297: The Pet Rock: A Fad is Born (An Old Timey Podcast)

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Donna Palomba desperately needed the police’s help. She’d just been attacked in her home by a masked gunman. He’d raped her and threatened her life. Donna was shaken to her core. The attacker had taken pains to disguise himself, but Donna had an unsettling feeling that she knew the man. After all, what were the chances that she’d be attacked the *one* time her husband was out of town? Police needed to act quickly if they wanted to get this predator off the streets.  Spoiler alert: They didn’t. And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Brandi copy and pasted 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, Brandi pulled from: “The Man Behind the Mask” episode Dateline “Evil Paid a Visit” episode Dateline “Donna’s Story” janedoenomore.org “Victim ‘Angry And Afraid' as Attacker to Be Released From Prison Early” by Jill Konopka, NBC Connecticut “The Danger” by John Murray, The Waterbury Observer “Infamous Waterbury Case Hits National Spotlight” by John Murray, The Waterbury Observer “Rapist John Regan committed to psychiatric center in N.Y.” by Tracey O’Shaughnessy, Republican American 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

19 Jul 20232h 13min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! We’ve got big news to share… and boy are we nervous to share it. In this episode, we announce a change to the show’s format that will hopefully give us better work/life balance. From this point forward, we’ll present one case per week instead of two. This week, Kristin will share a case. Next week, it’ll be Brandi’s turn, and so on and so forth. This isn’t a change we’re taking lightly. As you probably know, we are anxiety-ridden people pleasers. We’re pretty damn apprehensive about messing with something that we’ve worked so hard to build. Unfortunately, the truth is that we’ve hit a breaking point. The time that it takes both of us to research, write, record and review an episode means that we have a lot less time for the other things that matter to us. For Kristin, that means that the novel she’s working on is on track to be finished in a quarter to never. For Brandi, it means not spending much time with the little family she wanted for so long.  We’re hoping that by making this change, we’ll keep the show fresh, prevent burnout, and give us some much needed time to harass our families. We’re grateful to all of you for supporting us. We hope you’ll continue to support us as we move to this new format. Back to your regularly scheduled programming… This week, Kristin covers a case that is often referred to as the “perfect” kidnapping. When Ginny Piper was kidnapped from her upscale home in Orono, Minnesota, investigators were a little puzzled. The Pipers were wealthy and well connected, but they didn’t have the money or name recognition of other nearby families. Why hadn’t they gone after the Pillsburys? The kidnappers also seemed to have wanted to kidnap Ginny’s husband, Bobby. But why had they thought a businessman would be home on a Thursday afternoon? As the investigation continued, the questions kept coming. And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Kristin read a bunch of articles, then spat them back out in her very limited vocabulary. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: The book, “Stolen from the Garden, The kidnapping of Virginia Piper,” by William Swanson “The ‘Perfect’ Kidnapping of Virginia Piper: Three-Part Series,” by Tracy Briggs for The Globe “50 years later, the Virginia Piper kidnapping remains a Minnesota mystery,” by Curt Brown for the Star Tribune  An episode of the Crimes of the Centuries podcast, “The $1 Million Kidnapping of Ginny Piper” 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

12 Jul 20232h 9min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! One thing is certain: *Something* happened to Thalia Massie on the night of September 12, 1931. She’d stormed out of a party at the Ala Wai Inn alone, annoyed with her husband and his Navy friends. Later, when a car stopped to pick her up, Thalia had injuries to her face. She said she’d been assaulted and robbed. When her husband came home that night, she told him that she’d been beaten and raped by a group of Hawaiian men. Police quickly rounded up five young men. Then Brandi tells us about the disappearance of Katherine Heckel. When Katherine never returned from her lunch break on July 15, 1991, her friends and family were concerned. She had two young children at home – she wouldn’t leave them voluntarily. Naturally, investigators looked into her husband, John. He had an airtight alibi. So, suspicions turned on other men in Katherine’s life. Police discovered a good suspect, but the case stalled out. 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: An episode of American Experience, titled, “The Island Murder” “Massie Trials,” entry on Famous Trials by Douglas O. Linder An episode of the podcast Crimes of the Centuries, titled, “The Massie Affair” In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “She Didn’t Come Home” episode Dateline “Katherine Heckel” chillingcrimes.com “Groves’ ex-wife talks about case after 27 years” by Lana Muthler, Williamsport Sun-Gazette “Timeline of cold case that endured 'bumps and bruises' over 27 years” by John Beauge, PennLive.com “Pa. man found guilty of third-degree murder in 27-year-old case where no body was found” by John Beauge, PennLive.com “Pa. man gets maximum penalty for death of woman whose body was never found” by John Beauge, PennLive.com “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Loyd Waitman Groves” 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

