True crime company sues Missoula County for records in two graphic cases

A national media company known for producing true crime videos sued Missoula County for details on two graphic cases involving children, which the county has refused to share, citing privacy concerns.

EWU Media LLC, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, is seeking body camera footage and testimony related to a case of double homicide of children in 2021 and an infant who was left partially buried near Lolo Hot Springs in 2018.

While both cases have been closed, and therefore public under Montana law, Missoula County contends it must notify the families involved and have a judge release the data before sharing the graphic footage with the company.

"We believe we are subject to the fact that (the records) are confidential criminal justice files and we need that court order in order to release them," Brian West, chief civil deputy county attorney, said in court.

On Friday, Missoula County District Court Judge John Larson initiated a timeline for the county attorney's office to contact the families. He also divided the lawsuit into two separate cases to be ruled on individually.

EWU Media is a national true crime production company with more than 2.5 billion total views since 2015, according to its website. Videos from the company regularly secure 3 million to 5 million views on YouTube.

"We produce in-depth true crime investigations, meticulously crafted historical narratives, immersive travel features, and a wealth of additional topics, offered in both long-form explorations and concise, impactful shorts," the company's website said.

Most of the videos involve direct body camera, crime scene photos and 911 tapes that tell the stories of gruesome murders, child predators, kidnappers and even police misconduct.

EWU Media requested the county to provide all case information related to the murder of two children, who were 3 and 5, by their mother, Leannah J. Gardipe.

Gardipe stabbed both of her children to death in 2021, the Missoulian previously reported, and received a sentence of life in custody of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services in 2023.

EWU Media is also seeking case details involving an Oregon man who buried an infant alive in the woods near Lolo Hot Springs in 2018. Search and rescue officials located the infant alive and the child made a full recovery, the Missoulian reported.

Francis Charlton Crowley, who was responsible for the child, pled guilty to several charges related to the case and was sentenced to 30 years in the Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended in 2019.

Montana first amendment attorney Mike Meloy is representing the group in the case. He told Larson that under the Montana Constitution's right to know clause, all the records of the case should be released.

"Our position is that all of these records in the closed cases we requested are presumptively open," Meloy said in court.

West said since the cases involve children, Missoula County argues there is a heightened level of privacy and seeks the family's acknowledgement before releasing the files.

Larson set a timeline on Friday to contact the involved parties within the next 30 days. He will also review the documents from both cases, and noted a final ruling could be delayed depending how difficult it is to contact the families.

"They could be here readily available or they could be hard to find," Larson said.

EWU Media is also suing the City of Moscow for records related to the murder of four University of Idaho students by Bryan Kohberger, who pleaded guilty and received four life sentences for murder.