Voices for Justice podcast creator Sarah Turney Joins CrimeCon 2020 Podcast Row

At CCHQ, we basically have one job: bring our attendees the speakers, podcasts, and programming they want to see. Over the past year, one name has consistently dominated the results of every survey and social media poll: Voices for Justice podcast creator Sarah Turney.

Turney’s 17-year-old step-sister Alissa Turney disappeared from her Phoenix in 2001. The case saw little progress until 2008 when Alissa’s stepfather Michael Turney was taken into custody after refusing to comply with the police.

Although she initially denied that her father had anything to do with Alissa’s disappearance, she soon came to believe that Michael murdered Alissa. Ever since, Sarah has spoken out against her father and has very effectively used her platform to implore Maricopa County and Phoenix authorities to prosecute her father.

Sarah took some time to chat with me about Alissa, her first CrimeCon appearance, and what the future holds for her and the podcast.

CCI: How did you come up with the idea for Voices for Justice and bring it to life?

ST: I had been playing around with the idea of starting my own podcast for some time. I actually never intended on telling Alissa's story on Voices for Justice. The goal was to help other people like me, someone spearheading a movement towards justice of some kind, whether that be a missing person, wrongful death, wrongful conviction, etc. I just wanted to give others a platform to gain traction in the cases that they’re actively fighting for.

But after discussing my idea with many friends and other creators I was encouraged to tell Alissa's story first and, for the first time ever, in my own words. So I requested the records for Alissa's case for the first time and began going through home videos, old letters, etc. After reading over 3000 pages of case records and watching hundreds of hours of home videos, I realized that there was so much of Alissa's story that had never been told. So I compiled all of the research I had done into a 174-page timeline of the case that I began turning into episodes.

CCI: You have one of the strongest and most engaged followings that I’ve seen in the true crime community and you’re SO good at inspiring them to action. Is that something you sat out to build or did it happen organically?

ST: When the police told me in 2017 that they were not going to prosecute this case any longer and that my best chance was to get media exposure, I honestly didn't know what to do. I created the Justice for Alissa social media accounts and I started reaching out to local news and national news outlets but they didn't really have any interest in running the story.

So I began reaching out to content creators on YouTube and true crime podcasts. I found that they were so much more willing and open to discussing Alissa's case. As I began receiving messages and comments about the case I was, and still am, so grateful for each and every interaction. I made it a point to respond to every message, comment, or question about Alissa. The fact that they cared enough to not only consume content related to her case but to then reach out to me and offer to help was overwhelming in the best way.

So really, nothing about my approach was strategic and absolutely happened organically. But before I knew it, I had this amazing community that coined themselves Alissa's Army and they are a huge driving force behind this movement. When I say I love them, I really mean it. I don't have a ton of support from family so seeing people who never met Alissa fighting so hard for her means the world to me.

CCI: How do you think podcasters can use the platform to responsibly affect change?

ST: A huge part of Voices for Justice is not only asking people to listen to Alissa's story but to get involved with the case. Podcasters have an incredible opportunity to affect change within these cases. I love seeing creators include a call to action within telling the story. Whether it's raising funds for billboards, private investigators, legal fees etc., contacting decision makers, or just sharing the story, it makes a huge difference in the lives of people affected by these cases. What I think is so special about the true crime community is not only people being interested in these stories but wanting to actively fight for them. But they need to know where to start and the podcaster can make the difference between allowing their audience to just consume their content or asking them to help with these cases.

CCI: What’s coming up in the future for you, the case, and VFJ?

ST: This case changes by the day, but the future is looking bright. I am so fortunate to have a plethora of opportunities to further expand Alissa's Army and tell her story through other mediums. My goal is to have a book and documentary or docu-series about Alissa by 2022. Because although Voices for Justice can be excruciatingly detailed at times, there is still so much of this story that just doesn't make the cut. Voices for Justice will continue past Alissa's story and move on to feature other cases that also need justice.

I want to specialize in helping friends or family members seeking justice get to the next level with their case. My big dream is to create a non profit that can help others navigate the justice system and the media to affect positive change within their chosen case. There is no handbook for how to do something like this and I learned a lot of it the hard way. So after getting justice for Alissa, I fully intend on paying it forward and helping as many people and cases as I can.

CCI: What are you most looking forward to at CrimeCon 2020?  

ST: Literally everything. I love seeing the panels and presentations as well as meeting with other creators. But honestly, my favorite part of CrimeCon last year was meeting so many people that care about Alissa's case. I spend so much time interacting with Alissa's Army online but meeting them in person is so different and routinely brings me to tears. Going from literally begging people to cover Alissa's case to having people approach me knowing her story is unreal and I will never ever get tired of it. I cannot wait for CrimeCon 2020 to interact with all of those who helped get Alissa's story to where it is today.