Adam continues his deep dive into the death of music legend Elvis Presley with a review of a 1979 ABC 20/20 Geraldo Rivera news report about the questions that persist to this day about the medical examiner’s report and (still sealed) autopsy results.
20/20 Episode: https://youtu.be/o8l47d3fmTo?si=HonI1cCZ3YtylcLY
Memphis Magazine article about the ABC reporting: https://memphismagazine.com/elvis/elvis-presley-death-abc-news-coverage/
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Elvis Presley was a giant on
America’s cultural landscape, a
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man filled with passion and fire
at a time when most of the rest
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of the country was sleepwalking
through its cultural life.
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He didn’t invent rock’n’roll, he
just hand carried it into the
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mainstream.
Elvis Presley was different, and
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because he was good at it, it
paid off.
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All 28 of his movies were money
makers, and his records have
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sold somewhere between 7 and 800
million copies.
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That works out to roughly one
Elvis Presley record for each
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family on the face of the earth.
Despite the fact that hundreds
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of thousands of people
worshipped him, the King
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demonstrated the fact of his
mortality when he died at the
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age of 42.
They told us of a heart attack.
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But did Elvis Presley really die
of a heart attack?
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Welcome to Conspiracy the Show,
the world’s most trusted
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conspiracy.
Theory podcast with your hosts.
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Adam Todd Brown and Olivia
Hydar.
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Hey everybody, welcome to
Conspiracy the Show.
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I’m your host, Adam Todd Brown.
And let me tell you, I’m all
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shook up for this week’s Co
host.
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My favorite Co host of all.
No Co host.
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I don’t even have any guests
unless you count the alleged
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ghost of Elvis a Ron Presley.
I am continuing my deep dive
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into his death.
I don’t know.
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I’m still not convinced, no
matter how much Geraldo Rivera
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wants me to be.
Remember that I mentioned him at
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the end of last week’s episode?
Or did you pretend you didn’t
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hear it?
Understandable.
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If so, that guy kind of sucks.
But the fact remains, Geraldo
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Rivera was actually a key figure
in the reporting around a
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potential cover up in the death
of Elvis Presley.
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He was coming at it from a
different angle than last week’s
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subject, GAIL Brewer Giorgio.
While her suspicion is that
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Elvis faked his death, Geraldo
is more convinced that the local
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medical examiner was involved in
a cover up meant to hide the
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truth, which is that Elvis died
of a drug overdose.
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It’s exactly the kind of story
that would make a person like
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Elvis want to fuck off to
Argentina forever.
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I get that we’re talking about
one of the most famous people of
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all time, but hey, Elvis wasn’t
an elected official.
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Taxpayer money didn’t pay his
salary.
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His job did not involve public
safety, no matter what happened
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on August 16th, 1970. 77 There
has never been a point in
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history when we, the public,
were entitled to know every
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single detail about how or even
if Elvis died.
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And we probably never will.
But my concerns about this
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Geraldo story go beyond
invasions of privacy and HIPAA
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violations.
HIPAA didn’t even exist back
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then.
Anyway.
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I’ll put it this way, if Elvis
did die in 1977, Geraldo is
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absolutely right about what he’s
getting at in this report.
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But if Elvis did fake his death
with the help of the FBI and
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join the witness protection
program, which is the claim that
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all of this is building up to,
if that is what happened, this
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Geraldo Rivera 2020 report is,
intentionally or not, absolutely
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part of that scheme.
And when I say absolutely, I
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mean it in that non absolute.
I can never prove it.
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So I’m not actually saying it
happened kind of way.
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All we got anymore is our gut
when it comes to a lot of this
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stuff.
And my gut tells me this 2020
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report is up to something.
Let’s talk about the report
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itself and then we’ll talk about
why I feel that way.
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One of the first people Geraldo
talks to is Ginger Alden, Elvis
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Presley’s then fiance.
She is the person who found his
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body.
Geraldo asks what she was told
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killed him and she says that she
was told Elvis died of a heart
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attack.
This is an interesting detail
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aside from the part where it
would involve other people.
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I kind of wish I was doing this
episode live or with other
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people because I am curious
about what people these days
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think did kill Elvis.
Everyone knows he died on or
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around the toilet, but I think
folks might be surprised to know
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that the exact cause of Elvis’s
death is a hotly debated topic
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that still hasn’t been
completely settled throughout
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this episode.
You’re going to hear references
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to the autopsy results.
If you Google around a little,
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you’ll find a document out there
that’s often referred to as the
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autopsy report.
It is not the document that’s
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out there is the medical
examiner’s report.
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And there is a bunch of
weirdness around that document
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as well.
And we’ll get to it in a bit.
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But the autopsy results, we for
the most part, still have not
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seen those.
Vernon Presley, Elvis’s dad,
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ordered that they be sealed for
50 years.
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The autopsy results won’t be
released until 2027.
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Did you know that?
I did not know that.
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I’m sure I’ve heard it at
various points throughout my
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conspiracy theory travels, but
if so, it wasn’t a detail I’d
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committed to memory.
You’ll see some tabloid ish
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articles out there that claim to
reveal the results of that
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autopsy, but they’re actually
just accounts of what a guy who
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claims to have seen the autopsy
results has to say about it.
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What’s the difference between a
medical examiner’s report and
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autopsy results?
I also did not know that, but I
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looked it up and from what I
gather, the coroner or medical
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examiner’s report rules on the
circumstances or manner of
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death, natural causes, accident,
homicide, et cetera.
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And then the autopsy is the deep
dive that figures out why the
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deceased got unalived in the way
that they did.
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That makes perfect sense because
the autopsy report in air quotes
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that you can find online is 2
pages long, and it has none of
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the gory details you’d expect
from an autopsy report.
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Geraldo’s claims in this 2020
episode center around the
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medical examiner’s report and
Geraldo’s belief that releasing
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the autopsy results will confirm
his claims.
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The main gripe he has is that
allegedly lots of people who
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were in the room for the autopsy
wanted to issue a ruling that
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Elvis died from unknown
circumstances.
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But that awesomely named Shelby
County Medical Examiner Doctor
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Jerry Francisco went rogue and
immediately told the world Elvis
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died of a heart attack.
That’s the elevator pitch
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version of what’s happening in
this 2020 episode.
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The medical examiner says it’s a
heart attack, Geraldo thinks
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it’s drugs, and he wants to see
the autopsy results so he can
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confirm it.
After running through all of
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those questions, the 2020 report
moves on to a reconstruction of
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the last 12 hours of Elvis’s
life.
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One hour before midnight on the
night before he died, Elvis had
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a dentist appointment.
That’s being rich and famous for
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you. 11:00 PM Dental
appointments.
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As mentioned on the last
episode, Elvis was scheduled to
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leave for a tour on the day he
died, and he was trying to get
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his teeth cleaned for it.
