This story is long overdue. I am speaking publicly because I was a key witness in the Juan Martinez disciplinary hearing. My decision to come forward helped expose misconduct that ultimately ended his career as a prosecutor.
How I Discovered the Misconduct
Journalist Tammy Rose
Covering the Jodi Arias Sentencing Retrial
I was covering the Jodi Arias case when I noticed troubling behavior by then‑prosecutor Juan Martinez. It crossed ethical lines.
One of the most disturbing revelations was the leak of Juror 17’s identity to the public. The information did not come from the court; it came from within the prosecution itself, passed via a media intermediary.
When a juror’s identity becomes public, it puts them at serious risk. In this case, that juror later received threats to their safety.
That moment marked a turning point for me. What began as reporting became a matter of public responsibility. I realized I needed to document and report what I had uncovered.
I provided investigators with records and testimony about how the leak happened, knowing it could affect my career and reputation. Still, I chose to act ethically and tell the truth.
The investigation confirmed that protected information had been improperly shared and that this conduct was part of a broader pattern of ethical violations.
My Role in the Disciplinary Hearing
I gave testimony and submitted evidence detailing the leaks and unethical conduct. My goal was never to attack individuals unnecessarily, but to ensure accountability and integrity in the justice system.
I acted independently and ethically, aware that speaking out could impact my professional life. But truth and public safety were my priority.
Journalist Tammy Rose traveling to court for the Jodi Arias resentencing trial, connected to the Juan Martinez disciplinary hearing
What Happened After the Investigation
After reviewing the evidence, the investigation confirmed a pattern of ethical violations, including:
• Improper communications with media members
• Leaks of protected juror information
• Conduct prejudicial to justice
As a result, Juan Martinez was terminated and later disbarred. His ability to practice law was permanently revoked.
Why This Story Still Matters
Prosecutors hold immense power. When that power is abused, the entire justice system is at risk. I came forward because journalists are not above the law — and neither are prosecutors.
This story reminds us that accountability matters.
The memorial also honors other women whose cases connect to the wider Texas Killing Fields. These include Audrey Lee Cook and Donna Prudhomme. Although they were not found in the Calder Road field, their tragedies are part of the same heartbreaking history.
Laura Miller’s case is widely known because of her tragic death and the work her father did afterward.
Laura Lynn Miller,16
Laura Miller and a Father’s Search for Justice
Laura Miller disappeared on September 10, 1984, after calling her boyfriend from a payphone in League City, Texas. Police initially treated her disappearance as a runaway case, but her father, Tim Miller, refused to accept that explanation.
Seventeen months later, investigators located Laura’s remains along Calder Road. The loss of his daughter changed Tim Miller’s life. Rather than give up, he turned his grief into action and founded Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer organization that helps locate missing people across the country.
Laura’s killer has never been arrested. Tim Miller has spent decades searching for answers not only about Laura’s death but also for every victim connected to the Texas Killing Fields.
The Name That Will Not Go Away: Clyde Edwin Hedrick
One man has remained at the center of suspicion: Clyde Edwin Hedrick.
Hedrick lived in the area when Laura disappeared, and investigators and families have long considered him a person of interest in the Calder Road murders.
He was later convicted of a separate killing — the 1984 murder of Ellen Beason — a brutal crime in which the victim was bludgeoned and hidden.
Hedrick served years in prison for that murder and was released under Texas parole laws.
Because there was not enough physical evidence for a criminal charge in Laura Miller’s death, Tim Miller filed a civil wrongful-death lawsuit. A jury found Hedrick liable and awarded Miller millions of dollars in damages.
However, that ruling did not result in a criminal conviction, and Hedrick has consistently denied involvement in the Calder Road cases.
In recent years, Hedrick has lived under state parole supervision, including time in a halfway house near Houston. His supervision status has become a renewed source of fear as the parole system periodically considers loosening restrictions.
For the victims’ families, this is deeply unsettling. They believe the man they hold responsible for Laura Miller’s death could one day face fewer restrictions — even though the case was never criminally resolved.
For people who live near the Killing Fields, it raises a frightening question:
Site were 4 victims were found
Will the Texas Killing Fields Ever Be Solved?
