243: Fires

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Liberace was many things. He was a talented pianist. A singer. A showman. He was also… a messy bitch. So buckle up, folks! His struggles as a closeted gay man in Hollywood will have you feeling terrible for him. But his late-in-life relationship with a teenager will have you feeling terrible *about* him. Then Brandi tells us about a terrible man with an adorable name. When Christina Karlsen died in a house fire, investigators wondered if her husband, Karl Karlsen, might have had something to do with it. He’d managed to rescue their three children. Why not Christina? And was it a coincidence that the fire had started right outside the bathroom, where Christina was taking a bath?  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Confidential pays Liberace,” New York Times, July 16, 1958 “Liberace’s privacy ransacked by estate battle testimonies,” by Peter H King for the Los Angeles Times “Drinks on the ‘Mirror’ after Cassandra’s remarks,” The Guardian, June 10, 1959 “How about a refund? Tabloid says of Liberace libel award,” Reuters, February 11, 1987 Excerpt from the book, “Liberace: An American Boy,” by Darden Asbury Pyron Liberace episode of “Reputations,” BBC Liberace episode of “Biography,” A&E “Liberace named in homosexual palimony suit,” UPI archives, October 14, 1982 “Liberace v Daily Mirror,” entry on Wikipedia “Liberace,” entry on Wikipedia “The boy toy’s story,” by David Segal for The New York Times In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Father Knows Death” episode Accident, Suicide, or Murder “The Sins of the Father” episode 20/20 “Man Staged Murders Of His Wife And Son As Accidents To Collect Life Insurance” by Joe Dziemianowicz, Oxygen “Daughters on losing their mother and brother to dad who killed for insurance payouts” by Jenner Smith and Sean Dooley, ABC News “Karl Karlsen on 20/20: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know” by Alyssa Choiniere, heavy.com “‘I’ve been through Hell’: Karlsen bares all in 2012 interrogation” by Dakota Morlan, The Calaveras Enterprise “GUILTY: Calaveras County jury finds Karlsen guilty of first degree murder” by Dakota Morlan. The Calaveras Enterprise “Karl Karlsen, who killed son for money, will spend life in prison for wife’s murder” by Samantha House, syracuse.com “‘Karl, get the kids,’ mother, trapped in a house fire, screamed” by Giuseppe Ricapito, The Union Democrat “Karlsen’s sister in law recalls abuse of Levi and her suspicions about Christina” by Giuseppe Ricapito, The Union Democrat YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

21 Joulu 20222h 41min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! A gunman rushed into the Texas Commerce Bank, barking orders. He wore a mask. He disguised his voice. Bank tellers Kelly McGinnis and Lisa Silvas were terrified. It had finally happened. The bank was being robbed. The young tellers had asked management to increase security measures. But management said that the motor bank, which only provided drive-thru service, was secure enough. The gunman proved them wrong. Then Kristin tells us about Keyon Harrold and his 14-year-old son, Keyon Harrold Jr, who were staying at the Arlo SoHo Hotel on December 26, 2020. That morning, they headed down to the hotel’s restaurant for brunch. On the way there, an irate woman accused Keyon Harrold Jr of stealing her cell phone. When Keyon Harrold Senior told her to back off, she chased after them, tackling 14-year-old Keyon to the ground. A video of the incident went viral. People dubbed the woman SoHo Karen, though her true identity quickly became known. Her name was Miya Ponsetto, and she wasn’t very sorry. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: Keyon Harrold’s Instagram “Woman pleads guilty to tackling Black teen she wrongly accused of phone theft,” by Jonathan Edwards for The Washington Post “Miya Ponsetto, woman who falsely accused Black teen of stealing her phone at NYC hotel, makes plea deal,” by Zoe Christen Jones for CBS News “Woman who tackled Black teenager at SoHo hotel is arrested,” by Mihir Zaveri for The New York Times “Woman who falsely accused Black teen in SoHo is charged with hate crime,” by Precious Fondren for The New York Times “Woman pleads guilty to tackling Black teen at SoHo hotel,” by Ed Shanahan for The New York Times “Parents of the teen who Miya Ponsetto falsely accused say her arrest is the first step for justice,” CBS This Morning video on YouTube “‘SoHo Karen’ is no-show in civil case, shows ‘disrespect’: judge,” by Tamar Lapin for the New York Post “Jazz musician calls for charges against woman who falsely accused Black son of theft,” by Haley Yamada and Sabina Ghebremedhin for ABC News “Video emerges of ‘SoHo Karen’ Miya Ponsetto fighting with cops during DUI bust,” by Rebecca Rosenberg for the New York Post Miya Ponsetto’s interview with Gayle King for CBS This Morning on YouTube In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Almost Great Bank Robbery” by Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly “True Crimes: Don’t Mess With Texas (Banks)” by Kara Kovalchik, Mental Floss “Ex-cop, bank robber in trouble again” by Guillermo Contreras, mysanantonio.com “Sentencing delayed for former SAPD officer turned bank robber” KENS 5 News YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

