Private investigator Mike Spencer over five years reported for his Gary Murphy Assassination, A San Francisco Cold Case. The podcast details the failed police investigations into the 1998 murder of the then 41-year-old biker and ex-felon.

Spencer once had Murphy under surveillance in a child custody case before firing his client, a grandmother who fought Murphy for custody of his six-year-old girl. The girl’s mother had died of an accidental drug overdose.

Spencer not only won the case file on the murder but compelled San Francisco Police to turn over the auditape interviews in the investigation. In the seven episode series, you hear the detective interviews with the suspects in the murder conspiracy.

The Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists awarded Spencer in 2026 with a James Madison Freedom of Information Award. He won in the “citizen” category.

Spencer still has one mystery to probe: Why did the San Francisco District Attorney never charge anyone in the case despite some strong ballistics and other evidence? The DA claimed it has no records of the case. Three detectives who investigated the Murphy murder over the years have all declined to comment.