Small Town Big Crime

A beloved couple brutally murdered in their home. Their daughter's boyfriend, Jens Soering, confessed to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. But decades later, DNA evidence tells a different story. So who really killed Derek and Nancy Haysom and why?

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Small Town Big Crime

Jens' Story

December 31, 2019 • Rachel Ryan, Jaclyn Piermarini, Courteney Stuart • Season 1 • Episode 3

The weekend Derek and Nancy Haysom were brutally murdered in their home in Bedford County, their youngest daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, had rented a car and driven to Washington, DC. After the killings, Elizabeth maintained Jens drove the 200 miles from Washington to Bedford County to confront her parents about their disapproval of their relationship and ended up stabbing them to death. But Jens has a very different story to tell. From behind bars at the Buckingham Correctional Center in Virginia, Jens gives his version of events that night in March 1985 and the days and months after the crime. He explains why he falsely confessed to murdering the Haysoms and how a DNA discovery supports his innocence. An attorney working pro bono for Jens discusses his 1990 trial in Bedford and several issues related to the Haysom murder investigation.

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Written and Reported by Rachel Ryan and Courteney Stuart
Sound production by Jaclyn Piermarini
Sound engineering by Taylor Thomas

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