Granted, he didn’t order any
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costumes for that tour, and he
didn’t have his hair or
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sideburns dyed for that tour, if
Gale Brewer Giorgio is to be
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believed, and that sure is
weird.
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But he did get his teeth
cleaned, sure, but also that
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dental appointment probably
wasn’t all that it seemed to be.
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We’ll get to that in a minute.
After a couple hours of typical
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Elvis night owl, jibber jabber
with his team around 4:00 AM or
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so, Elvis did exactly what you’d
expect fat, drug addled end of
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days Elvis to do at 4:00 in the
morning.
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He played a couple hours of
racquetball from there.
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Ginger Alden says he called for
medication to help him sleep at
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around 6:30 AM, and after taking
it he started reading a book
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about psychic energy.
That all does definitely sound
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like the Elvis we know.
He got up again at 8:00 AM
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because he couldn’t sleep, at
which point he requested more
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drugs.
It’s worth noting, as far as I
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can tell, this 2020 report is
kind of where this version of
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events comes from, and it is the
official version of events.
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This is original Geraldo
reporting built from interviews
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with people who were there.
It’s possible that reporting and
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people who were there might
deserve some air quotes.
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Whatever the case, while there
were definitely actual court
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cases and things of the like in
regards to the death of Elvis,
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it all comes after this 2020
report.
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And it’s this report that
prompted the biggest criminal
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case in the death of Elvis
Presley.
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But more on that later.
Back to those last 12 hours in
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the life of Elvis.
After getting that second batch
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of medicine, he gets up a third
time and takes the book about
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psychic energy to the bathroom.
Ginger Alden tells him not to
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fall asleep, and then she
immediately falls asleep.
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She eventually finds him dead in
the bathroom around 2:00 PM that
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day.
Authorities arrive.
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He’s taken to the hospital.
He’s dead.
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Let’s get into one of Geraldo’s
first claims.
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Item ABC News has learned that
no immediate discovery was made
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of any disease or injury which
could have caused Elvis’s death.
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His heart was indeed enlarged
and muscular, and there was
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significant blockage of the
arteries.
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But according to two doctors
present at the autopsy, serious
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heart disease was still years
away for Elvis Presley.
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So Elvis had an enlarged heart
and some arteries were blocked,
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but he was still years away from
serious heart disease That comes
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up in this episode.
What’s interesting about this is
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what isn’t said, Geraldo is
claiming this is coming from
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people who were present for the
autopsy, and he talks to some of
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those people.
And you know what?
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No one ever says Elvis had a
colon the size of a baby whale.
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I don’t know that he did.
But that has become a detail of
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this story in the years since,
mostly starting with those
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tabloid articles from a few
years ago.
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That’s one of the details about
this 2020 report.
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That kind of doesn’t sit right
with me.
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Geraldo is talking to doctors
and hospital personnel who say
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they were in the room for the
autopsy.
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And all of them sort of weave in
and out of openly sharing
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details about what they saw,
like how they were convinced it
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was a drug overdose, but then
also saying they can’t tell him
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what they saw because of privacy
reasons.
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So we hear all about how they
think it was drugs, but any
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specific details fall victim to
medical privacy.
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We can’t say.
And now we’ve been through this
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next part already.
Doctors decide to tell the world
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Elvis died of, quote, unknown
causes on account of him having
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some but not enough heart
disease and an apparently
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unremarkable colon.
But then Doctor Jerry Francisco
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comes out and tells the world
that Elvis died of a heart
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attack.
Geraldo talks about how Doctor
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Francisco refused to be
interviewed and also refused to
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release the autopsy results.
2020 eventually sued to get a
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copy of that autopsy report, and
that’s what got the autopsy
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report sealed for 50 years.
This seems to be correct.
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They interviewed Doctor Neil
Florendo, who was also in the
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autopsy room.
Doctor.
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Florenda, in your medical
judgement, was there any
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evidence that Elvis Presley died
of a heart attack?
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From what I saw grossly.
And from what my limited.
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Judgment was at that particular
time, there was no gross
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evidence of a heart attack.
There was no gross evidence of a
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heart, no gross evidence of a
heart attack.
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Were you surprised by Doctor
Francisco’s announcement that he
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had died of cardiac arrhythmia?
Personally, yes, I was
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surprised.
There’s another important figure
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in this Doctor Muirhead, who
tells Geraldo there was no sign
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of a heart attack.
He also runs down the list of
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drugs that were alleged to have
been in Elvis’s system.
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Codeine, morphine, Quaalude,
Valium, Valmid, Placidyl,
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Nemgetol, Phenobarbital,
Pentobarbital, butibarbital.
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It’s explained that all of these
are central nervous system
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depressants, often abused,
several of them very addictive.
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00:13:25,400 –> 00:13:30,920
There are some weird details
about this toxicology report
215
00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:33,440
where this list of drugs comes
from.
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00:13:33,600 –> 00:13:39,360
It seems like at the time the
hospital where Elvis’s autopsy
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00:13:39,360 –> 00:13:45,320
is alleged to have been done,
they didn’t have a lab that was
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00:13:45,520 –> 00:13:49,600
capable of doing the kind of
toxicology reports they needed.
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00:13:49,720 –> 00:13:54,440
So these results come from a lab
in California.
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00:13:54,560 –> 00:14:01,680
And there is, as we’ll find out
later on, some dispute as to
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00:14:01,880 –> 00:14:05,880
their news worthiness.
But first, let’s hear from
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00:14:05,880 –> 00:14:09,280
Geraldo again.
Item Elvis’s stomach contents
223
00:14:09,280 –> 00:14:12,400
were destroyed without ever
having been analyzed.
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00:14:12,640 –> 00:14:15,880
OK, now that’s a tasty detail.
You can determine a lot of
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00:14:15,880 –> 00:14:19,760
things from stomach contents,
including time of death.
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00:14:19,920 –> 00:14:22,680
That’s one detail history seems
to agree on.
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00:14:22,680 –> 00:14:27,160
We know the window of time in
which he died thanks to this ABC
228
00:14:27,160 –> 00:14:31,960
2020 report And Ginger Alden
later writing a book about her
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00:14:32,280 –> 00:14:36,080
experience with Elvis.
Destroying the stomach contents
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00:14:36,200 –> 00:14:39,320
could be a means of hiding that
drugs were involved.
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00:14:39,480 –> 00:14:42,120
It could also be a sign that no
one died at all.
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00:14:42,240 –> 00:14:44,680
You know, maybe there are no
stomach contents.
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00:14:44,840 –> 00:14:48,320
Whatever the case, Doctor Jerry
Francisco comes out two months
234
00:14:48,320 –> 00:14:52,800
later and double S down on his
finding that a heart attack
235
00:14:52,800 –> 00:14:56,040
killed Elvis.