14 Joulu 20222h 26min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! In the late 90s, the little town of Tulia, Texas, was up to its ass in drugs. At least, that’s what the local sheriff thought. So he hired a guy named Tom Coleman to work as an undercover narcotics agent. What Tom discovered was truly unbelievable. As it turned out, the little town of approximately 5,000 people was home to *at least* 46 drug dealers. On top of that, the drug dealers in this economically depressed community dealt oodles of powder cocaine! Oh, and guess what?? Even though Tulia had a pretty small Black community, almost every single drug dealer that Tom encountered was Black! What are the odds??? Thanks to Tom’s undercover work, authorities arrested 46 people on drug charges. But Tom hadn’t worn a wire during these drug buys. Nothing was videoed or photographed. He hadn’t even worked alongside another undercover agent. Hell, he hadn’t even written his notes on a notepad. He’d written every pertinent detail about those drug deals on his leg.  Then Brandi tells us about the murder of Ingrid Lyne. Indrid was a newly divorced, busy mom. She shared three daughters with her ex-husband, Phillip, and she worked as a nurse at Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center. She’d just recently begun online dating. Through an app, she met John Charlton. John seemed like a nice enough guy, so Ingrid went out with him a few times. But on the morning after Ingrid went to a Seattle Mariners game with John, her friends and family couldn’t get a hold of her.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Tulia drug bust of 1999,” by Alex Hunt for the Texas State Historical Association “The color of justice,” by Nate Blakeslee for the Texas Observer “Tulia Texas: Scenes from the drug war,” documentary  “Racist arrests in Tulia, Texas,” ACLU.org “Tulia 46: Impacts 20 years later,” by Mari Salazar for Everything Lubbock.com “Prosecutor in Tulia case says he’ll show Coleman lied,” Associated Press, Jan 12 2005 “Former Tulia drug agent guilty of one perjury count,” Associated Press, Jan 15 2005 “Tulia saga still a wound unhealed for some,” Associated Press, July 22, 2009 Crime stories episode, “Miscarriage of justice in Tulia Texas,”  “Tulia,Texas” ABC News 20/20 video on YouTube 60 Minutes clips on YouTube In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Ingrid Lyne” chillingcrimes.com “The Murder of Ingrid Lyne” by Kylie, It’s Crime O Clock Somewhere “Date With The Devil” episode Sex and Murder “Man Who Found Dismembered Remains of Wash. Mom in Trash Can Recounts Horrific Discovery” by Harriet Sokmensuer, People “Man pleads guilty to killing, dismembering Renton mother of 3” by Steve Miletich, The Seattle Times “Grisly details revealed in murder of Renton mom; suspect claimed he was too drunk to remember, prosecutors say” by Brandi Kruse, Janet Kim, Hana Kim, and Steve Kiggins, Fox13 News “'When he walks, Ingrid won't': Man sentenced for dismembering Renton nurse” by Lynsi Burton, SeattlePI.com YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

7 Joulu 20222h 10min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! This week, Brandi made entry into the sex dungeon with a WHOLE NEW NAME! She is officially Brandi POND! She tells us all about her big day, and Kristin tells us exactly how far her pubes extend down her thighs. (So stop asking about it!) Then Kristin continues her fun new habit of telling a terribly upsetting story that absolutely no one will enjoy.  Brittany Smith had some rough years. Following the death of her infant son, she became addicted to meth and lost custody of her children. Eventually, thanks to help from her family and a determination to regain custody of her kids, Brittany got her life back together. She stopped using drugs. She got a great job offer. She was on track to regain custody of her kids. Then one night, an old acquaintance named Todd Smith asked her for a favor. He told her he had nowhere to stay. He asked if she could help him out. Brittany told him he could stay on her couch. That night, Todd attacked her. Brittany fought back.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “How far can abused women go to protect themselves?” by Elizabeth Flock for The New Yorker “Brittany Smith loses her stand your ground hearing,” by Elizabeth Flock for The New Yorker “Alabama woman who killed alleged rapist back in jail for going to Trunk-or-Treat,” by William Thornton for Alabama.com “Alabama woman who killed man she said raped her released from jail after 18 months,” by William Thornton for Alabama.com “Brittany Smith talks from jail about pleading guilty to shooting the man she says raped her,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Judge says she’s not biased against Alabama woman who killed alleged rapist,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Two years after Alabama woman says she killed her rapist in self defense, new evidence emerges,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Brittany Smith’s trial on hold as she appeals self-defense ruling,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Judge will not dismiss case against Alabama woman who says she killed rapist in self-defense,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Alabama woman who said she killed her rapist in self-defense awaits fight of her life,” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com “Alabama woman says she killed her rapist in self-defense. She could spend life in prison.” by Ashley Remkus for Alabama.com The documentary, “State of Alabama vs. Brittany Smith” YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

