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41. ORGANIZED CRIME: The Assassination of Investigative Reporter Don Bolles Part 1

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Manage episode 516221838 series 3564914
Content provided by Dark City Productions. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Dark City Productions or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Phoenix, AZ | On June 2, 1976, investigative reporter Don Bolles arrived at the Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix expecting to meet a source about land fraud. The meeting never happened. Moments later, a bomb exploded beneath his car, leaving him mortally wounded. As he lay barely conscious, Don uttered several words that still echo through Arizona’s history. Was he the target of a mob hit? And was it for a story he wrote, or one he was still working on?

Special thanks to Jarrod Riddle of Spirit of Arizona Tours https://spiritofarizonatours.com/ (highly recommend!) for sharing insight on Phoenix history and the legacy of Don Bolles.
🧠 Who’s Who
Don Bolles: Investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. Known for exposing corruption and organized crime. Murdered by car bomb in 1976.
John Adamson: Convicted middleman who lured Bolles to the Clarendon Hotel under false pretenses.
James Robison: Alleged bomb maker and triggerman.
Kemper Marley: Wealthy liquor magnate and political power broker accused of being the true mastermind.
Max Dunlap: Businessman and mentee of Kemper Marley. Alleged financier of the hit.
Neal Roberts: Phoenix attorney and former assistant attorney general. Friend to both Adamson and Dunlap.
📚 Sources
Links only provided given character count limitations. Additional sources can be found in Part 2.
Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shattered-naivet%C3%A9/id1484144747?i=1000455970484
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-101/id1451650012?i=1000625125749
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-killed-reporter-don-bolles-the-daughters-on/id1539546360?i=1000627539631
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-syndicate/id1666675521?i=1000599074935&r=354
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rediscovering/id1484144747
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-patsy/id1670259755
Articles and Books
https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Murder-Organized-Goldwaters-Arizona/dp/0692662650
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/corbin-decks-the-halls-with-folly-6412132
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/phoenix-greyhound-park-is-being-demolished-heres-what-we-know-13080213
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/what-does-neal-roberts-know-6425717
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/84793594
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/05/30/why-a-news-story-motivated-the-killing-of-republic-reporter-don-bolles/70259562007/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2025/06/03/arizona-republic-reporter-don-bolles-murder-lessons/84007847007/
https://www.kjzz.org/2016-09-14/content-364547-former-arizona-republic-editor-digs-arizonas-organized-crime-history
https://www.kjzz.org/2019-11-05/content-1287966-arizona-republic-podcast-based-lost-tapes-murdered-journalist-don-bolles
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2016/06/01/montini-don-bolles/85207410/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/02/10/don-bolles-conspiracy-podcast-around-car-bombing-death-arizona-reporter/69890470007/
https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/don-
https://roundup.brophyprep.org/18156/news/was-kemper-marley-connected-to-the-murder-of-don-bolles/

🎵 Music Credits
"Long Thriller Theme Music" by Joel Fazhari from Pixabay
"Strange Things 120 bpm" by Dorothe from Pixabay
"True Crime Mystery Music Loopable"

Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link.

👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)

  continue reading

44 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 516221838 series 3564914
Content provided by Dark City Productions. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Dark City Productions or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Phoenix, AZ | On June 2, 1976, investigative reporter Don Bolles arrived at the Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix expecting to meet a source about land fraud. The meeting never happened. Moments later, a bomb exploded beneath his car, leaving him mortally wounded. As he lay barely conscious, Don uttered several words that still echo through Arizona’s history. Was he the target of a mob hit? And was it for a story he wrote, or one he was still working on?

Special thanks to Jarrod Riddle of Spirit of Arizona Tours https://spiritofarizonatours.com/ (highly recommend!) for sharing insight on Phoenix history and the legacy of Don Bolles.
🧠 Who’s Who
Don Bolles: Investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. Known for exposing corruption and organized crime. Murdered by car bomb in 1976.
John Adamson: Convicted middleman who lured Bolles to the Clarendon Hotel under false pretenses.
James Robison: Alleged bomb maker and triggerman.
Kemper Marley: Wealthy liquor magnate and political power broker accused of being the true mastermind.
Max Dunlap: Businessman and mentee of Kemper Marley. Alleged financier of the hit.
Neal Roberts: Phoenix attorney and former assistant attorney general. Friend to both Adamson and Dunlap.
📚 Sources
Links only provided given character count limitations. Additional sources can be found in Part 2.
Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shattered-naivet%C3%A9/id1484144747?i=1000455970484
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/valley-101/id1451650012?i=1000625125749
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-killed-reporter-don-bolles-the-daughters-on/id1539546360?i=1000627539631
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-syndicate/id1666675521?i=1000599074935&r=354
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rediscovering/id1484144747
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-patsy/id1670259755
Articles and Books
https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Murder-Organized-Goldwaters-Arizona/dp/0692662650
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/corbin-decks-the-halls-with-folly-6412132
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts/phoenix-greyhound-park-is-being-demolished-heres-what-we-know-13080213
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/what-does-neal-roberts-know-6425717
https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/84793594
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/05/30/why-a-news-story-motivated-the-killing-of-republic-reporter-don-bolles/70259562007/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2025/06/03/arizona-republic-reporter-don-bolles-murder-lessons/84007847007/
https://www.kjzz.org/2016-09-14/content-364547-former-arizona-republic-editor-digs-arizonas-organized-crime-history
https://www.kjzz.org/2019-11-05/content-1287966-arizona-republic-podcast-based-lost-tapes-murdered-journalist-don-bolles
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/ej-montini/2016/06/01/montini-don-bolles/85207410/
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/don-bolles/2023/02/10/don-bolles-conspiracy-podcast-around-car-bombing-death-arizona-reporter/69890470007/
https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/don-
https://roundup.brophyprep.org/18156/news/was-kemper-marley-connected-to-the-murder-of-don-bolles/

🎵 Music Credits
"Long Thriller Theme Music" by Joel Fazhari from Pixabay
"Strange Things 120 bpm" by Dorothe from Pixabay
"True Crime Mystery Music Loopable"

Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link.

👏 Special thanks to our talented partners:
Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition (instagram.com/paulosbrighi/)
Mario Cintra for Logo Design (instagram.com/alacarala/)

  continue reading

44 episodes

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