Advances in DNA technology have helped identify some previously unknown victims, giving grieving families long-overdue answers. Yet the Calder Road murders remain officially unsolved.
Clyde Hedrick is no longer in prison. Since his release in 2021, he has been under strict supervised release with GPS monitoring. The parole board is reviewing whether to ease those conditions, a move strongly opposed by victims’ families.
From my home in Santa Fe, Calder Road is never distant — just a quiet stretch of land with terrible secrets. Until someone is held fully accountable, those secrets continue to haunt this community.
The Texas Killing Fields may be silent — but the questions are not.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Is there a real possibility the infamous Jodi Arias case could be retried due to missing evidence and alleged misconduct?
For the first time in years, Jodi Arias is publicly addressing that question herself.
Arias was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2008 after stabbing and shooting him in the shower. She is currently serving a life sentence. Now, more than a decade later, Arias has begun writing about her case again — and this time, her focus is not prison life, but the integrity of the investigation and prosecution that put her behind bars.
Why a Retrial in 2026 Is Unlikely But Possible
Through her attorneys, Arias has filed a post-conviction relief request. From inside Perryville Prison, she responded to investigative reporter Tammy Rose regarding the possibility of an interview related to that filing.
What New Evidence Could Change
Until now, Arias’ “Just Jodi” prison blog has largely avoided the details of her criminal case, focusing instead on daily life behind bars.
But a new post titled “Hello, 2026” marks a significant shift. In it, Arias makes serious allegations, claims misconduct, and states she is seeking new legal counsel to pursue them.
In the post, Arias accuses investigators and prosecutors of withholding, losing, or destroying exculpatory evidence. She specifically names former lead detective Steve Flores, now retired, and former prosecutor Juan Martinez.
“Important, exculpatory evidence in my case has been lost or destroyed,” Arias writes. “Where is my proof? I’m working on that.”
She also alleges her current legal representation has dismissed her concerns, claiming her attorneys minimize her claims while continuing to bill the county.
Adding to the controversy, both attorneys from Arias’ original trial were later disbarred. Former prosecutor Juan Martinez was disbarred for misconduct following the trial , and Arias’ defense attorney, Kirk Nurmi, was also disbarred after writing a book about his client while her case was still active — a move widely criticized as unethical.
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases”
Defense attorney Kirk Nurmi wrote a book about his client. #ad
Court documents also reference requests for information regarding a book Martinez allegedly began writing during Arias’ first trial, raising additional concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez also allegedly worked on a book related to the case during the first trial. #ad
What This Means for True Crime Watchers where should that go
So the question remains: do these claims — combined with documented misconduct surrounding key figures in the case— give Jodi Arias a legitimate path toward a new trial?
For now, the courts will decide whether her allegations warrant further review. But for the first time in years, Jodi Arias is no longer avoiding the case – she’s confronting it head-on.
Prosecutor Juan Martinez enters the courtroom with a key witness during the Jodi Arias trial. Photo by Tammy Rose.
Convicted murderer Jodi Arias may be closer than ever to a second shot at freedom — and her legal team believes former prosecutor Juan Martinez’s book could be the key.
Martinez allegedly began writing Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars while Arias was still on trial — long before it was published. Now, Arias’ attorneys are demanding business records from the literary agent Martinez originally hired, hoping those files will reveal whether he planned to profit from her case while prosecuting it.
If the records show ethical violations or conflicts of interest, her lawyers argue the trial itself may have been tainted — opening the door to post-conviction relief and a possible new path to freedom.Convicted murderer Jodi Arias may be closer than ever to a second shot at freedom — and her legal team believes former prosecutor Juan Martinez’s book could be the key. This isn’t the first controversy surrounding the Jodi Arias prosecution.
A judge has given Arias until September 2, 2026 to file her post-conviction petition. That deadline matters, because courts rarely reopen cases unless new evidence proves serious misconduct.
But Arias’ legal team believes these publishing records could do exactly that. If Martinez was negotiating a book deal while prosecuting Arias, it could violate ethical rules meant to prevent prosecutors from financially benefiting from active cases.
