Useful Idiots: A Note on the Stephenson Murders, the Failure of the State, and the Disintegration of Public Discourse

When the state abandons its duty to pursue justice, the vacuum invites projection, conspiracy theories, and chaos.

The Stephenson murders of 2011 remain one of the most high-profile unsolved homicide cases in Boone County, Kentucky. And I want to say something about this case without fully tipping my hand. But I will say this clearly: quoting the Vidocq Society, who reviewed this case in 2012, violent crime expert and former FBI agent Mark Safarik called it “a solvable crime.”

I agree. Fully. Because we already know who did it. It’s my father.

And I want to be very clear about why I named him publicly: I did so only after months of silence—after patiently giving authorities every opportunity to act in good faith. Instead, on March 27 (BJT), I was accused of treason by a state representative. That narrative was then amplified. Shortly afterward, a local city employee—who had somehow accessed non-public details about my personal life and the allegations against my father—began using that information to discredit me as I continued my investigation. This individual, likely acting through fraudulent means or in direct coordination with my father, publicly labeled me a potential terrorist.

Only then—after the state utterly and completely abandoned its most basic duties—did I say it publicly, on April 28, during a Reddit AMA: My father killed Bill and Peggy Stephenson. The police covered it up. And they are engaged in a criminal protection racket.

That’s not an overreach. That’s what happens when a government forfeits its legitimacy—again and again, with predictable logic, clear patterns, and a discernible racketeering structure.

On May 1 (EST), police retaliated against the child of an individual who had merely requested public records concerning me. In response to this escalation, I published my manifesto on May 5—before notifying local authorities in China of a potential security breach involving unrestrained criminal elements in the United States seeking to silence me. The document laid out my findings in detail—without compromising witnesses, disclosing sensitive identities, or breaking the chain of evidence.

Now, in relation to this claim, I have produced a complete narrative of the case from start to finish, naming the suspect and outlining motive, means, opportunity, and method. What’s more, Detective Coy Cox knows this. As far back as January of this year, Cox asked for the chain of custody of a recording. That’s not idle curiosity. That’s investigatory behavior on someone far beyond “person of interest” territory. That’s suspect behavior.

Still: no clearance. No charges. No public acknowledgment.

I’ve included a photo of the email chain below so readers can see for themselves.

Unvetted Sleuths Become State Narrative Launderers

But let’s continue. On June 18, podcaster Melissa Morgan, a friend of Cox, aired an episode of her show Just the Tip-Sters, in which she said:

"Very few murders have absolutely no persons of interest or perceived suspects. Sometimes these baffling cases can confound even the most seasoned and perceptive investigators. The murder of David Grubbs and the double homicide of Bill and Peggy Stephenson both from 2011 have kept the original detectives and the FBI stumped... There is no closure but I hope we can help them see justice."

That is a fascinating statement — because it contradicts the basic, publicly available facts. This case has reportedly had hundreds of persons of interest. There are named individuals who have been reviewed by local and federal agencies. There is no shortage of persons of interest. There is, however, apparently a shortage of courage.

Even more telling: in that episode, Morgan announces Cox’s retirement. She praises his diligence. She says he wanted to solve the case before retiring. But, conspicuously, he doesn’t appear. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t present the usual posture of engaged determination.

Behaviorally, that is a red flag. Human behavior is deeply patterned. Sudden withdrawal is not arbitrary. It indicates a shift, triggered by a stimulus.

Meanwhile, certain civilian sleuths with ties to Cox are publicly calling some people “goons” some months back. This same person recently floated that my journalism was suspect because of my ties to '“CHI-NA” — an embarrassing attempt at Cold War-era deflection.

This same individual has engaged in contradictory rhetoric: warning of mental illness, misinformation, and “group attacks,” while participating in narrative laundering and character smears without presenting a single evidence-based claim. It’s not about truth. It’s about control. And this is a defense of regime legitimacy, not a search for justice.

When the State Fails, Chaos Fills the Vacuum

When civilians form para-investigative groups without vetting or ethical oversight, and the state fails to provide protective leadership or pursue truth, chaos fills the vacuum.

This is what we are seeing. It is not just institutional failure. It is the breakdown of state legitimacy.

And worse—it now constitutes a national security threat. Here’s why:

1. They Erode the Epistemic Foundation of Justice
   Investigations must be based on evidence, not rumor or tribal loyalty. When law enforcement allows untrained, ideologically motivated civilians to influence or distort public narratives, facts are replaced by innuendo. The result is a collapse in public confidence, which weakens state legitimacy—a strategic vulnerability.

2. They Provide Plausible Deniability for Obstruction
   Civilian actors can be used to leak disinformation, harass witnesses, or smear critics—while authorities maintain “clean hands.” This informal outsourcing of repression is functionally identical to political warfare. It creates a grey zone where accountability vanishes.

3. They Exacerbate Polarization and Instability
   Narrative warfare fragments the public, inflames paranoia, and escalates grievance cycles. This is not theoretical: it is how democracies unravel. Intelligence services, both foreign and domestic, understand this dynamic. It leaves the country vulnerable to manipulation and collapse.

4. They Normalize Post-Truth Governance
   When bloggers and podcasters, aligned with the police, shape the public record instead of prosecutors or courts, we enter a new era: governance by conspiracy. That is not national security. That is institutionalized unreality.

Legitimacy Transfer By Default

I am not insulted by any of this. I take it as a case study. It only proves why the Northern Kentucky Truth & Accountability Project exists.

If a homicide detective cannot offer a counter-narrative to a named suspect in a double homicide—and instead engages in narrative warfare while his department suppresses witnesses, buries evidence, and abdicates its legal obligations—then he is not serving the public. Neither is his department.

This is not mere failure. This is obstruction of justice. Given the magnitude of the crimes involved, it borders on treason.

When presented with clear, evidence-based investigative work, the response has not been to pursue truth—but to retreat. The detective is not advancing toward justice. He is retiring. That is not resolution. That is a vacation of mandate.

We are watching. And we are ready to fill the vacuum with actual leadership.

None of this would be happening if they could produce an evidence-backed counter-narrative. But they can’t. And their behavior proves it. They know the truth is out. They know plausible deniability has been stripped—by design.

And now, they’re stalling.