Conspiracy claims and legal reality collide after murder-suicide
Ashli Ford levels accusations at media and officials while awaiting trial on felony fraud charges
OAK HARBOR, OH — The tragic suspected murder-suicide of Malachi A. Moreno, 23, and Alexis Pence, 24, on Sept. 20 has spiraled into a controversy involving sweeping allegations of institutional corruption and media cover-up, leveled by local podcaster Ashli Ford.
In a podcast released this week, Ford — who identifies herself as a journalist, podcaster, and advocate — sharply criticized the response of both local media outlets and law enforcement to the incident. Moreno and Pence were found with fatal gunshot wounds in a crashed car.
Failure and conspiracies
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s office reported the deaths, but Ford claims the coverage amounted to little more than printing a police press release. She explicitly asserts that this failure to report further details points to a conspiracy among local media.