5 Jul 20232h 46min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brandi starts us off with the mysterious death of Dee Dee Jackson. Dee Dee was at her boyfriend’s house late one night in 1994 when she passed away. Her boyfriend, Don Bohana, told police that she’d drowned in his pool after a night of heavy drinking. But that explanation sounded fishy to Dee Dee’s family. They said that Dee Dee had never learned to swim. She was terrified of water. There was no way that she’d willingly gotten in the pool that night. Then Kristin tells a dark, old time-y tale that made a big impact on the justice system. The crew of the Mignonette was probably doomed from the start. The yacht wasn’t built for long, arduous voyages, but the crew had been paid to sail it nearly 15,000 miles. So they tried. When a wave did irreparable damage to the ship, it sank in less than five minutes. The crew of four managed to get on a lifeboat, but with no fresh water and just two tins of turnips, they knew they couldn’t last long. After approximately 20 days at sea, they resorted to cannibalism. 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: “In warm blood: Some historical and procedural aspects of Regina v. Dudley and Stephens,” The University of Chicago Law Review “Regina v. Dudley and Stephens,” casebriefs.com “What’s eating me about this tale of cannibalism?” Western Daily Press The book, “Cannibalism and the common law: the story of the tragic last voyage of the Mignonette and the strange legal proceedings to which it game rise,” by A W B Simpson. “R v Dudley and Stephens” entry on Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Jackson Family Mystery” episode 20/20 “Drowning in Lies” episode Accident, Suicide, or Murder “Man in prison for Tito Jackson's ex-wife drowning says she 'could swim’” by Enjoli Francis and Joseph Rhee, ABC News “L.A. Businessman Claimed Girlfriend Accidentally Drowned — But Evidence Pointed To Murder” by Joe Dziemianowicz, oxygen.com “The Mysterious Death In Michael Jackson’s Family — Delores Martha Jackson” by Shenbaga Lakshmi, Medium “People v. Bohana” findlaw.com “Neighborhood Spotlight: Pricey Ladera Heights, tucked away in the Westside, retains a sense of community” by Scott Garner, Los Angeles Times 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

31 Mai 20232h 9min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Desiree Boltos (literally) bumped into Dick Olmstead in Office Depot, Dick felt a spark. It didn’t matter that he was 75 and she was 32. As the two of them talked, they discovered that they had something in common – they were both single. The two quickly started dating. Dick spent lavishly on Desiree. In just two years, he estimates he spent $380k on her. But as soon as the money ran out, so did she. Then Brandi tells us about two pre-teen girls who were both raped and murdered in the same area of Tacoma Washington, just five months apart. Michella Welch and Jennifer Bastian had both been riding their bikes when they were attacked and murdered. Unfortunately, both of their cases went cold. For years, investigators held the logical assumption that the two cases were linked. After all, the girls had died in such close proximity, in such a horrific and similar manner. Surely only one person could be responsible for the two crimes. 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 Sweetheart Swindler” episode of The Con The AARP podcast, “The Perfect Scam”, episodes “Sweetheart Swindler Part 1” and “Sweetheart Swindler Part 2” “Husband of ‘Sweetheart Swindler’ sentenced to 85 years for bilking older people,” by Michael Levenson for the New York Times “Husband of ‘Sweetheart Swindler’ sentenced to 125 years in scheme that targeted elderly,” by Elisha Fieldstadt “Husband of ‘Sweetheart Swindler’ sentenced to 125 years in prison,” NBCDFW “‘Sweetheart swindler’ sentenced to 85 years in prison,” by Deanna Boyd for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Woman accused of ‘sweetheart swindle,” Fort Worth Star Telegram “Woman found guilty in sweetheart swindler trial,” by Deanna Boyd for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Disabled victim of jailed ‘sweetheart swindler’ still being targeted, sister says,” by Deanna Boyd for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram “Man arrested in Las Vegas, ran after his wife was sentenced,” by Deanna Boyd for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Evil Was Watching” episode Dateline “Jennifer Bastian” chillingcrimes.com “Who Killed 2 Washington Pre-Teens Who Disappeared On Bike Rides Months Apart In 1986?” By Jill Sederstrom, oxygen.com “The man who killed Jennifer Bastian in 1986 in Tacoma has been sentenced” by Alexis Krell “Nurse Convicted in 1986 Rape and Murder of 12-Year-Old Girl Whose Body Was Found Dumped in a Ditch” by Chris Spargo, lawandcrime.com\ “'I'm so sorry,' Gary Hartman apologizes after conviction in 1986 death of Michella Welch” by Keith Eldridge and Danny Stritch, KOMO 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

