Ashley Flowers, who rode the success of the true crime series Crime Junkie to launch the podcast studio Audiochuck, last year launched the nonprofit Season of Justice (SOJ) to provide financial grants to law enforcement agencies and victims as well as their families to help solve cold cases. One of those grants, provided to Central Indiana Law Enforcement, has now assisted in the arrest of a long-sought-after serial rapist.
Darrell Goodlow, 37, was arrested on Sept. 17 as a suspect in the sexual assaults of at least eight women dating back to August 2020. The SOJ grant enabled law enforcement to pursue advanced DNA testing resources for these cases.
The Indianapolis rape suspect allegedly preyed on older women, and disguised his voice during the attack to make it harder to be identified. He also used a condom during his attacks making DNA evidence harder to come by. But police were eventually able to recover a crime scene fingerprint that police used to link Goodlow to DNA evidence left behind at six other crime scenes. Goodlow now faces 57 counts of rape, assault, burglary, strangulation, kidnapping and criminal confinement. He is being held on $500,000 bond.
"I started Season of Justice to help bring some sense of closure to crime victims and their families," said Flowers. "I’m beyond appreciative of the passionate and engaged fans that follow our podcasts. Their support of our victim advocacy efforts continues to propel the mission forward."
Flowers partnered with Steve DuBois, a former law enforcement officer with more than three decades of experience, to establish Season of Justice and he serves as the nonprofit's executive director. Law enforcement officials can apply for SOJ grants to leverage advanced DNA testing, such as forensic genealogy and next-generation sequencing. The organization also provides financial resources for crime victims and their families to help fund awareness campaigns, search teams and other initiatives that can assist in pushing their cases forward.
Season of Justice said in July that it had so far distributed more than $226,000 for 31 unsolved cases.
Audiochuck podcasts are represented by AdLarge Media in the audio ad marketplace. Cathy Csukas, Co-CEO of AdLarge, credited Flowers with leveraging the power of podcasting. “Ashley is not only raising awareness but has created a vehicle for action,” said Csukas.
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