Leah Rowlands's guest appearances

Leah Rowlands

Trace Evidence

Just The Tip-Sters: True Crime Podcast

Status: Pending

Hometown Homicide

Brian Shaffer

Cindy Anderson

Lynn Burdick

Jason Ellis

Mikelle Biggs

Mitrice Richardson

Valentine Sally

Zachary Bernhardt

Keith Reinhard

Rachel Cooke

Kimberly McAndrew

Suzanne Lyall

Lauren Spierer

Todd Kohlhepp

Maura Murray

OwlTail

41-year-old Leah Rowlands was working as a convenience store clerk in Cozad, Nebraska when she was shot three times and killed.Leah's killer, despite being captured on surveillance cameras, has never been arrested for her murder.Sources for this episode include: The Columbus (Nebraska) Telegram, Lincoln County Crimestoppers, the Lincoln Journal-Star, and the Associated Press, and an article written by Jenn Baxter for Medium.Here's a still image of the suspect in Leah's case: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nezYA0D3TuQ/W1_smIDdaMI/AAAAAAAABck/IVNDA7XTRVU5xFyo6Qg1Q3PNhH6afVNRACLcBGAs/s1600/99-187-double.jpgIf you think you recognize the man in the photo or have any information about Leah’s murder, please contact the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office at 308–324–3011.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3634430/advertisement

41-year-old Leah Rowlands was working as a convenience store clerk in Cozad, Nebraska when she was shot three times and killed. Leah's killer, despite being captured on surveillance cameras, has never been arrested for her murder. Sources for this episode include: The Columbus (Nebraska) Telegram, Lincoln County Crimestoppers, the Lincoln Journal-Star, and the Associated Press, and an article written by Jenn Baxter for Medium. Here's a still image of the suspect in Leah's case: <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nezYA0D3TuQ/W1_smIDdaMI/AAAAAAAABck/IVNDA7XTRVU5xFyo6Qg1Q3PNhH6afVNRACLcBGAs/s1600/99-187-double.jpg" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nezYA0D3TuQ/W1_smIDdaMI/AAAAAAAABck/IVNDA7XTRVU5xFyo6Qg1Q3PNhH6afVNRACLcBGAs/s1600/99-187-double.jpg</a> If you think you recognize the man in the photo or have any information about Leah’s murder, please contact the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office at 308–324–3011. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/3634430/advertisement" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.spreaker.com/show/3634430/advertisement</a>

Case Overview: Leah Rowlands (1997)

One unseasonably cool (as opposed to freezing) late winter morning on March 10, 1997, at a small  travel stop gas station and convenience store right off Interstate 80 in Cozad, a tiny farming community in the heart of Nebraska, a late model Pontiac Grand Am pulled into the parking lot and up to the pumps.  Inside the store, 41 year-old Leah Rowlands was behind the counter on her very first day in her new role as manager – her hard work and happy attitude had earned her that position after just a few months.  The divorced mother of two was finally getting her life back in order after a tough breakup with a new town, a new boyfriend and a future that appeared nothing but bright.  Back at the gas pumps, a large man wearing a hoodie under a leather jacket, sweat pants rolled up to his knees and wearing no shoes got out of the Pontiac, filled the tank and headed into the store.  Once inside he grabbed a canned soft drink out of the cooler, opened it and started drinking from it while he waited for a mother and her young son to complete their transaction at the counter and leave.  He then went up to Leah at the counter, told her to empty the cash register and get down on the floor.  Once she was face down on the floor, he calmly pulled a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from his right pocket, reached over the counter and calmly shot Leah Rowlands to death.  After just three minutes after walking into the store, the killer nonchalantly walked out, carrying his soda, a pack of cigarettes and $150 in cash.  He got back into the Grand Am and drove off.  Never to be seen again.  Right up to this moment, no one knows who the big man in the hoodie is.  There has never been an arrest.  And here’s the truly weird and truly awful – and awfully amazing – thing about all of this:  The convenience store was completely wired with surveillance cameras.  The entire event was caught on videotape, from several angles.  The killer stared straight into one of the cameras as he waited for the store to clear out.  His unshielded face – while mildly blurry – is clearly visible on the footage from behind the counter, where the murder is recorded in horrifying detail.  And no one – no one – has ever identified him.  A California license plate on the rear of the Grand Am is illegible.  And even though authorities have searched the for that car, it’s never been found.  The calmness of the killer’s demeanor – his seeming complete lack of concern that his face, his body features, his clothing were being recorded – makes the entire episode not just tragic – but haunting…to Leah’s family and loved ones and especially to law enforcement.  Every available agency, from local police to state authorities to the FBI, continues to work on this case – but until that one person who recognizes her killer comes forward, the case is at a standstill.  Take a chilling ride with Melissa back to that Nebraska morning 24 years ago and imagine that you or someone you know can be the one link to bring justice to Leah Rowlands.  ALSO - this week Melissa has an update on the Will Cierzan case - a new development that could finally bring justice to Will's family.

