The Trail Went Cold – Episode 221 – Jim & Lois Arrotta

The Trail Went Cold

September 4, 1964. Great Falls, Montana. 43-year old Jim Arrotta and his 35-year old wife, Lois Arrotta, are found stabbed to death inside a grocery store where Jim works as the manager. Since the couple’s children last saw them at their home when they went to bed the previous night, investigators theorize that Jim and Lois were lured to the store and killed during a botched robbery. Over 37 years later, Alan Reavley, a former employee who had been fired from the grocery store for theft, is charged with the murders. However, since the case against Alan is shaky and no physical evidence links him up to the crime, he winds up being acquitted at trial. Did Alan Reavley get away with the murders of Jim and Lois Arrotta, or was someone else was responsible? We will explore both sides of a very controversial murder case on this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”.

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Additional Reading:

https://billingsgazette.com/jim-and-lois-arrotta-great-falls/article_48f8cbcb-cce3-5ad8-9199-e376140a7a60.html

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/09/04/years-later-arrotta-murders-still-shock-great-falls/15054583/

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2014/09/07/double-murder-trial-riveted-great-falls/15233469/

https://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/reavley-found-not-guilty-of-40-year-old-great-falls-murders/article_a806538a-4cc3-5f70-ace2-d067a54ddc91.html

https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/daughter-of-slain-couple-testifies/article_3a08cd3d-9ca1-5a91-b7c0-972d1625f163.html

https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/chance-finds-man-at-same-place-as-alleged-slayer-of-his-brother/article_0780bf37-0e87-578a-bb91-05cf203d2df1.html

https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/article_a8d75928-1b5e-5aad-af47-b5aaa775b434.html

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mt-supreme-court/1246029.html

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2004/may/25/woman-admits-taking-rings-from-ex-client/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/243621834/

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“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel & Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to either event, please use our specialized promo code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.

“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.