So what’s fascinating about this
236
00:14:56,040 –> 00:14:58,840
to me is that someone S lying,
right?
237
00:14:59,000 –> 00:15:01,800
The only question is why and
who.
238
00:15:01,920 –> 00:15:05,040
Speaking of that, Cyril Wecht
shows up in this.
239
00:15:05,160 –> 00:15:09,880
Geraldo takes the findings of
that toxicology report from the
240
00:15:09,880 –> 00:15:14,800
lab in California and shows them
to several different
241
00:15:14,800 –> 00:15:17,760
pathologists and various medical
experts.
242
00:15:17,960 –> 00:15:21,480
Cyril Wecht is one of them.
I don’t know how much I trust
243
00:15:21,480 –> 00:15:24,160
that guy.
He shows up in pretty much any
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00:15:24,160 –> 00:15:28,600
case where the media has a role
in crafting a potentially
245
00:15:28,600 –> 00:15:33,080
incorrect version of events.
Celebrity pathologists don’t
246
00:15:33,240 –> 00:15:37,040
become celebrities by being the
best, they do it by saying what
247
00:15:37,040 –> 00:15:39,840
people want them to say in the
right moments.
248
00:15:40,160 –> 00:15:42,960
Look into the details of any
high profile murder case.
249
00:15:43,280 –> 00:15:47,320
Michael Peterson, Scott
Peterson, Steven Avery, you name
250
00:15:47,320 –> 00:15:49,960
it.
In every case, one side finds a
251
00:15:49,960 –> 00:15:54,640
medical expert who’s willing to
say the evidence points to one
252
00:15:54,640 –> 00:15:58,480
finding, and the other side
always finds a medical expert
253
00:15:58,880 –> 00:16:01,640
who’s willing to say the
evidence points to their
254
00:16:01,640 –> 00:16:04,840
finding.
It’s almost as if some of the
255
00:16:04,840 –> 00:16:09,240
science we use to send people to
prison could maybe be a little
256
00:16:09,240 –> 00:16:11,880
more faulty than we’ve been led
to believe.
257
00:16:12,160 –> 00:16:13,840
But hey, that’s a talk for
another day.
258
00:16:14,040 –> 00:16:17,000
Let’s listen to Cyril Wecht.
To be certain, we asked for a
259
00:16:17,000 –> 00:16:20,040
second expert opinion.
We provided the data to Doctor
260
00:16:20,040 –> 00:16:23,720
Cyril Wecht, the coroner for
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County,
261
00:16:23,720 –> 00:16:26,280
for analysis.
Doctor Wecht is one of the
262
00:16:26,280 –> 00:16:29,160
foremost medical examiners in
the entire country.
263
00:16:30,200 –> 00:16:33,880
I believe that Mister Presley
died as a result of a combined
264
00:16:33,920 –> 00:16:37,120
drug effect.
Various drugs, all of which are
265
00:16:37,120 –> 00:16:42,440
known to be central nervous
system depressants, collectively
266
00:16:42,440 –> 00:16:45,560
cause the heart and lung to be
depressed.
267
00:16:46,000 –> 00:16:49,040
The brain controls the
activities of the heart and lung
268
00:16:49,040 –> 00:16:52,840
involuntarily, and when the
brain is depressed by multiple
269
00:16:52,840 –> 00:16:56,760
drugs, such as happened in this
case, in my opinion, the heart
270
00:16:56,760 –> 00:16:58,960
and lungs will not function
properly.
271
00:16:59,280 –> 00:17:01,880
What drugs specifically are we
referring to, doctor?
272
00:17:02,640 –> 00:17:04,599
There were several drugs
involved here.
273
00:17:04,599 –> 00:17:08,280
The principal offender in this
case was codeine, which is a
274
00:17:08,560 –> 00:17:13,560
pain reliever but which is known
to have ACNS depressant defect.
275
00:17:13,720 –> 00:17:17,240
They also interview Elvis’s
stepbrother, David Stanley.
276
00:17:17,400 –> 00:17:21,280
He tells Geraldo he saw Elvis
abusing drugs regularly.
277
00:17:21,440 –> 00:17:24,440
Another stepbrother, Rick
Stanley, says he picked up a
278
00:17:24,440 –> 00:17:28,720
prescription for Dilaudid for
Elvis the night before he died.
279
00:17:28,920 –> 00:17:32,800
And that’s where they get into
Elvis’s history with
280
00:17:32,800 –> 00:17:36,800
prescription medications.
These were all legally
281
00:17:36,800 –> 00:17:41,640
prescribed drugs, albeit
potentially over prescribed.
282
00:17:41,920 –> 00:17:45,480
Next, we talked to former LAPD
detective John O’Grady.
283
00:17:45,600 –> 00:17:47,840
He’s interviewed in this 2020
episode.
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00:17:47,840 –> 00:17:52,000
And oh man, the LAPD.
There’s a name I trust to not be
285
00:17:52,000 –> 00:17:54,480
involved in high level
conspiracies involving the
286
00:17:54,480 –> 00:17:57,160
American government.
He says he frequently worked
287
00:17:57,160 –> 00:18:01,200
with Elvis’s father, Vernon, to
investigate where Elvis was
288
00:18:01,200 –> 00:18:05,240
getting his drugs from.
This feels like a plot hole in
289
00:18:05,240 –> 00:18:08,440
the Geraldo report.
They act like where Elvis was
290
00:18:08,440 –> 00:18:11,800
getting his drugs from was a
mystery to people while also
291
00:18:11,800 –> 00:18:15,160
interviewing people who talk
about filling lots and lots of
292
00:18:15,160 –> 00:18:19,480
prescriptions for Elvis.
If anyone’s going to know what
293
00:18:19,480 –> 00:18:22,280
doctors were giving him these
drugs, it’s going to be the
294
00:18:22,280 –> 00:18:24,760
people around him who just went
and picked up the drugs.
295
00:18:25,000 –> 00:18:29,440
I don’t understand all of this
extra investigative work.
296
00:18:29,640 –> 00:18:32,880
It feels like they might be
trying a little too hard.
297
00:18:33,040 –> 00:18:36,160
So what’s this LAPD guy’s deal,
you know?
298
00:18:36,320 –> 00:18:40,480
Nevertheless, let’s listen to a
quote from former LAPD Detective
299
00:18:40,480 –> 00:18:43,440
John O’Grady.
Should his attending physicians
300
00:18:43,440 –> 00:18:48,800
have noticed the fact that he
was abusing these drugs, he’d
301
00:18:48,840 –> 00:18:52,760
either have to be a retarded
alligator not to notice that, or
302
00:18:52,760 –> 00:18:54,760
a totally incompetent medical
doctor.
303
00:18:55,360 –> 00:18:58,640
OK, well fuck that guy.
