YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The “Youngstown Mob Talk” podcast has released the fifth and final episode of its investigative series, “The Organized Crime Task Force Files.”
The podcast series goes deep into long-buried law enforcement records about some of the Mahoning Valley’s most notorious unsolved crimes.
The final episode delivers a stunning development: newly uncovered evidence suggesting that James Ferrara – convicted in 2013 for the 1974 murders of Benjamin Marsh; his wife, Marilyn; and their 4-year-old daughter, Heather – may have been wrongfully convicted. As a direct result of the findings presented in the podcast, the Ohio Innocence Project has formally taken on Ferrara’s case, opening the door to potential exoneration or a new trial.
Produced by James Naples III and Johnny Chechitelli, the podcast builds off leaked investigative documents from the Ohio Attorney General’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission.
These files, obtained after extensive research, reveal the inner workings of a late-1990s task force originally assembled to dismantle a prolific Youngstown burglary ring. In the process, investigators uncovered critical information tied to multiple unsolved mob-related murders.
Among the most compelling discoveries is a 2001 interview with a woman in witness protection, who stated that her husband – convicted hitman-for-hire Robert Parks – confessed to committing a triple homicide matching the details of the Marsh family murders. This information was never presented at Ferrara’s trial.
“This was the moment everything changed,” Naples said. “We realized the implications of what we had found went far beyond storytelling – this had real-world consequences.”
Naples said the files show just how much work went into these investigations — and how much of it the public never saw. “Bringing these stories to light is about transparency, accountability and, in this case, potentially justice,” he said.
Over the course of five episodes, the series explores a range of cases investigated by the task force, including the disappearance of mob hitman Joe DeRose Jr., the murder of mob associates Dominic “Junior” Senzarino and John Magda and the killing of informant Robert Talbert. Each episode reveals new insights into the motives, players and outcomes surrounding these crimes.
With the release of Episode 5, the series is now complete and available on all major podcast platforms, with video versions streaming on YouTube.
A companion book, “The Organized Crime Task Force Files,” is currently in development and will expand on the cases featured in the podcast, including additional material from the leaked documents.
“Youngstown Mob Talk” is produced by the Amazing Podcast Co. For more information, visit AmazingPodco.com or click HERE.