If proven, that conflict could be powerful enough to force the court to re-examine her conviction.
When Prosector Misconduct Changes Everything
History shows that misconduct can — and does — overturn even the most settled cases.
Curtis Flowers was tried six times for the same murders. Four convictions were thrown out after appeals courts found repeated prosecutorial misconduct and racial bias in jury selection. Eventually, all charges were dropped, and Flowers walked free.
James Alan Gell spent years on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. Prosecutors withheld evidence that could have cleared him. His conviction was overturned, he was acquitted in a new trial, and he was released.
These cases prove that when misconduct is exposed, even long-standing verdicts can collapse.
What This Means for True Crime Watchers
The Arias case has captivated millions for over a decade — but this development changes the story. This isn’t about whether people believe she is guilty. It’s about whether the person who prosecuted her played by the rules.
If Martinez was building a book deal while arguing for her conviction, it raises serious questions about fairness, motive, and integrity in one of the most watched trials in modern true-crime history.
Bottom Line
With the 2026 PCR deadline approaching, Arias’ attorneys are betting that what’s buried inside those publishing records could rewrite her fate — and possibly expose one of the most controversial prosecutorial conflicts the true-crime world has ever seen.
Court filings and evidence may soon tell the story that never made it into the courtroom. Click below to read the court documents.
Jodi Arias PCR filings remain delayed, and newly filed court records explain why the post-conviction relief process has stalled.
According to the court record, Arias’ attorneys requested that the court cancel scheduled oral arguments while they review business records connected to Folio Literary Management and author Steve Troha. Those records may relate to a 2016 book written by former prosecutor Juan Martinez and could impact arguments raised in Arias’ PCR case.
Until the review is complete, the court cannot move forward with the PCR process. Court documents also indicate the filing deadline has been pushed back, signaling that the case remains paused pending further review.
Want more true crime? Here’s a list of must-read books you won’t put down.
For as long as I can remember, I was told there was gold hidden beneath my great-grandparents’ home in the small town of Berlitt. The story was always the same — that during World War II, my family hid something valuable before the Russian army arrived.
No one knew exactly what was buried -but everyone knew it mattered.
As I grew older, I realized the whispers were not just about treasure. They were about fear, secrecy, and survival. Why would a simple farming family need to hide gold? And what were they afraid of being found?
Years later, those unanswered questions became impossible to ignore.
That is what led me back to Germany — to the house, to the people who lived there after my family, and to a past no one wanted to fully explain.
After writing several books, I decided to travel to Germany to make a documentary about my family in 2017.
What I discovered was disturbing.
My great-grandparents and my great-uncle were allegedly heavily involved in the Nazi Party and the SS, according to one of their elderly neighbors.
My research eventually led me to Günter Waschke, whose family received Richard and Helene Pein’s home after World War II.
Hans Rose with neighbors near our Berlitt, Germany home in 1991. Click on the link above to follow my ‘Buried Treasure’ journey.
Part Two —Shadows of the Past
While digging into the origins of a buried treasure legend, we uncover a family’s dark secret – a great-uncle once convicted of Nazi war crimes. History isn’t always comfortable — but it matters.
Richard & Helene Pein’s 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1935. (On the far right, Werner Pein’s photo is doctored. A swastika armband was removed from his left arm.) He would later be convicted of Nazi War crimes following WW II.
I sat down with a former owner of our Berlitt home, Günter Waschke in 2019.
My interview with Günter Waschke in 2019..
(Tammy Rose) “What can you tell me about my great-grandparents Richard & Helene Pein?
Richard PeinHelene Pein
(Günter Waschke) “I was 4 years old, so I do not remember much. Helene loved me as ‘little Günter’ because her son Günther was killed in the war.”
“From Richard, I have no remembering other than he was the Mayor of Berlitt and was regarded as a bad Nazi by the upcoming Communists. They forced him to move to Granzow on his second farm. Pein’s farm in Berlitt was expropriated and divided into small farms distributed to refugees from East Germany like my mother and me. The same process was conducted with the big farm of Earl/Graf Königsmark who had committed suicide before the Russians invaded. His castle was used as a school following the war and is located across the street from the Pein home near the Church of Berlitt.”
