Hey there and thanks for listening to this CNN podcast.
Last year, a local news story landed on my desk.
“A Mississippi Motel is back open tonight after a shooting this morning involving the FBI.”
The identity in 2024, a man was killed by the FBI. And to this day, the authorities have refused to say why.
His name was Ilya Balousarov. He was a father, an ex-husband, and a Russian born American citizen.
“He just seemed like a lonely guy and he needed a friend, you know, because, and he kind of talked about, you know, death, didn't he?”
He talked about, you just never know when it's your time.
I'm Isabelle Chapman. I'm an investigative reporter for CNN. And for the last 18 months, I've been trying to find out what went down outside that hotel.
“They noticed that he was communicating with people that were of concern to the FBI.”
Oh my God, Jesus. Head over to the CNN presents feed and listen to our three-part series, civilian or spy. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
