Murder at Ryan's Run: exposing the cult of John Africa

• Straight Outta Holmesburg -MOVE’s Prison Recruiting—and One Inmates Encounter With Their "God"

  Send us a textThe shadows of Philadelphia's MOVE organization stretch far beyond the infamous 1985 bombing on Osage Avenue. Through an exclusive interview with Richard Garland—a former gang member who encountered MOVE while incarcerated at Holmesburg Prison—we uncover the cult's prison recruitment tactics and the mysterious figure at its center.Garland reveals his extraordinary three-day encounter with Vincent Leapheart (John Africa) through prison cell walls, describing a "soft voice that commanded you would listen." His testimony provides rare insight into how MOVE maintained control over members, even those behind bars, through a sophisticated system of coded communications and psychological manipulation.The interview raises disturbing questions about May 13th, 1985. Was Vincent Leapheart actually in the house when police dropped the bomb? Why did MOVE members tell Garland that John Africa was "still alive" afterward? And what explains the medical examiner's notation that "Body F"—presumed to be Vincent—was missing its head, which appeared to have been "sawed" off?For decades, these questions have remained largely unanswered as MOVE members have pursued financial settlements rather than scientific verification through DNA testing. Garland's story serves as a crucial puzzle piece in understanding how MOVE functioned both in and out of the Pennsylvania prison system and how 40 years later, there are more stones to turn over in the MOVE story.As we mark the 40th anniversary of the MOVE confrontation, this episode challenges listeners to examine all aspects of this complicated story—the victims, the survivors, the uncomfortable truths that continue to haunt everyone involved, and the questions that MOVE still avoids answering.Materials for this episode are on the website - Page S3 Ep 5Information on Holmesburg Prison:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmesburg_Prisonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/988758.Acres_of_SkinThe producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.Support the showExecutive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamaraAdditional research by Robert HelmsMurder At Ryan's RunInstagramFacebook PagePodcast Press If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected] individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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• Mike Africa Jr.'s Tales of Richmond - Factchecked

  Send us a textWhen memoir meets mythology, what happens to historical truth? This gripping episode investigates Mike Africa Jr.'s vivid account of his childhood in Richmond, Virginia, revealing a remarkable disconnect between his published narrative and documented reality.Through painstaking research, including interviews with the retired detective who led the 1980 operation, the prosecutor who brought charges, and the attorney who represented MOVE women, we uncover the actual circumstances surrounding the removal of 14 malnourished MOVE children from a Richmond house. Medical reports, court documents, and newspaper accounts directly contradict Mike's dramatic tale of police sirens, an orphanage with cruel nuns, and a daring escape.The investigation places Mike at just 16 months old during these events, not the nearly three years he claims in his memoir. Photos taken during medical examinations show a distended belly and no dreadlocks, contradicting key elements of his story. Most significantly, there were no orphanages in Richmond at that time—the children were taken to a hospital and placed with foster families.Beyond fact-checking, this episode reveals the profound connection between this little-known Richmond chapter, a lawyer who, if he had made a different choice, might have prevented 6 children from being with MOVE on May 13, 1985.  You will hear that Pixie Africa, who escaped MOVE in 2021 with her 5 children when this podcast launched - she was not the first to attempt that - there is a woman that MOVE never speaks of because she got away and took her two children. The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.Support the showExecutive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamaraAdditional research by Robert HelmsMurder At Ryan's RunInstagramFacebook PagePodcast Press If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected] individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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• Mike Africa Jr. Version 2001 - Part Deux

  Send us a textThis is Part 2—or as they say in France (where MOVE often solicits donations for themselves and Mumia)—Part Deux. It’s not as shocking as Part 1, but it’s still never-before-heard audio from 2001, recorded in the basement of MOVE’s Philly headquarters. A 23-year-old Mike Africa Jr. (aka Michael Davis) reflects on legacy, identity, and his self-declared natural rapping talent (pro tip: double the playback speed for that section). But tucked between the repetition and self-aggrandizing are research gems—and revealing slips of the MOVE tongue—that offer a more detailed picture of life inside the organization.The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.Support the showExecutive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamaraAdditional research by Robert HelmsMurder At Ryan's RunInstagramFacebook PagePodcast Press If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected] individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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• Mike Africa Jr. Version 2001 - Part 1

  Send us a textIn this immersive, unedited episode, you’re sitting in the basement of MOVE headquarters in West Philly—24 years ago—listening as Michael Davis (known publicly as Mike Africa Jr., and within MOVE by the nickname “Puga,” which he no longer uses - talks freely while being interviewed by longtime MOVE "supporter" Peter Gordon, aka Dubside. At 23, Mike shares a version of MOVE’s history—and his own—that directly contradicts the narrative he tells today about 1985 as a public figure and the self-annointed new leader of MOVE.This episode is part of a mini-season built around MOVE’s words—letters, recordings, and public statements—so their credibility can finally be fully examined, which is in the public interest. From Mike’s childhood outside the group to his return under Ramona Africa’s watch, this tape reveals fractured family ties, the making of MOVE’s next spokesperson, and the first signs that he was stepping toward the spotlight and seeking fame via the MOVE story. The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.Support the showExecutive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamaraAdditional research by Robert HelmsMurder At Ryan's RunInstagramFacebook PagePodcast Press If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected] individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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• We'll Burn This House Down - Ramona Africa's Letter

  Send us a textTwo days before the 1985 fire that killed 5 children and 6 adults inside 6221 Osage Avenue, MOVE’s Minister of Information, Ramona Africa, sent a letter to police: “We will burn this motherf***ing house down and burn you up with us.” This handwritten letter has been publicly available for 40 years. So why is it rarely included in books, documentaries, or retrospectives—especially now, 40 years later? This episode brings her words back into the story—and asks us all to think critically about what MOVE calls “the strategy of John Africa (Vincent Leaphart)?"The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.Support the showExecutive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamaraAdditional research by Robert HelmsMurder At Ryan's RunInstagramFacebook PagePodcast Press If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected] individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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