Earl/Graf Königsmark
Church of Berlitt
(Tammy Rose) “What else can you tell me about that time period and our old house?”
Helene & Richard Pein in front of their Berlitt Home just before the invasion.
(Günter Waschke) “My mother and I fled from our original home near Poznan, Poland in January 1945 by foot and took only what we could carry. I cried because I forgot my doll called Ria. We lived after the war in the right part of Pein’s house, seen from the street side, until 1950. Then my mother and I left Berlitt because my father who was a prisoner of war was set free and we moved to West Germany. Additionally, it was better to go to the West because Berlitt had become part of the communist German Democratic Republic under the goodwill of Stalin.”
This was the last family picture of the Peins taken at Christmas before their youngest son, Lt. Günther Pein was killed on October 18, 1944.
Part Three —Return to Berlitt and the Secrets Buried Below.
After years of unanswered questions, I travel to Berlitt, Germany, back to the small house where my family once lived-and where the gold was secretly buried long ago. Now under new ownership, the home stands as both a relic of my past and the key to everything I still don’t know. As I meet with the current homeowners, I hope to unearth more than just treasure; I’m searching for clarity, truth, and the missing pieces of a story that has followed me across decade and continents. What lies beneath the floorboards may be valuable, but the answers I’m after could change everything.
Liese-Lotte Pein & Hans RoseWilly & Hans Rose
Part Four —Shadows in the House.
I finally step inside the house where our gold may still be buried, and the walls seem to whisper secrets of the past. As I explore, shocking truths emerge: my great-grandparents were deeply involved in the Nazi regime, and the treasure I’ve been chasing may not be just family gold-it could be part of a darker, more sinister history. Every coin, every hidden corner now carries the weight of betrayal, war, and a legacy I never imagined. The hunt for answers has become a confrontation with history itself.
During my research, I located official French military court documents showing that my great-uncle, Werner Pein, was tried after World War II in connection with his service in the German occupation forces.
📜 Wartime Court Records
According to the archived judgement, the court record states:
French Military Tribunal — Paris (1950)
Case:Judgment against Walter Holz and others
Charges included:
– Murders and complicity in murders
– Assaults and injuries
– Illegal confinement
– Torture
Location of crimes: Pontivy, Morbihan, France
Date of crimes: July 1944
Defendant: Werner Pein (born Nov. 14, 1912, Berlin)
Sentence: 20 years hard labor (commuted to 7 years imprisonment)
Source: French Ministry of Defense — Military Justice Archives, Le Blanc, France
Part Five: Echoes of Innocence. As the story of my great-grandparents unfolds, I turn to my German relatives for answers. They dispute the claims of SS involvement, insisting that my ancestors were poor farmers, good neighbors, and hardworking members of their community. The treasure and its history remain tangled in uncertainty, and I must now navigate between family memories, historical records, and the uneasy truths buried in both.
Another one of my great-uncles, Günther Pein was killed on a bridge in Saint Pölten, Austria at the end of World War II. I often wonder how much he might of known about the Holocaust and to what extent he may have participated. My other grandfather, Howard Leo Thompson from Milton, WI also fought in WW II which makes things even more complicated. Did he encounter any of my German relatives?
The last picture taken of Günther Pein before he was killed on a bridge in Saint Pölten, Austria at the end of World War II.Howard Leo Thompson
Part Six: Meeting in Berlitt. I finally connect with the current homeowners of the house where the gold may be buried. After reading my books, ‘Lost Dreams’ & ‘Lost Treasures’, they reached out online, curious-and maybe cautious-about the story I’ve been chasing for years. Now, face-to-face, I try to learn whether they believe the treasure exists, and if they’ve ever attempted to dig it up. Every answer, every hesitation, adds a new layer to the mystery, and I realize that the truth about the buried coins may be closer-or more elusive-than I ever imagined.
Hans & Reinhard Rose on their Granzow farm.
Part Seven: Secrets Left Buried. After walking through the backyard where my great uncle described the treasure to my dad, I can feel it in my bones-the legend is real. Every detail he shared aligns perfectly with the property, even the parts I never included in my book. Yet, the current homeowners have no interest in digging, and I understand why. Some stories, some treasures, are meant to stay hidden. We part with a mutual respect for the past and the unspoken truth: certain secrets are better left buried.
