Maureen Hughes featured on Close Up Radio for true-crime investigations

Retired bodyguard, private investigator and author Maureen Hughes was featured on Close Up Radio in an interview aired June 25. The interview highlighted her books and decades of casework tied to mob history, political killings and other cold cases.

Why it matters: - Maureen Hughes has turned real-world investigations into true-crime books built on witness interviews, documents and years of fieldwork. - Hughes’ cases have drawn attention because they revisit disputed deaths, organized crime ties and high-profile historical events. - Her work shows how private investigators can still uncover leads in cases families and communities believe were left unresolved.

What happened: - Close Up Radio featured Hughes in an interview with Jim Masters on Thursday, June 25, at 3 p.m. Eastern. - Hughes is a retired bodyguard, private investigator and author based in Champaign, Illinois. - Hughes discussed her books, including "The Countess and the Mob," "Sins of the South" and "River of Shame." - The interview followed a release promoting Hughes’ background in law enforcement, hospital investigation and private security.

The details: - Hughes holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and originally planned to become an attorney. - She worked as a police officer and later as a hospital investigator before moving into private investigations. - Her hospital work included suspicious injuries, possible abuse cases and crime victims brought in for treatment. - One assignment led Hughes to protect Countess Marajen Stevick Chinigo, who owned newspapers and radio stations. - Hughes said her relationship with the countess became the basis for "The Countess and the Mob." - The book traces Chinigo’s marriage to John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli, a hit man tied to Al Capone’s Chicago operation who later moved to California. - Hughes researched Roselli’s movements on a night in November 1963, when he was ordered to Dallas. - Hughes said she believes Roselli was one of the shooters in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. - Hughes interviewed former Tropicana showgirls and met with public figures including author Joe Wambaugh, John Grisham, his wife and actor Harrison Ford, who knew Chinigo personally. - "Sins of the South" focuses on the death of Lester "Shot" Winchester, a nightclub owner and the father of a former Illinois state representative. - Winchester’s club hosted performers including Louis Armstrong and a very young Perry Como. - Winchester’s death was ruled a suicide even though Hughes points to three bullet holes in his car. - Hughes spent about two years on the case, reviewing transcripts and interviewing reluctant sources in southern Illinois. - Hughes said local officials tried to keep her away from the records, and a small group of insiders eventually helped her gain access. - An elderly man later contacted Hughes and confessed that he had driven two men to the killing site as a teenager more than 70 years earlier. - Hughes said that confession confirmed Winchester was murdered. - "River of Shame" examines organized crime in Quincy, Illinois, a Mississippi River town associated with riverboat gambling, prostitution and a local godfather with national reach. - The book also argues that James Earl Ray did not shoot Martin Luther King Jr. - Hughes said she traveled to Memphis, stood on the balcony where King was killed and examined the rooming house from which Ray was said to have fired. - Hughes said the shooting angles do not work. - Hughes said the Quincy godfather was in Memphis the same day, in a room on another street with a clear line of sight. - Hughes does not advertise her investigative services, and every case has come by referral. - Hughes said she asks for a modest retainer to cover two weeks of gas, lodging and meals, and returns the money if she cannot deliver results. - More information about Hughes is available in her website. - The podcast episode is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio and Spotify.

Between the lines: - Hughes’ stories blend local crime history with national mysteries, which helps explain why the books appeal to true-crime readers beyond Illinois. - The referral-only business model suggests Hughes relies on trust and word of mouth more than publicity. - Her work focuses on cases where official conclusions left room for doubt, giving families an alternative path to answers.

What's next: - Hughes continues to take select investigative cases by referral. - Her books and interviews are likely to keep feeding interest in unresolved deaths and alleged organized-crime connections. - Close Up Radio’s feature adds another platform for Hughes to reach readers and potential clients.

The bottom line: - Maureen Hughes has built a second career on revisiting difficult cases, and her latest radio feature spotlights how that work still resonates with true-crime audiences.