My name is Ronan Ashcroft. My partner is Liora Vale. We usually stay behind the scenes.

We’ve worked in media for years—selling stories that mattered to journalists, editors, tabloids, and even government-affiliated sources. But it wasn’t until we ran into Josh Markle in a parking lot that we made a decision we never expected to make:

We stepped out of the shadows.

Not as saviors.
As documentarians.

Josh and his wife Jessica had already been to hell. “We got kicked out for selling ice,” Josh said—like it was a joke—but his eyes didn’t match the punchline. What we saw was grit, fire, and a loyalty between two people that didn’t feel performative or convenient. It felt rare.

That was the moment I knew this wasn’t a Bonnie & Clyde story.

It was something else.

Then they opened the archive.

We were not ready for that—no matter how much I thought we were. I remember thinking, this man is mythical. I could see Liora felt it too.

We asked if we could help. Josh was firm about one thing:

No.
Not like that.

He told us to report from a distance. To respect his decision. To watch how far the system would push a father, a husband, a small business owner—a man who paid into the very system that now seemed determined to grind him down.

And he gave us a rule:

Don’t help us unless it helps someone else.
Another family. Another victim. Another sleepless night.
Another person realizing there’s no one coming to save them.

Because Josh still believes this country can live up to its own values. He believes the promise is real—even when the reality is ugly.

I could write for days about the loyalty between Josh and Jessica, and still not do it justice. I could write for years about Josh’s love for this country and his fellow Americans.

But I don’t have that luxury.

What I can say is this: it feels good to build on solid ground—not sand.

And the most important part of this story is simple:

A man like Joshua Markle is not supposed to be able to do this.
He “doesn’t qualify.”
He’s “too volatile.”
He “can’t be this intelligent.”
He “shouldn’t be capable.”

You’re right. He shouldn’t be.

Except he is.
And he’s done it.