Only Murders on the Harbor

Season 1, Episode 1 of Only Murders on the Harbor sets the stage with an eerie, atmospheric tone, highlighting the fog-shrouded coastal town of Grays Harbor County, Washington. Hosted by Kaydee and her fiancé James, the podcast introduces the murder of Laura Law against a backdrop of labor unrest, political divisions, and anti-communist sentiment in 1930s Aberdeen. The episode explores Laura’s background as a Finnish immigrant and ...

In Part 2 of our deep dive into the Laura Law murder case, we return to Grays Harbor to unravel the explosive political fallout that followed Laura’s tragic death. What began as a brutal homicide quickly transformed into a fierce ideological battle—one that exposed deep divisions between labor unions and local power structures.

This episode traces the efforts of the Grays Harbor Civil Rights Committee to defend Laura’s husband, Dick...

In this gripping final chapter of Only Murders on the Harbor, Kaydee and James trace the complex and haunting aftermath of Laura Law’s murder—a case that refused to fade quietly into history. From failed federal investigations and unsealed tax court revelations, to political conspiracies and Cold War hysteria, this episode dives deep into how Laura’s death became a pawn in local and national power struggles.

Listeners will hear how ...

Case 1: Grays Harbor County John Doe (1997)

In April 1997, the partial remains of an unidentified white male were found washed ashore near Grayland, Washington. Estimated to be between his late teens and early 20s, about 5'11", and 170 pounds, the man had extensive dental work, including four stainless steel crowns and a missing or gapped front tooth. Due to advanced decomposition, the cause of death and other physical features like...

In this episode, we explore two haunting cold cases from the Pacific Northwest—one still unsolved, and another finally closed after nearly 50 years through the power of forensic genealogy.

Case 1: Elma 1988 Jane Doe On October 24, 1988, skeletal remains were found off a remote logging road near Elma, WA. The woman had been killed by a gunshot to the head, likely between 1982 and 1988. She was about 28 years old, 5 feet tall, and pos...

On August 10, 1995, 16-year-old Brian Bassett murdered his parents and younger brother in McCleary, Washington. This episode covers the events leading up to the crime, the trial, and how this case sparked a decades-long legal journey that would impact juvenile sentencing in the state.

👉 Part 2 coming soon: We’ll cover Bassett’s resentencing, legal appeals, and his eventual release.

⚠️ Content Warning

This episode includes a discussio...

In this episode, host Kaydee continues the story of Brian Bassett, who at age 16 committed the tragic murders of his parents, Michael and Wendy Bassett, and his 5-year-old brother Austin in McCleary, Washington in 1995.

Part 2 focuses on the legal aftermath, including key Supreme Court rulings like Miller v. Alabama that banned mandatory life-without-parole sentences for juveniles. We follow Brian’s multiple resentencing hearings, t...

On the night of February 2, 1963, three individuals — Reinhart Nelson, John Patrick Jr., and Alberta “Dolly” Burns — drove through a rainy Grays Harbor night with one goal: to rob Dan Damitio, a quiet grocer and Army veteran believed to carry large amounts of cash.

But their plan unraveled quickly. Shots were fired, and Dan Damitio lay dead in his home. What followed was more than just a murder case — it became a legal battle that w...

In November 1901, a routine civil warrant in the Pacific Northwest turned deadly. In the boomtown of Cosmopolis, Washington—where timber mills ran nonstop and the law walked on shaky ground—Town Marshal Silas W. Smith, age 57, was gunned down while attempting to disarm a local man during a property dispute.

The shooter claimed he was within his rights to be armed as a U.S. mail carrier, sparking a legal debate that would result in a...

In this haunting and powerful episode, host Kaydee takes listeners to October 16, 1903, when the booming timber town of Aberdeen, Washington, was nearly reduced to ashes by one of the most devastating urban fires in state history.

Aberdeen, a coastal city built almost entirely from wood, was thriving at the turn of the century — its economy driven by logging, sawmills, and maritime trade. But that prosperity came with risk. Building...

In this episode of Only Murders on the Harbor, host Kaydee explores the 1923 murder of William McKay, a dedicated Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) organizer in Aberdeen, Washington. Known as the Wobblies, McKay and his fellow labor activists stood at the center of a fierce struggle between timber workers and powerful mill owners on the Grays Harbor coast. Through firsthand accounts, historical documents, and contemporary repor...

In this episode, we take a deep dive into a dark night in Aberdeen, Washington—October 17, 1953—that forever changed the lives of its residents. We recount the tragic murder of Albert Hakkarainen, a 26-year-old Korean War veteran, and the complex web of events that led to his death alongside Violet Nyland.

From the timber-town rhythms of 1950s Aberdeen to the emotional turmoil of returning veterans, this episode paints a vivid pictu...

On April 8, 2000, sixteen-year-old Daryn C. Tolle left a Friday night “Rock & Bowl” dance in Aberdeen, Washington. A harmless tradition among friends turned tragic when he walked home alone and was found brutally stabbed under the Chehalis River bridge. Known as an “all-American” student with a quick sense of humor and no known enemies, Daryn’s death shocked a town that hadn’t seen a teen homicide in over 15 years.

Within days, ...

In this episode of Only Murders on the Harbor, Kaydee unravels the tragic story of Curtis Engeland, a 74-year-old retired professor from Mercer Island, Washington. Known for his generosity, love of hiking, and passion for teaching, Curtis was rebuilding his life after the loss of his partner of 41 years.

But when he turned to online dating in 2024, Curtis met Philip Brewer, 32, on the app Scruff. What began as a simple coffee date q...

This episode of Only Murders on the Harbor examines the death of 20-year-old Jimmy Smith-Kramer, a Quinault tribal member whose life was tragically cut short in a racially charged attack near Donkey Creek, Washington. In 2017, James Walker deliberately ran over Jimmy and another young man after shouting racial slurs. Though the attack was violent and intentional, the legal system failed to treat it as a hate crime—leaving the Quina...

On the night of November 18, 2008, Marlon Lee, a 41-year-old resident of Aberdeen, Washington, was brutally beaten and set on fire after leaving the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino in Ocean Shores. This episode of Only Murders on the Harbor examines the chilling events of that night, the investigation that followed, and the broader questions raised by the suspect’s extensive criminal history.

Roderick T. Reed, 31 at the time, was...

In this episode, Kaydee investigates a chilling case from Grays Harbor County, Washington, in November 1923. A string of brutal murders left a predominantly Italian immigrant community in terror. Central to the chaos was Guido Grassi, a laborer whose reputation for violence earned him the nickname the Cat-Man.

The night unfolded with shocking attacks: Joe Tollomi was found shot and slashed in his boarding house, while witnesses were...

We follow the case from the night of the murders through multiple trials, appeals, insanity hearings, political battles, and a series of last-minute legal maneuvers that stretched across nearly four decades.

Witness testimony, forensic details, and court transcripts reveal a chilling crime scene: ten shots fired from a Savage automatic pistol, brutal stabbings, and survivors who barely escaped with their lives. Prosecutor A. E. Grah...

Step into the fog of early-1900s Aberdeen, Washington—a boomtown of mills, muddy streets, and a harbor crowded with sailors from every corner of the world. In this episode of Only Murders on the Harbor, we explore the rise of William “Billy” Gohl, the Sailors’ Union agent whose power on the waterfront shaped both labor politics and local legend.

Part 1 traces Gohl’s early activity in the Sailors’ Union of the Pacific, beginning with...