Town file
West Liberty, Iowa
West Liberty, Iowa (Muscatine County, Iowa) is the town in 2 episodes of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 734, "The Brutally Batted Bartender" (11 September 2026), and episode 736, "Black Candle Murder Party" (18 September 2026). West Liberty, Iowa, is a town of about 3,800 people in Muscatine County, near the Illinois border.
- Town
- West Liberty
- County
- Muscatine County
- State
- Iowa
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 734, 736
- Approximate location
- 41.573, -91.263
Episode 734 / 11 September 2026 / 72 min / express
The Brutally Batted Bartender
"We're going to West Liberty, Iowa, which is in far eastern Iowa, on like the Illinois border" about 0:04:14
The case: Murder of Corey Lee Winnakey (October 13, 1992); Shooting of Missy Morrison (1995). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 3,847
- Median household income
- $58,488
- Median home value
- $180,600
History, in brief
- The town was first known as Wapasana, a Native American name said to mean 'smooth surfaced meandering stream'. about 0:05:42
- The first village stood a little north-west of the present-day town and was laid out by Simon Bagley. about 0:06:27
- Bagley's niece Louisa was allowed to name the town and its post office. about 0:06:34
- She chose West Liberty because she liked Liberty, Ohio. about 0:06:42
- The town ended up being named by a nine-year-old. about 0:06:47
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A very 'pacific' town with no disturbances, friendly and kind people, affordable rent, a turkey plant that offers jobs to newcomers, public parks and a small affordable theatre."about 0:07:35
5 stars
"A very 'pacific' place to live with friendly people, plenty of trees, safe and quiet, a small theatre, car races and several restaurants with delicious food."about 0:08:26
3 stars
"Everything is connected but it is too expensive for a small town; quiet, with good support for school sports."about 0:09:12
Episode 736 / 18 September 2026 / 80 min / express
Black Candle Murder Party
"We're going back to West Liberty, Iowa, in far eastern Iowa, and the killing is described as taking place in Muscatine County" about 0:03:53
The case: Murder of Cory Winnakey (October 13, 1992). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Cold case investigators in Iowa
- two
- Exonerations nationally
- 3,735
- Exonerations nationally from DNA
- 636
- Exonerations in Iowa
- 17
- Time to correct a wrongful conviction
- six to ten years
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Muscatine, Iowa15 miles
- Clarence, Iowa24 miles
- Davenport, Iowa34 miles
- Libertyville, Iowa59 miles
- Earlville, Iowa63 miles
- Bellevue, Iowa64 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.