So next Geraldo starts chatting
304
00:18:58,640 –> 00:19:02,240
up the doctors who prescribed
Elvis his drugs.
305
00:19:02,400 –> 00:19:07,360
One of them being Max Shapiro
who is described as a doctor
306
00:19:07,360 –> 00:19:11,880
feel good type who was known for
prescribing narcotics more than
307
00:19:11,880 –> 00:19:15,760
most doctors would.
He is a dentist who also makes
308
00:19:15,760 –> 00:19:18,760
house calls as dentists often
do.
309
00:19:18,920 –> 00:19:23,000
I don’t think he says he
prescribes medication more than
310
00:19:23,000 –> 00:19:25,400
most doctors but does it out of
compassion.
311
00:19:25,520 –> 00:19:30,080
And Geraldo asked to see the
inside of Doctor Max’s silver
312
00:19:30,080 –> 00:19:33,960
briefcase and he says no but
confirms there’s a shit ton of
313
00:19:33,960 –> 00:19:37,640
drugs in there.
It’s worth noting Dr. Max seems
314
00:19:37,640 –> 00:19:40,160
like a movie character.
This part is weird.
315
00:19:40,160 –> 00:19:45,080
I didn’t find a whole lot of
references to Doctor Max Shapiro
316
00:19:45,280 –> 00:19:49,280
outside of this episode.
There’s a timeline thing on a
317
00:19:49,280 –> 00:19:54,200
website that says Lisa Marie
took a trip with him in 1973,
318
00:19:54,360 –> 00:19:57,120
but that’s about it.
Granted, I didn’t spend an
319
00:19:57,120 –> 00:20:00,600
entire day looking for those
references or anything like
320
00:20:00,600 –> 00:20:04,560
that, but if they’re out there,
they don’t pop up immediately.
321
00:20:04,680 –> 00:20:08,200
There’s a book out there called
Doctor Feel Good about a Doctor
322
00:20:08,200 –> 00:20:11,480
Who treated Elvis, JFK, a whole
bunch of other famous people,
323
00:20:11,640 –> 00:20:14,840
but his name was Max Jacobson.
Sorry, Doctor.
324
00:20:15,160 –> 00:20:18,120
Max Jacobson, for whatever
reason, despite openly
325
00:20:18,120 –> 00:20:23,440
confessing to probably maybe
over prescribing drugs on a
326
00:20:23,440 –> 00:20:27,200
national news program, it seems
like none of the consequences
327
00:20:27,480 –> 00:20:31,480
that befall the next guy we’re
going to talk about ever come
328
00:20:31,480 –> 00:20:35,320
down on Doctor Max’s head.
I don’t know why that is, but
329
00:20:35,320 –> 00:20:39,920
next Geraldo interviews Doctor
George Nikopoulos, AKA Doctor
330
00:20:39,920 –> 00:20:43,240
Nick.
This guy is a pretty notorious
331
00:20:43,240 –> 00:20:47,640
figure in Elvis fandom.
Good friend of Elvis, his
332
00:20:47,640 –> 00:20:52,800
personal physician Geraldo.
We find out from an article
333
00:20:53,000 –> 00:20:57,760
related to this ABC News story,
just sort of ambushes Dr. Nick.
334
00:20:57,760 –> 00:21:01,640
He shows up at his office and
says, hey, you can sit down with
335
00:21:01,640 –> 00:21:05,520
me for an interview right now or
I’ll wait for you to leave for
336
00:21:05,520 –> 00:21:08,040
the day.
I’ll stick a microphone in your
337
00:21:08,040 –> 00:21:10,360
face.
You can say no comment and
338
00:21:10,360 –> 00:21:12,200
that’s good enough.
I’ll be able to say whatever I
339
00:21:12,200 –> 00:21:15,520
want about you on this ABC News
program.
340
00:21:15,680 –> 00:21:20,440
So Doctor Nick sits down for an
interview with Geraldo.
341
00:21:20,640 –> 00:21:27,640
And one thing that stands out
about Doctor Nick compared to
342
00:21:27,840 –> 00:21:35,040
Doctor Max, Elvis’s dentist, who
seems like he was cast to play a
343
00:21:35,040 –> 00:21:40,040
drug dealing dentist, when they
ask him about prescribing these
344
00:21:40,040 –> 00:21:45,280
medications, he knows he did it.
So he pushes back with stuff
345
00:21:45,280 –> 00:21:48,120
like, well, I don’t want people
to be in pain.
346
00:21:48,480 –> 00:21:52,400
That’s my whole thing is I make
sure my patients are never in
347
00:21:52,400 –> 00:21:54,720
pain.
So yeah, I probably over
348
00:21:54,720 –> 00:21:58,360
prescribe.
Dr. Nick, on the other hand,
349
00:21:58,560 –> 00:22:04,320
vehemently denies that he
prescribed drugs to Elvis, to
350
00:22:04,360 –> 00:22:09,600
the degree that Geraldo is
claiming he’s got a soft voice.
351
00:22:09,600 –> 00:22:15,000
He seems very nervous, as anyone
would probably be if a national
352
00:22:15,000 –> 00:22:19,440
news show came to your job and
started asking you questions
353
00:22:19,440 –> 00:22:23,240
about the death of one of the
most popular musicians of all
354
00:22:23,240 –> 00:22:26,720
time.
The records indicate that
355
00:22:26,720 –> 00:22:32,840
especially in the last year of
his life, he prescribed certain
356
00:22:32,840 –> 00:22:37,440
medications to Elvis Presley in
quite extraordinarily large
357
00:22:37,840 –> 00:22:42,040
amounts.
Why?
358
00:22:47,200 –> 00:22:50,480
I can’t comment on that.
And I don’t believe that’s true.
359
00:22:50,480 –> 00:22:56,040
Well, the records we have doctor
and I’ll say this as gently as I
360
00:22:56,040 –> 00:23:01,920
possibly can indicate that from
January 20th, 1977 until August
361
00:23:01,920 –> 00:23:08,000
16th, 1977, the day he died, you
prescribed to Elvis Presley and
362
00:23:08,000 –> 00:23:16,880
the prescriptions are all signed
by you over 5000 scheduled to
363
00:23:16,880 –> 00:23:22,840
narcotics and or amphetamines
that comes out to something like
364
00:23:24,120 –> 00:23:30,160
25 per day.
I don’t believe that.
365
00:23:30,160 –> 00:23:34,360
Well, is it something that you’d
like to refresh your
366
00:23:34,360 –> 00:23:36,320
recollection on or is it
something that you deny?
367
00:23:36,320 –> 00:23:40,040
I deny.
He sticks to those denials
368
00:23:40,040 –> 00:23:45,760
throughout this whole interview.
He is steadfast in his denial
369
00:23:45,760 –> 00:23:52,280
that no, he did not prescribe as
many drugs as Geraldo is
370
00:23:52,440 –> 00:23:54,600
claiming.