30 Marras 20221h 52min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Elizabeth Sullivan was struggling. She’d married her military husband following a whirlwind romance a few years earlier. Shortly after they married, the Navy relocated the couple to San Diego. So, Elizabeth found herself far from friends and family, often alone, with two young children. She and her husband, Matthew, argued. He got violent with her. Elizabeth told her friends she’d had enough. She was going to leave Matthew. They never heard from her again.  Then Kristin tells us about a series of rapes that gripped Texas Tech in 1984 and 1985. Young women were being raped late at night, often while they were parking their cars. Police sketches of the attacker all looked different enough that many young Black men were afraid to go on campus late at night, for fear that they’d be mistaken for the Tech Rapist. Eventually, female police officers began posing as students in an attempt to bait the rapist. About a week into the undercover operation, police were certain they’d caught the right guy — Tim Cole. They were wrong. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Tim Cole” episodes of Vindicated “Timothy Cole” InnocenceTexas.org “Cole case,” by Jena Williams for Texas Monthly  “The Innocent Man: Timothy Cole,” by Matt Sell for Everything Lubbock “Judge clears dead Texas man of rape conviction,” Associated Press, NBC News “A push to award a degree to a symbol of injustice,” by Reeve Hamilton for The Texas Tribune “Statue of Tim Cole to be unveiled soon,” by Anna Tinsley for The Star-Telegram “Innocence now on display,” by Mitch Mitchell for The Star-Telegram “Victim aims to clear name of dead man convicted of attack,” by Max B. Baker for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Innocence lost in attack, but courage was found,” by Bob Ray Sanders for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “‘You are a victim, just like my son was,’” by Max B. Baker for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “A day of vindication for innocent man, family,” by Max B. Baker for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “DNA in 1985 rape exonerates man who died behind bars,” Associated Press, Los Angeles Times “The Cole Truth,” by Fred McKinley for the Texas Observer In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Secrets by the Bay” episode Dateline “Elizabeth Sullivan” chillingcrimes.com “Timeline: The Disappearance of Elizabeth Sullivan” by Monica Garske, San Diego 7 News “Ex-Navy Man Who ‘Brutally Murdered' Wife in San Diego in 2014 Sentenced” by Monica Garske and Christina Bravo, San Diego 7 News “Ex-Navy Sailor Murdered Wife with Children in Other Room, Then Froze Body and Claimed She'd Left” by Steve Helling, people.com “Husband gets 16 years to life for killing wife, dumping body in bay two years later” by Teri Figueroa, The San Diego Union-Tribune YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

16 Marras 20222h 33min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! He’s back by popular demand! Kristin’s dad, DP, returns to the pod to ask critical questions, like: Where’s Norm? Where’s David?? And do you have at least six months’ living expenses in savings???  But first, Brandi starts us off how she often does — with the story of a “perfect” marriage. At least, that’s what Teresa Kohnle called it. When her husband, Jim Kohnle, died in a house fire, she was devastated. She told investigators that she’d loved him “more than life itself.” Later that day, she inquired about his life insurance pay-out.  Then DP tells us about Ira Bernstein. Ira and Susan Bernstein had serious money. He was a podiatrist. She had her PhD in education. They lived in a gorgeous mansion. They had a pool, a tennis court, plenty of acreage, and a lake. But their marriage was rocky. Ira had numerous affairs and eventually Susan decided she’d had enough. With a nasty divorce looming, Ira and his new girlfriend Kelly Gribeluk hatched a plan.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, DP pulled from: "The Target" episode of Dateline Secrets Uncovered "Ira Bernstein" from ChillingCrimes.com "Podiatrist Ira Bernstein's Estranged Wife: Kids Fear His Release from Prison" by Robert Brum at Lohud.com  "Wealthy Podiatrist Plots to Kill His Wife" an episode of True Crime Daily In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” episode American Monster “Teresa Kohnle” episode Snapped “Woman Drugs Husband And Sets Fire To Their Home, But Claims It Was His Idea” by Benjamin H. Smith, Oxygen “Woman accused of arson in death of husband gets life sentence with parole” by Adam Cook, Dalton Daily Citizen “Teresa Kohnle Accepts Plea To Life With Possibility Of Parole In 2007 Arson/Death Of Her Husband” by Dennis Norwood, The Chattanoogan “Kennedy v. Kohnle” justia.com YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