War is more than borders and battles — It is the quiet endurance of ordinary people navigating impossible circumstances — families and strangers, victims and survivors, bound together by fate. Time moves forward, but the lessons of courage, sacrifice, and unexpected connection endure.
May we remember not only the events of history, but the people who lived them — their hopes, their heartbreaks, and their capacity to find shared humanity even in the darkest of days.
Go behind the scenes of Obsessed Trial Watchers, a true crime documentary created by journalist and filmmaker Tammy Rose. In this exclusive look, I take you inside the investigation, production, and storytelling process behind the case that captured national attention.
How “Obsessed Trial Watchers” Was Researched and Filmed
Obsessed with Trials? Well, so am I. Go behind the scenes with me at the #JericeHunterTrial. This trial revolves around a Phoenix, AZ mother accused of killing her 5-year-old daughter, Jhessye Shockley in 2011. The state says Jerice Hunter locked her daughter in a closet, beat and starved her to death. Then, she concealed her body in a suitcase and threw it away like trash in a Tempe dumpster. While this isn’t a death penalty case, Hunter is facing first degree murder charges. The defense claims Jhessye was abducted and there is no proof that she is even dead.
For decades, our family whispered about a buried treasure family story hidden in a small German town during WWII. I finally returned to Berlitt to explore the legend firsthand — and the story is even stranger than we imagined. Watch the video to see the full legend come alive.
Watch the full legend of our buried treasure below 👇
Video: Tammy Rose explains the full buried treasure family story and legend from WWII Germany
Discover More Family Legends and Buried Treasures →
Explore stories like “When Two Worlds Collide”and uncover more hidden histories from our family’s past.
Growing up, my dad told me about an incredible buried treasure family journey — how my great-grandfather, Richard Pein, hid gold coins beneath his pig barn in Germany as WWII drew to a close. Now, 73 years later, I finally traveled to the house to see the legendary treasure site for myself.
Video of Tammy Rose traveling to Germany and her dad discussing the buried treasure family journey
Returning to My Ancestors’ Home in Germany
This trip wasn’t just about a legend — it was about connecting with my family’s history. Standing in the home where my ancestors once lived, and walking the ground they once walked, made the story feel real in a way I never imagined.
Discovering the Story Behind the Treasure
Visiting the house and speaking with the current homeowners gave me insight into my great-grandfather’s life and the community that witnessed the legend unfold. Each room, each piece of furniture, carried decades of memory and history — it was like stepping back in time.
Curious about more family legends and treasure stories?
Scandal in a Small Town is a gripping crime fiction novel that pulls readers into a chilling mystery rooted in the heart of small‑town America.
What begins as a brutal tragedy soon becomes a haunting puzzle that FBI agent Katie Walker thought she had solved — until a new series of murders raises questions no one expected.
About the Author
Tammy Rose is a journalist and author who brings her experience covering real courtroom drama and crime to her fiction writing. Scandal in a Small Town is her third novel, blending procedural elements with deep human insight.
Ready to dive into suspense and mystery?
👉 Get your copy of Scandal in a Small Town today and follow Katie Walker’s search for truth in a town full of secrets.
PREVIEW
I had just finished my intense 16-week training at Quantico, Virginia and was given my first assignment as an official FBI agent. Oddly it would be the very town I grew up in, an assignment rarely given to a new agent. In fact, your hometown was the one place you could guarantee not going to, for fear of not blending in if needed to be on an undercover assignment. It was shortly after graduating from Plymouth High School when I realized what I wanted to do with my life, protect people. I had lost the one thing dear to me, my best friend Michele Saunders to a serial killer our senior year. I had thought the murders were all behind me, neatly tucked away in the past. However, a recent “accident” at Plymouth High School seemed all too real and the feds thought we may have another killer on our hands. What didn’t make sense to me was the fact that the feds thought it might be related to earlier killings in the late 1980’s. The murders were of young high school kids, made to look like accidents. But that killer was dead, I thought. I killed him. Or Didn’t I?