Before we get into that more,
371
00:23:54,880 –> 00:23:58,640
let’s just take a quick break
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372
00:23:58,840 –> 00:24:04,280
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373
00:24:05,000 –> 00:24:06,520
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slams into concrete with 1200
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379
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380
00:24:23,000 –> 00:24:25,440
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That’s not actually our sponsor.
381
00:24:25,440 –> 00:24:29,920
That commercial was just left in
this video and oh I’m so happy
382
00:24:29,920 –> 00:24:32,080
it was.
Have you ever seen a BIC pen
383
00:24:32,080 –> 00:24:34,240
shot out of a gun?
I have.
384
00:24:34,440 –> 00:24:37,040
It’s in this video.
Anyway, let’s get to one of
385
00:24:37,040 –> 00:24:40,400
Geraldo’s complaints that is
almost completely glossed over
386
00:24:40,400 –> 00:24:41,480
here.
Here goes.
387
00:24:41,720 –> 00:24:44,920
Item All the photographs taken
of the death scene, all the
388
00:24:44,920 –> 00:24:47,880
notes of the medical examiner’s
investigator, and all of the
389
00:24:47,880 –> 00:24:51,360
toxicological reports allegedly
prepared by the medical examiner
390
00:24:51,480 –> 00:24:53,200
are missing from the official
files.
391
00:24:53,320 –> 00:24:56,480
That’s convenient.
No pictures of the death scene,
392
00:24:56,640 –> 00:25:01,480
No pictures of the autopsy.
What an unfortunate but surely
393
00:25:01,600 –> 00:25:05,280
accidental miscarriage of proper
procedure.
394
00:25:05,400 –> 00:25:08,320
There’s also this guy.
Item Officials of the county
395
00:25:08,320 –> 00:25:10,200
government believe there’s been
a cover up.
396
00:25:11,520 –> 00:25:16,800
The Elvis mystique completely
pervades the Memphis area, and
397
00:25:16,800 –> 00:25:20,120
if there are individuals who are
so concerned with the mystique
398
00:25:20,440 –> 00:25:23,720
that they do not care to know
the truth, then I feel that
399
00:25:23,720 –> 00:25:27,240
somewhere along the way someone
has to take it upon himself.
400
00:25:27,400 –> 00:25:29,480
To see that the truth.
Is brought up, but you
401
00:25:29,480 –> 00:25:31,000
definitely feel there’s a cover
up.
402
00:25:31,520 –> 00:25:34,160
I’m positive about that.
That one is important.
403
00:25:34,360 –> 00:25:38,320
That’s Doctor Vasco Smith, and
he is confident that there was a
404
00:25:38,320 –> 00:25:41,520
cover up of some sort happening
in the death of Elvis.
405
00:25:41,720 –> 00:25:45,480
He actually comes up in Gale
Brewer Giorgio’s book.
406
00:25:45,560 –> 00:25:51,320
He was approached years later by
an outlet that was looking into
407
00:25:51,520 –> 00:25:55,280
claims of a cover up of some
sort in Elvis Presley’s death.
408
00:25:55,400 –> 00:25:59,680
And when they asked him about
Elvis, first, he says I was more
409
00:25:59,680 –> 00:26:02,280
of a jazz fan, which I like
that.
410
00:26:02,440 –> 00:26:05,480
And then they’re like, no, no,
no, no, no, we’re asking about
411
00:26:05,480 –> 00:26:07,800
the cover up.
You said that thing on the ABC
412
00:26:07,800 –> 00:26:11,800
2020 report.
And Doctor Vasco Smith is like,
413
00:26:11,800 –> 00:26:15,320
Nah, I’m not talking about that
anymore.
414
00:26:15,440 –> 00:26:20,200
And people not wanting to talk
specifically about this ABC 2020
415
00:26:20,200 –> 00:26:22,800
report, weirdly, is going to
become a pattern.
416
00:26:22,920 –> 00:26:26,440
And I know we love a pattern on
the Internet these days, right?
417
00:26:26,680 –> 00:26:29,720
And for good reason.
Very helpfully, the video I’m
418
00:26:29,720 –> 00:26:34,240
watching, which I will link to,
tags a follow up report from a
419
00:26:34,240 –> 00:26:38,960
later episode about the
indictment of the aforementioned
420
00:26:39,080 –> 00:26:41,560
Dr. Nick.
Several years later, he was
421
00:26:41,560 –> 00:26:44,800
finally indicted in the death of
Elvis Presley.
422
00:26:45,200 –> 00:26:47,200
I say several years later, it
was three.
423
00:26:47,200 –> 00:26:49,720
It was 1980.
I want to point out here that
424
00:26:49,720 –> 00:26:54,880
when I’m covering a documentary
or a news report like this, I
425
00:26:54,880 –> 00:26:59,400
take notes as I watch, and
sometimes my notes include my
426
00:26:59,400 –> 00:27:02,120
hunches as to where things might
be going.
427
00:27:02,280 –> 00:27:06,000
I bring that up only to mention
that my first note after
428
00:27:06,000 –> 00:27:09,520
watching that part of the 2020
report was this.
429
00:27:09,680 –> 00:27:12,000
Here’s a quote from my own
notes.
430
00:27:12,440 –> 00:27:15,200
This guy would have been really
easy to set up as part of a fake
431
00:27:15,200 –> 00:27:16,760
death plot.
End Quote.
432
00:27:16,880 –> 00:27:19,720
So here’s the thing.
A lot of what has developed with
433
00:27:19,720 –> 00:27:22,800
this case in the years since.
All of what I’m talking about
434
00:27:22,800 –> 00:27:28,440
right now centers around what we
didn’t know back in the 1970s.
435
00:27:28,720 –> 00:27:32,520
And what’s a thing that we
didn’t quite know as well in the
436
00:27:32,520 –> 00:27:35,640
70s that we all pretty much know
now.
437
00:27:35,760 –> 00:27:40,280
It’s that the police are quite
often quite shady.
438
00:27:40,400 –> 00:27:42,480
They were back then.
They are now.
439
00:27:42,560 –> 00:27:46,440
We just didn’t have the video
evidence to prove it back then.
440
00:27:46,600 –> 00:27:49,000
And yeah, we kind of did even
then, too.
441
00:27:49,240 –> 00:27:51,360
That’s another episode.
Let’s listen to her.
442
00:27:51,360 –> 00:27:53,880
All those thoughts on the
prosecution’s case here.
443
00:27:54,360 –> 00:27:57,520
So almost three years after the
death of Elvis Presley, his long
444
00:27:57,520 –> 00:28:00,840
time personal physician has
finally been indicted, in part
445
00:28:00,840 –> 00:28:03,240
because of the way he cared for
his famous patient.