9 Marras 20222h 38min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! This episode should feel like an old, familiar tune. Kristin starts us off with an old timey love triangle and Brandi covers a family annihilator…?  Robert Miller was a celebrated criminal defense attorney in Washington DC. He was buddies with Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt. He’d been the law partner of vice president Charles Curtis. He even had a nickname! It was: Judge, not guilty. He was pretty content. But his much younger wife, Marguerite, was not. Soon, she and her psychiatrist, Dr. John Lind began having an affair. It didn’t take Robert long to decide that he needed to get even.  Then Brandi tells us about David Hendricks, who was out of town on a business trip when his wife, Susan, and their three children, Rebekah, Grace and Benjamin were found dead in their home. David quickly emerged as the prime suspect. (Isn’t it always the father?) But there wasn’t much evidence tying him to the crime. The DA’s office moved forward, undeterred. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Deadly love triangle,” by Mara Bovsun for the New York Daily News “Woman testifies husband killed in self defense,” Associated Press, May 24, 1944 “Miller acquitted in killing after hearing wife assailed,” by Jack Doherty for the Daily News, June 1, 1944 “Lawyer’s erring wife says Lind extorted $5,000,” The Chicago Tribune, May 24, 1944 “Wife supports husband who killed rival,” Associated Press, May 24, 1944 “Slain doctor altered will for killer’s wife,” by George Dixon for the Daily News, February 29, 1944 “Prosecution calls 50 for Miller trial opening Monday,” The Evening Star, May 12, 1944 “Miller jury due to be completed by noon today,” The Evening Star, May 16, 1944 “A kiss but not a happy ending,” the Daily News, February 23, 1944 “Charges capital slayer planted gun,” by George Dixon for the Daily News, February 23, 1944 “Crime: One of the best,” Time Magazine, March 6, 1944 “Miller carried 2 guns before Lind slaying, prosecution charges,” by Norman A. Kahl for the Evening Star, May 16, 1944 “Miller denies he intended to kill Dr. Lind,” by Norman A. Kahl for the Evening Star, May 26, 1944 “Aged lawyer acquitted in murder case,” The Morning Herald, June 1, 1944 “The story of murder on Valentine’s 1944 in front of Woodies department store,” The House History Man In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Guilty or Innocent: The Hendricks Family Murders” by Gina Glaub, The Midwest Crime Files “1983 Bloomington quadruple-homicide remains unsolved” by Samira Kassem, The Argus “Reasonable Doubt: The Hendricks Family Murders by Fiona Guy, crimetraveller.org “David Hendricks” wikipedia.org “Questions and Answers” authorhendricks.com “People v. Hendricks” justia.com YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 35+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

2 Marras 20222h 25min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! James Scott had a reputation for wreaking havoc. As a teen, he burned down an abandoned elementary school. A few years later, he set fire to an apartment complex and a garage. But by 1993, he seemed to have settled down. He was married and out of prison, working at Burger King. Then came the Great Flood of 1993. That summer, James Scott did what many other local residents did – he helped reinforce levees along the Mississippi River. Later, when one broke, people were certain that James was the one to blame.  Then Kristin tells us about a total shitbag named Alex Kelly. Alex grew up privileged. He was an undefeated wrestler, a football player, and an honor roll student. At a party one night in 1986, he raped a fellow student. A few nights later, he raped another teen. Investigators soon arrested Alex, but he wasn’t accustomed to facing consequences. When it came time for Alex to face trial, he was nowhere to be found. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “The Fugitive Son,” by Jennet Conant for Vanity Fair “The Fugitive Son,” episode of Vanity Fair Confidential “In retrial, Alex Kelly is convicted of rape committed 11 years ago,” by Monte Williams for The New York Times “Tiny dramas, big piques at Alex Kelly rape trial,” by Monte Williams for The New York Times “Alex Kelly lied, former friend testifies,” by Monte Williams for The New York Times “Fiancee testifies in Alex Kelly rape case,” by Monte Williams for The New York Times “Without putting Kelly on stand, defense in his rape retrial rests,” by Monte Williams for The New York Times “Alex Kelly avoids trial in second rape,” by William Glaberson for The New York Times “Rapist famous for evading justice establishes skydiving business in North Adams, questions delays,” by Josh Landes for WAMC Northeast Public Radio In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Catastrophe” podcast episode, Criminal  “Catastrophe on the Mississippi — The Man Who Flooded a Town For Sex” by Ash Jurberg, Medium “Revisiting The Great Flood of 1993 and James Scott” by Adam Pitluk, Huffington Post “Man Convicted of Sabotaging Levee” Associated Press, The New York Times “The Great Flood of 1993: The James Scott Story” ABC17 News “State of Missouri v. James R. Scott” findlaw.com “James Scott” wikipedia.org “Great Flood of 1993” wikipedia.org YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 40+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

26 Loka 20222h 26min