Sins Of The Earth: Part One - Before There Was Jefferson

SINS OF THE EARTH

Act I: The Land | Episode One: Before There Was Jefferson

The Devil Within — Hosted by Branden Morgan

What if the darkest chapter in a town's history began centuries before the crime that made it infamous?

In January 1988, fourteen-year-old Tommy Sullivan murdered his mother, Betty, before taking his own life in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. The tragedy became the foundation of The Devil Within, a story surrounded by allegations of Satanism, demonic influence, and questions that remain deeply unsettling nearly four decades later.

Now, we're returning to where it all began. But this time, we're digging much deeper.

In the premiere of Sins of the Earth, we travel back more than a billion years to explore the geological origins of the New Jersey Highlands, the ancient mountains rich with iron ore, and the rivers and forests that sustained generations of Lenape communities long before European settlement.

As Dutch, English, and German settlers pushed into the region, the landscape began to change. Forests became fuel. Rivers became sources of power. Mountains became repositories of mineral wealth. And an emerging iron industry began transforming the land in ways that would outlast the people who built it.

Inspired in part by Caroline Fraser's Murderland, this ambitious new investigation asks a provocative question: Could the environmental consequences of America's industrial past have influenced generations that followed?

The connection remains unproven. But the history is real, and the questions deserve answers.

Before there was Jefferson Township, before the Sullivan murders, before anyone imagined the darkness that would eventually descend upon this small New Jersey community, there was the land.

And beneath it, there was iron.

NEXT EPISODE: THE IRON BENEATH

We follow the ironmasters, entrepreneurs, and laborers who transformed the Highlands into an emerging industrial powerhouse, building furnaces, forges, and entire communities around the wealth buried beneath the mountains.

LISTEN. FOLLOW. JOIN THE INVESTIGATION.

Listen & Follow: Subscribe to The Devil Within on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Don't miss a single chapter of Sins of the Earth.

Rate & Review: Enjoying the show? Leave us a five-star rating and a written review. Your support helps introduce The Devil Within to new listeners.

Watch & Subscribe: Experience The Devil Within on the Evio Creative YouTube channel. Subscribe and turn on notifications for new episodes and exclusive video content.

Join the Conversation: Follow us on Instagram @thedevilwithinpod for episode updates, historical imagery, and behind-the-scenes material.

Have a Story or a Tip? We're always interested in hearing from listeners, particularly those with firsthand knowledge of Jefferson Township and the history of the New Jersey Highlands. Contact us at mailto:[email protected].

The Devil Within is an Evio Creative production.

The past is never quite as distant as we'd like to believe.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices