I've been to a lot of funerals of kids, you know, over 50 kids have died from gun violence since I've been superintendent RPS students," said Kamras. "And probably two, three times that number have been shot, and that fortunately, it has been, knock on wood, a little bit better this year, but still, that's just horrific." As far as what the future holds, Kamras says he remains focused on the task at hand. "I'm open to any opportunity that can help continue to broaden the impact for kids, but at least for the next few years, I know I'm here, and I'm committed," said Kamras. "And I think we're just on the beginning of the upswing, and I want to make sure that we keep pushing forward so have no plans of going anywhere anytime soon. Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a year after his inauguration, and almost 12 months after he was the inaugural guest on 'Untold - A WTVR Podcast," Richmond mayor Danny Avula returned to talk with host Catie Beck about the highs and lows of 2025, and the icy start to 2026.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was one of the most puzzling missing persons cases that Virginia has ever seen. In October 2009, a Virginia Tech student named Morgan Harrington traveled to Charlottesville for a Metallica concert. She got separated from her friends and vanished without a trace. Three months later, Morgan’s body was found on a remote part of a nearby farm. But it would take years for her killer to be caught. In the wake of what happened to their daughter, Dan and Gil Harrington have fought to protect others from suffering the same fate, forming the Help Save The Next Girl non-profit organization and also the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship Fund. "We both think our lifespans will be foreshortened because of the stress of that loss, but despite that, and because we have been determined not to devolve into hatred, we have navigated and established a great deal of wholeness, and I'm so glad that we were able to do that,” Morgan's mother said Gil Harrington. "It ain’t an easy journey." The Harringtons joined Catie Beck on the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’ Beck first interviewed the couple inside their Roanoke home just one month after Morgan disappeared. "You know, the initial shock of Morgan missing was just overwhelming and horrible," father said Dan Harrington. "It was such a relief that someone found her because we know from previous interactions with parents whose kids or loved ones have never been found, how difficult that is." Beck and the Harringtons discussed what it takes to get past grief, despite dealing with such an immense loss. They also talked about Docs for Morgan, an annual basketball game fundraiser that benefits Morgan’s scholarship fund. This year’s event takes place January 28. "It is a celebration," said Gil Harrington. "It's Americana at its best. In these times people are seeking connection and belonging and boy do we have it here with this community. We are so grateful." Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rob Ukrop on 'Untold - A WTVR Podcast'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few people know more about Richmond’s nooks and crannies than Harry Kollatz Jr. The Central Virginia native has spent the last three plus decades at Richmond Magazine, exploring the city’s bygone eras and its culture, in addition to spotlighting the ever-expanding local arts scene. “Everything comes from somewhere, and that's what I enjoy doing, as far as I can, delving into the origin story of people and places,” said Kollatz. The writer/historian, wearing one of his trademark hats, sat down with Catie Beck for the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’ They took a deep dive into the River City’s past, present, and future, including the magnetism Richmond seems to have in both attracting new residents, and getting those who have left to one day return. “So much of Richmond was built before the automobile, and/or grew as a result of streetcars, which, you know, traveled at a breakneck speed of 20 miles an hour,” said Kollatz. “So, Richmond is a place to appreciate, to observe. I walked to work for 20 years, zigzagging through the alleys of the Fan… and I always saw something different.” Beck and Kollatz discussed everything from the rise of Scott’s Addition to the removal of the Confederate statues from Monument Avenue to the opportunities that might emerge if the city were to develop more of its waterfront. Along those lines, Kollatz spoke about his latest project, the West by Water exhibit currently on display at The Valentine. "You learn a little bit about the history of the James River and Kanawha Canal and its importance to the city and perhaps how it could be again in the future," said Kollatz. Beck also asked Kollatz about how city leaders can make Richmond a more sophisticated and advanced city while also preserving its historic nature. He said embracing and supporting arts and culture is important, while also being more cognizant of the environment in future development. “Let's be smart about it, let's make technology, you know, our friend in terms of what we can do with it in terms to make our lives better, not just for a few people, but for everybody,” said Kollatz. “There are people on social media that have not been to downtown Richmond since 1972 and they're really proud of that, but they don't live here really, and so, you know, let's make Richmond for the Richmonders that are here now and let's not turn into a turnstile city either.” “We’re getting there. We’re getting somewhere.” Read Harry in Richmond Magazine here, order Harry’s books here. Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Reid returns to Untold to discuss his recent campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, highlighting the challenges he faced as an openly gay Republican candidate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chaz Nuttycombe, 26, has taken the election prediction world by storm, becoming one of the most talked about and sought after forecasters in the country. He’s quick to share the credit. “When it comes to my job as a forecaster, and now a pollster, I work with a brilliant polling committee,” Nuttycombe told Catie Beck during an appearance on the most recent episode of ‘Untold – A WTVR Podcast.’ And for good reason. Nuttycombe and his teammates at the nonprofit operation State Navigate were stunningly accurate when it came to calling the outcomes of the various 2025 Virginia contests. “We did pretty well this year, especially in our polling,” said Nuttycombe. “There was only one other pollster by margin of victory, YouGov, that did better than us for the governor race. They had Spanberger by 15, we had 13 in both of our surveys….Of every pollster that asked about the races here in Virginia for governor and lieutenant governor and attorney general, we did the best.” After high school, the western Hanover native took his growing passion to Virginia Tech, where he honed his craft and created an election prediction company called CNalysis, a sort of predecessor to State Navigate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Bradley returns to give host Catie Beck an exclusive update on all the recent developments that have occurred concerning the case of his sister, Amy, who vanished aboard a cruise ship in 1998.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest episode of “Untold – A WTVR Podcast,” host Catie Beck sits down with Bill Bolling, who served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2006 until 2014. The Republican has one of the most fascinating “what if” stories in the history of Virginia politics. Many assumed he would be his party’s next gubernatorial nominee after Bob McDonnell. But when the Virginia GOP changed their nominating procedure, Bolling dropped out, Ken Cuccinelli became the candidate, and Republicans lost the next election. Bolling now teaches political science at Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University, and he has no qualms about criticizing Democrats or Republicans, when he thinks it is warranted. Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest episode of “Untold – A WTVR Podcast,” host Catie Beck sits down with Mike Wade, the former sheriff of Henrico County. Wade spent two decades running one of the largest jail systems in the state, and has been credited with implementing one of the nation's best substance abuse treatment programs for inmates. He’s been retired for several years, but he told Catie there’s one issue that still keeps him up at night, and he doesn’t think enough is being done to address it. “I wish politicians would start talking about mental illness and how they can solve it and what they can do,” Wade said. “I’m really, really surprised that we’re in an election year and I haven’t heard a single politician talk about it.” One of the biggest problems, according to Wade, is that too many people with serious psychiatric issues are still being brought to local jails. “Getting somebody into a hospital is very difficult,” said Wade. “In order to get a TDO (temporary detention order), you have to name the location where you’re taking them to, and that’s always been the problem. It used to be eight hours that you had to get that, then it went to 16, this is how the General Assembly’s dealt with it. Now it reads 11:59pm on the third day after it [the TDO] is issued.” Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richmond Police Chief Rick EdwardsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Content advisory: discussion includes sexual assault and the 1975 murder of 3‑year‑old Christopher Harper in Richmond, Virginia.  Catie Beck speaks with Innocence Project co‑founder Peter Neufeld about Marvin Grimm’s coerced confession, later DNA testing and his 2024 exoneration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catie Beck talks with Todd “Parney” Parnell, the longtime face and former CEO of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Parnell, a native of small-town North Carolina, arrived in Richmond more than 15 years ago, helping bring baseball back to the River City. He almost immediately became a local celebrity, and a 24-7 champion for this community. But he admits his passion for his job– and in particular the years-long fight to get a new stadium built for the Squirrels – took a toll on his health, leading him to make a career change two years ago. Subscribe to “Untold – A WTVR Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie Barnett lost her daughter on a cruise ship in 2005. Now she's helping the family of Amy Bradley, who disappeared on a cruise in 1998.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video editor Chris Fenwick reveals how he discovered footage of Amy Bradley hours before her 1998 cruise ship disappearance, now featured in the viral Netflix docuseries "Amy Bradley is Missing."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the latest episode of “Untold – A WTVR Podcast,” host Catie Beck sits down with Brad Bradley, a man who has dedicated his life to finding out what happened to his sister, who went missing nearly three decades ago. Amy Bradley vanished while she and her family were on a Caribbean cruise in the spring of 1998. Now, the haunting story is the subject of a new three-part docuseries on Netflix called “Amy Bradley is Missing.” Beck and Brad Bradley discuss the strange and disorienting days that followed Amy’s disappearance, the theories as to what really happened, and why he is convinced that his sister is still out there… all these years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marlon BaCote on 'Untold - A WTVR Podcast'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His surname is well known by anyone who follows Virginia politics. Jon Baliles grew up the son of a governor, but has carved out his own path of public service, first working for Doug Wilder, then winning a seat on Richmond City Council and later running for mayor. These days, he's letting his fingers do the heavy lifting, as the author of RVA 5x5, one of Richmond's most popular Substacks. On this episode of Untold, we get into the weeds about the water crisis and much more with this former city hall insider.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.