One unseasonably cool (as opposed to freezing) late winter morning on March 10, 1997, at a small  travel stop gas station and convenience store right off Interstate 80 in Cozad, a tiny farming community in the heart of Nebraska, a late model Pontiac Grand Am pulled into the parking lot and up to the pumps.  Inside the store, 41 year-old Leah Rowlands was behind the counter on her very first day in her new role as manager – her hard work and happy attitude had earned her that position after just a few months.  The divorced mother of two was finally getting her life back in order after a tough breakup with a new town, a new boyfriend and a future that appeared nothing but bright.  Back at the gas pumps, a large man wearing a hoodie under a leather jacket, sweat pants rolled up to his knees and wearing no shoes got out of the Pontiac, filled the tank and headed into the store.  Once inside he grabbed a canned soft drink out of the cooler, opened it and started drinking from it while he waited for a mother and her young son to complete their transaction at the counter and leave.  He then went up to Leah at the counter, told her to empty the cash register and get down on the floor.  Once she was face down on the floor, he calmly pulled a 9mm semiautomatic handgun from his right pocket, reached over the counter and calmly shot Leah Rowlands to death.  After just three minutes after walking into the store, the killer nonchalantly walked out, carrying his soda, a pack of cigarettes and $150 in cash.  He got back into the Grand Am and drove off.  Never to be seen again.  Right up to this moment, no one knows who the big man in the hoodie is.  There has never been an arrest.  And here’s the truly weird and truly awful – and awfully amazing – thing about all of this:  The convenience store was completely wired with surveillance cameras.  The entire event was caught on videotape, from several angles.  The killer stared straight into one of the cameras as he waited for the store to clear out.  His unshielded face – while mildly blurry – is clearly visible on the footage from behind the counter, where the murder is recorded in horrifying detail.  And no one – no one – has ever identified him.  A California license plate on the rear of the Grand Am is illegible.  And even though authorities have searched the for that car, it’s never been found.  The calmness of the killer’s demeanor – his seeming complete lack of concern that his face, his body features, his clothing were being recorded – makes the entire episode not just tragic – but haunting…to Leah’s family and loved ones and especially to law enforcement.  Every available agency, from local police to state authorities to the FBI, continues to work on this case – but until that one person who recognizes her killer comes forward, the case is at a standstill.  Take a chilling ride with Melissa back to that Nebraska morning 24 years ago and imagine that you or someone you know can be the one link to bring justice to Leah Rowlands.  ALSO - this week Melissa has an update on the Will Cierzan case - a new development that could finally bring justice to Will's family.

201. Looks Like A Ghost On Video - Leah Rowlands And Her Killer Who No One Knows

Forty-one year old Leah Rowlands was starting a new life. She moved to the small town of Cozad, Nebraska where her boyfriend lived. She had been married previously, from which she had two sons, but had fled from what she described as a very abusive relationship.Now in Cozad, she was putting the pieces back together. She had just been promoted to manager at the Amoco station where she worked. However, while her first day under her new position should have been a good one, Leah would be brutally murdered in a bizarre robbery.While police theorized that the crime may have been random, Leah's brother argued that it may have been an organized hit, funded by Leah's own ex-husband.Trace Evidence FacebookInstagramTwitterOfficial WebsiteOfficial MerchMusic Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Sources: https://www.trace-evidence.com/leah-rowlands

Forty-one year old Leah Rowlands was starting a new life. She moved to the small town of Cozad, Nebraska where her boyfriend lived. She had been married previously, from which she had two sons, but had fled from what she described as a very abusive relationship. Now in Cozad, she was putting the pieces back together. She had just been promoted to manager at the Amoco station where she worked. However, while her first day under her new position should have been a good one, Leah would be brutally murdered in a bizarre robbery. While police theorized that the crime may have been random, Leah's brother argued that it may have been an organized hit, funded by Leah's own ex-husband. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TraceEvidencePod/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Trace Evidence Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/traceevidencepod/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TraceEvPod" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="https://Trace-Evidence.com" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Official Website</a> <a href="https://traceevidence.threadless.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Official Merch</a> Music Courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (<a href="https://incompetech.com" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">incompetech.com</a>) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/</a> Sources: <a href="https://www.trace-evidence.com/leah-rowlands" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.trace-evidence.com/leah-rowlands</a>

135 - The Murder of Leah Rowlands