446
00:28:04,000 –> 00:28:07,360
If convicted, Dr. Nakopolis
would face between 2 and 10
447
00:28:07,360 –> 00:28:11,800
years in prison for each of the
14 counts, and ABC News has
448
00:28:11,800 –> 00:28:15,080
learned that the prosecution
feels the case against him is.
449
00:28:15,160 –> 00:28:17,560
Airtight.
OK, interesting.
450
00:28:17,720 –> 00:28:20,840
And why does he think that case
is airtight?
451
00:28:21,000 –> 00:28:23,840
Here’s another.
Clip For instance, in April and
452
00:28:23,840 –> 00:28:27,840
again in July of 1977, Doctor
Nick’s medical bag was reported
453
00:28:27,840 –> 00:28:30,560
stolen after the contents had
been taken.
454
00:28:30,560 –> 00:28:32,360
The bags were recovered by the
police.
455
00:28:32,760 –> 00:28:35,720
Before returning the bag to the
doctor, the police apparently
456
00:28:35,720 –> 00:28:39,000
copied down his schedules for
dispensing drugs to Elvis
457
00:28:39,000 –> 00:28:41,240
Presley.
In other words, from the
458
00:28:41,240 –> 00:28:45,680
doctor’s own notes found inside
his own medical bag, the state
459
00:28:45,680 –> 00:28:48,320
knows exactly what he gave to
Elvis and when.
460
00:28:48,680 –> 00:28:51,280
OK.
Let’s be honest, the police
461
00:28:51,280 –> 00:28:54,080
stole those bags, right?
Or at the very least, they had
462
00:28:54,080 –> 00:28:57,080
those bags stolen.
In the lead up to one of the
463
00:28:57,080 –> 00:29:01,000
biggest conspiracy theories of
all time, the police magically
464
00:29:01,000 –> 00:29:05,600
recovered a bag of stolen
narcotics from the doctor at the
465
00:29:05,600 –> 00:29:09,760
center of all this.
Twice within the span of three
466
00:29:09,760 –> 00:29:13,360
months and before they return it
to him, they crack it open and
467
00:29:13,360 –> 00:29:15,840
write down everything it says
about Elvis.
468
00:29:16,040 –> 00:29:20,760
I understand that this was an
instantly accepted detail that
469
00:29:20,760 –> 00:29:25,480
elicited 0 scrutiny in the late
70s when Barney Miller ruled the
470
00:29:25,480 –> 00:29:28,720
airwaves, but it is 2K goddamn
24.
471
00:29:28,960 –> 00:29:33,680
We know how the cops do.
If anyone could have been
472
00:29:33,680 –> 00:29:38,760
enlisted to plant evidence in a
scheme to fake Elvis’s death, it
473
00:29:38,760 –> 00:29:43,560
is literally any cop in the 70s.
And no shit this is presented as
474
00:29:43,560 –> 00:29:48,760
conclusive proof that this guy
over prescribed Elvis a shit ton
475
00:29:48,760 –> 00:29:50,600
of drugs.
Are you skeptical?
476
00:29:50,760 –> 00:29:54,240
You should be for a few reasons.
For one thing, Doctor Nick was
477
00:29:54,240 –> 00:29:58,680
acquitted when this finally went
to a criminal trial twice.
478
00:29:58,840 –> 00:30:02,280
He was acquitted twice.
So that should give you some
479
00:30:02,280 –> 00:30:05,920
pause, just on the surface.
But also consider this.
480
00:30:06,080 –> 00:30:10,360
We’re talking about the Doctor
Who was accused of killing
481
00:30:10,520 –> 00:30:17,880
Elvis, and he went on trial in
Elvis’s home state and a jury
482
00:30:17,880 –> 00:30:21,520
acquitted him twice.
You think the people of
483
00:30:21,520 –> 00:30:25,840
Tennessee wouldn’t have loved to
send Doctor Nick straight to
484
00:30:25,840 –> 00:30:28,120
hell for murdering Elvis
Presley?
485
00:30:28,280 –> 00:30:29,840
Sure they would.
But they didn’t.
486
00:30:30,000 –> 00:30:32,080
And I promise you it’s not
because of Doctor Nick’s
487
00:30:32,080 –> 00:30:37,360
personality and joie de vive.
Also, I found an article from
488
00:30:37,360 –> 00:30:41,320
Memphis magazine from back in
the day where they interview the
489
00:30:41,320 –> 00:30:44,080
ABC producers behind this
Geraldo report.
490
00:30:44,240 –> 00:30:47,000
I’ll link to it.
It reveals some highly
491
00:30:47,000 –> 00:30:50,520
interesting details that you
don’t see in that 2020 report.
492
00:30:50,640 –> 00:30:53,880
It was published while Doctor
Nick was before the medical
493
00:30:53,880 –> 00:30:57,200
board in Tennessee to decide if
he got to keep his medical
494
00:30:57,200 –> 00:30:59,600
license.
For what it’s worth, despite the
495
00:30:59,600 –> 00:31:02,400
claims that he basically
murdered Elvis through medical
496
00:31:02,400 –> 00:31:06,200
negligence, his license was
eventually suspended for all of
497
00:31:06,200 –> 00:31:09,800
three months.
That time in 1995, they
498
00:31:09,800 –> 00:31:13,320
eventually took it for good.
Look, I’m not saying Doctor Nick
499
00:31:13,520 –> 00:31:17,640
didn’t over prescribe drugs, OK?
But what’s interesting about
500
00:31:17,640 –> 00:31:20,240
this article is that it gets
into some of the behind the
501
00:31:20,240 –> 00:31:22,720
scenes details of that Geraldo
report.
502
00:31:22,960 –> 00:31:27,400
That article is called How ABC
Unearthed the Elvis Story by Tom
503
00:31:27,400 –> 00:31:29,960
Martin, writing for Memphis
magazine.
504
00:31:30,360 –> 00:31:32,560
We’ll link to it.
They interviewed 2 ABC
505
00:31:32,560 –> 00:31:35,400
producers, Charlie Thompson and
James Cole.
506
00:31:35,520 –> 00:31:37,840
They both claimed that when a
local reporter named EB
507
00:31:37,840 –> 00:31:40,880
Blackburn, who wrote for a
Memphis outlet called Commercial
508
00:31:40,880 –> 00:31:44,760
Appeal, which still exists, it’s
the USA TODAY property, found
509
00:31:44,760 –> 00:31:48,360
out that they had copies of
Elvis’s toxicology report.
510
00:31:48,520 –> 00:31:51,560
Cole and Thompson both claim he
called and told them that there
511
00:31:51,560 –> 00:31:53,080
was nothing to see there.
There.
512
00:31:53,440 –> 00:31:56,160
Elvis didn’t die of drugs.
And hey, you should just, you
513
00:31:56,160 –> 00:32:01,120
know, destroy those reports
before those irresponsible folks
514
00:32:01,120 –> 00:32:03,640
from the New York Times and the
BBC come to town.
515
00:32:03,760 –> 00:32:07,600
But here’s the thing.
EB Blackburn denies that in the
516
00:32:07,600 –> 00:32:10,280
very next paragraph.
Here’s a quote.
517
00:32:10,440 –> 00:32:13,840
Charlie Thompson and I had a
very brief conversation, and I
518
00:32:13,840 –> 00:32:16,360
certainly never called anyone
irresponsible.
519
00:32:16,480 –> 00:32:21,800
I have no desire to get into any
dispute with ABC or any other
520
00:32:21,800 –> 00:32:25,240
arm of the media.
We pursued the story as far as
521
00:32:25,240 –> 00:32:27,800
we could go.
At the time, we were the first
522
00:32:27,800 –> 00:32:31,640
news agency to ever hint that
drugs were involved.
523
00:32:31,800 –> 00:32:36,000
We did print that toxicology
data and we tried to get the
524
00:32:36,000 –> 00:32:40,080
autopsy, but we ran into all the
walls that everyone else has
525
00:32:40,080 –> 00:32:43,080
since run into.
I’m satisfied that we pursued
526
00:32:43,080 –> 00:32:45,880
the story at the time as far as
we could.
527
00:32:46,080 –> 00:32:51,880
I can’t begin to tell you why
ABC developed such a late
528
00:32:51,960 –> 00:32:53,880
interest in it.
End Quote.
529
00:32:55,120 –> 00:33:00,480
So this comes down to a matter
of who do you believe, Geraldo
530
00:33:00,480 –> 00:33:05,840
Rivera and these two ABC News
producers who sort of imply that
531
00:33:05,840 –> 00:33:11,800
local reporter EB Blackburn is
at least incompetent in his
532
00:33:11,800 –> 00:33:17,040
coverage of this story, if not
maybe involved in a cover up of
533
00:33:17,040 –> 00:33:19,240
this story.
Do you believe that?
534
00:33:19,360 –> 00:33:23,480
Or do you believe EB Blackburn
when he says, no, we published
535
00:33:23,480 –> 00:33:27,400
it and it wasn’t as newsworthy
as you think because that’s a
536
00:33:27,400 –> 00:33:31,280
big discrepancy.
Charlie Thompson and James Cole.
537
00:33:31,400 –> 00:33:36,640
On top of claiming that EB
Blackburn tried to shut down
538
00:33:36,960 –> 00:33:40,560
Geraldo’s reporting on this
toxicology report, they also
539
00:33:40,560 –> 00:33:44,120
claim that the outlet he worked
for never published it.
540
00:33:44,240 –> 00:33:48,640
As if to imply that they had it,
but just kind of sat on it for
541
00:33:48,640 –> 00:33:50,760
what?
To hide the fact that drugs were
542
00:33:50,760 –> 00:33:53,720
involved in Elvis’s death?
But if they did publish it, that
543
00:33:53,720 –> 00:33:56,760
blows up Geraldo’s theory
entirely.
544
00:33:57,000 –> 00:33:59,920
And then the very next
paragraph, we get this quote.
545
00:34:00,040 –> 00:34:02,240
This is directly from the
article.
546
00:34:02,320 –> 00:34:04,960
Here goes.
Beth Tamke, who has since been
547
00:34:04,960 –> 00:34:09,280
reassigned to the Papers Action
Pleas column, refuses to discuss
548
00:34:09,280 –> 00:34:11,719
the matter now.
I’ve kept my mouth shut for
549
00:34:11,719 –> 00:34:15,960
three years, and I’m not going
to start talking now, she says.
550
00:34:16,159 –> 00:34:19,679
I’m an employee here and I
fulfill my duties, and that’s as
551
00:34:19,679 –> 00:34:22,080
far as I go.
End Quote.
552
00:34:22,239 –> 00:34:25,159
So there’s that.
It seems like people at this
553
00:34:25,159 –> 00:34:29,880
paper did report on it.
They did all the things they
554
00:34:29,880 –> 00:34:32,480
were supposed to do in pursuit
of this story.
555
00:34:32,679 –> 00:34:37,719
And then ABC News comes to town
and one, decides this story is a
556
00:34:37,719 –> 00:34:41,360
way bigger deal than it is.
And two, starts telling local
557
00:34:41,360 –> 00:34:45,360
news outlets that Commercial
Appeal dropped the ball when it
558
00:34:45,360 –> 00:34:47,480
comes to reporting on the death
of Elvis.
559
00:34:47,679 –> 00:34:49,600
And so again, it comes down to
who do you trust?
560
00:34:49,760 –> 00:34:53,719
Which brings us back to the
Doctor Nick interview.
561
00:34:53,880 –> 00:34:58,040
This article also reveals that
there might have been some
562
00:34:58,040 –> 00:35:01,240
trickery involved there.
Here’s a direct quote from the
563
00:35:01,240 –> 00:35:02,520
article.
I’m sorry it’s a little bit
564
00:35:02,520 –> 00:35:04,760
long.
Rivera then pulled out a scrap
565
00:35:04,760 –> 00:35:07,960
of paper about the size of a
prescription form.
566
00:35:08,080 –> 00:35:12,280
He asked once more if Nicopolis
was sure he hadn’t prescribed
567
00:35:12,600 –> 00:35:15,640
huge doses of narcotics to
Presley.
568
00:35:15,760 –> 00:35:20,200
Nicopolis said nothing, as Cole
later described it, but believe
569
00:35:20,200 –> 00:35:23,640
Doctor Nick thought Geraldo was
actually holding a prescription.
570
00:35:23,760 –> 00:35:28,000
In fact, he still believes to
this day that we brought stolen
571
00:35:28,000 –> 00:35:30,000
prescriptions with us to the
interview.
572
00:35:30,120 –> 00:35:32,240
He never asked Geraldo if the
piece of paper was a
573
00:35:32,240 –> 00:35:34,760
prescription.
If he had, I don’t think Geraldo
574
00:35:34,760 –> 00:35:37,200
would have lied about it.
But Geraldo did ask the
575
00:35:37,200 –> 00:35:40,040
questions with great authority
and insistence.
576
00:35:40,240 –> 00:35:43,920
I can see how Necopolis could
have had the impression that we
577
00:35:43,920 –> 00:35:47,040
had some prescriptions with us.
End Quote.
578
00:35:47,200 –> 00:35:50,760
And again, Doctor Nick is indeed
very insistent that he did not
579
00:35:50,760 –> 00:35:54,920
prescribe drugs to Elvis in the
manner that Geraldo is claiming.
580
00:35:55,040 –> 00:35:59,240
And I just want to remind people
that we eventually found out
581
00:35:59,400 –> 00:36:03,320
that the details about how often
he prescribed drugs to Elvis
582
00:36:03,480 –> 00:36:07,080
comes from what the police claim
they found when they recovered
583
00:36:07,400 –> 00:36:12,440
his stolen bag and wrote down
what was in his notes twice in
584
00:36:12,440 –> 00:36:15,800
the span of three months.
Another reminder, the ultimate
585
00:36:15,800 –> 00:36:19,360
claim here is Elvis joined
witness protection if that
586
00:36:19,360 –> 00:36:22,560
happened and death by
combination of bad living and
587
00:36:22,920 –> 00:36:25,360
too many drugs is your cover
story.
588
00:36:25,600 –> 00:36:29,000
Planning evidence on Doctor Nick
during those two stolen bag
589
00:36:29,000 –> 00:36:32,360
incidents that happened a few
short months prior to Elvis
590
00:36:32,360 –> 00:36:37,640
dying would not be impossible at
all, and I suspect that might
591
00:36:37,640 –> 00:36:39,720
have a lot to do with why he was
acquitted.
592
00:36:39,920 –> 00:36:43,440
You know, we talk all the time
about how true crime types love
593
00:36:43,440 –> 00:36:47,400
to parrot that police talking
point that there’s no such thing
594
00:36:47,720 –> 00:36:50,200
as a coincidence when you’re
talking about crime.
595
00:36:50,360 –> 00:36:54,480
Doctor Nick getting his bag
stolen twice in three months and
596
00:36:54,480 –> 00:36:59,240
having it recovered both times
by spy cops is not a
597
00:36:59,240 –> 00:37:01,640
coincidence.
At least I have a hard time
598
00:37:01,640 –> 00:37:05,360
believing it’s a coincidence.
I said this about the Orion book
599
00:37:05,360 –> 00:37:08,160
last week, and I’ll say it about
Doctor Nick this week.
600
00:37:08,320 –> 00:37:11,200
I don’t know what the fuck is
going on with Doctor Nick, but
601
00:37:11,200 –> 00:37:13,480
something.
The fuck is going on with Doctor
602
00:37:13,480 –> 00:37:15,480
Nick?
Maybe or maybe not.
603
00:37:15,640 –> 00:37:20,520
Again, I will reiterate what I
said about this 2020 report at
604
00:37:20,520 –> 00:37:24,640
the top of the episode.
If Elvis died in 1977, this is
605
00:37:24,640 –> 00:37:28,360
probably just good journalism
that was aided in large part by
606
00:37:28,360 –> 00:37:31,040
questionable law enforcement
activities.
607
00:37:31,240 –> 00:37:36,280
If Elvis did cooperate with the
FBI on an investigation into a
608
00:37:36,280 –> 00:37:39,600
criminal syndicate called the
fraternity and then fake his
609
00:37:39,600 –> 00:37:42,400
death so he could join witness
protection, I think it’s at
610
00:37:42,400 –> 00:37:45,560
least possible that this 2020
report is a part of that.
611
00:37:45,680 –> 00:37:50,160
Because it certainly shifted all
of the public attention and
612
00:37:50,160 –> 00:37:54,800
controversy about a cover up in
Elvis’s death not to.
613
00:37:54,880 –> 00:37:58,120
Did he fake his death, which is
a thing people were also talking
614
00:37:58,120 –> 00:38:01,360
about a whole lot back when it
happened, But instead to no, no,
615
00:38:01,360 –> 00:38:04,200
no, no, we’re sure he died.
We just want to know how we
616
00:38:04,200 –> 00:38:07,240
disagree on how he died.
That’s definitely going to
617
00:38:07,400 –> 00:38:10,360
deflect the attention you want
it to deflect.
618
00:38:10,560 –> 00:38:14,200
And the best part is that we
will never, never, ever, ever,
619
00:38:14,320 –> 00:38:16,080
ever know.
I should mention that those
620
00:38:16,080 –> 00:38:19,040
tabloid articles out there that
claim to know what’s in the
621
00:38:19,040 –> 00:38:22,840
Elvis autopsy report, the quotes
in those come from a guy named
622
00:38:22,840 –> 00:38:26,320
Dan Warlick, who was chief
investigator for the Tennessee
623
00:38:26,320 –> 00:38:29,480
Office of the state Chief
Medical Examiner.
624
00:38:29,560 –> 00:38:32,440
Here’s a quote.
Presley’s chronic Constipation,
625
00:38:32,680 –> 00:38:35,800
the result of years of
prescription drug abuse and high
626
00:38:35,800 –> 00:38:39,920
fat, high cholesterol gorging,
brought on what’s known as
627
00:38:40,200 –> 00:38:44,280
Valsalva’s maneuver.
Put simply, the strain of
628
00:38:44,280 –> 00:38:48,760
attempting to defecate compress
the singer’s abdominal aorta,
629
00:38:49,080 –> 00:38:51,320
shutting down his heart.
End Quote.
630
00:38:51,480 –> 00:38:53,440
And oh, hey, look at that.
Everyone’s right.
631
00:38:53,600 –> 00:38:57,200
It was a heart attack caused by
Constipation, which was caused
632
00:38:57,200 –> 00:39:01,000
by drug abuse.
That’s if he really died, of
633
00:39:01,000 –> 00:39:03,080
course.
On next week’s episode, I’m
634
00:39:03,240 –> 00:39:07,080
going to wrap things up by
tagging GAIL Brewer Giorgio back
635
00:39:07,080 –> 00:39:12,000
in for the rubber match and
diving into her seriously hard
636
00:39:12,000 –> 00:39:15,840
to find 1997 book Elvis Is
Alive.
637
00:39:16,160 –> 00:39:19,280
It covers an FBI investigation
called Operation Fountain Pen
638
00:39:19,400 –> 00:39:23,840
and her suspicion that Elvis was
a cooperating witness in that
639
00:39:23,840 –> 00:39:27,160
investigation and faked his
death to join witness
640
00:39:27,160 –> 00:39:29,160
protection.
We already talked about it a
641
00:39:29,160 –> 00:39:32,640
little bit on an older episode
of the pod, where we also get
642
00:39:32,640 –> 00:39:36,280
into some of the various clues
and sightings over the years
643
00:39:36,720 –> 00:39:40,360
that point to Elvis maybe living
a little longer than we all
644
00:39:40,360 –> 00:39:42,320
thought.
Give that a listen to prep for
645
00:39:42,320 –> 00:39:45,160
next week’s Elvis finale.
If you want, I’ll link to it in
646
00:39:45,160 –> 00:39:47,200
the show notes.
And hey, that’s it.
647
00:39:47,320 –> 00:39:48,880
Thanks everybody.
We love you people of Earth.
648
00:39:48,880 –> 00:39:56,400
Your planet is about to be
destroyed.
649
00:39:56,640 –> 00:40:09,280
Your planet is about to
be destroyed.