24 Mai 20232h 25min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Chad just wanted to see a movie. He sat next to his wife, Nicole, as the previews rolled. When Chad pulled out his cell phone to check on his toddler, another moviegoer angrily told him to put his phone away. What happened next is the subject of some debate. One thing is for sure: Chad threw popcorn at the man who scolded him, and in response, that man – Curtis Reeves Jr – shot Chad in the chest. Then Kristin tells us about a couple in Natick, Massachusetts, who found themselves the victims of intense harassment and stalking. Ina and David Steiner weren’t entirely sure who sent them cockroaches in the mail, or who tailed them when they left the house. But they knew that their harassers were angry with Ina’s reporting on the couple’s website, EcommerceBytes. They never would have guessed just how powerful their attackers were. 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: Segment of 60 Minutes, titled “Silicon Valley Scandal” “‘Take her down’: Inside eBay’s stalking campaign against a Natick couple,” by Mike Damiano for Boston Magazine “Inside eBay’s cockroach cult: The ghastly story of a stalking scandal,” by David Streitfeld for The New York Times “Couple harassed by former eBay employees sues company and former executives,” CBS News “Couple still haunted by eBay stalking scandal years after campaign of terror,” CBS News “Ex-eBay employees charged with mailing spiders, cockroaches and pig mask to critics,” by Irina Ivanova for CBS News In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Widow of man shot in theater pushes beyond anger to make love his legacy” by Anastasia Dawson, Tampa Bay Times “The Movie Theater Shooting (Curtis Reeves Trial), podcast episode, Court Junkie “A Movie Date, a Text Message and a Fatal Shot” by Frances Robles, The New York Times “He shot a man over tossed popcorn, prosecutors say. His defense: Stand-your-ground.” by Hanna Knowles, The Washington Post “Trial of Curtis Reeves underway 8 years after deadly shooting inside Florida movie theater” by FOX13 News Staff, Fox13 News “Widow describes moment her husband was shot in movie theater after argument over texting: "I see his eyes are just glazed over”” CBS News “After 8 years, a retired Florida police captain is standing trial for killing a man in an argument about texting in a movie theater” by Dakin Andone, CNN “Curtis Reeves trial: Moviegoers recall what they saw in theater shooting” by Anastasia Dawson and Chris Tisch, Tampa Bay Times “After acquittal, Curtis Reeves renews freedom; Chad Oulson’s widow grieves anew” by Dan Sullivan and Michaels Mulligan, Tampa Bay Times 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 47+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

17 Mai 20232h 17min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brian Eftenoff was a bit of a douche. He was arrogant. Self centered. Controlling. But when he met a young Judi Harding at a bar in Phoenix, he laid on the charm. Judi was smitten. Soon, Brian and Judi moved in together. They got married. They had two children. Judi confided in her friends and family that Brian was abusive. So, when Brian discovered her dead one morning, he became a prime suspect. Then Brandi tells us about a woman whose psychic vision helped solve a crime. Etta Smith didn’t know Melanie Uribe, but when she heard about the young mother’s disappearance, Etta had an unexpected vision. She saw that Melanie was in a canyon, surrounded by shrubbery. Etta worried that police wouldn’t take her seriously, but she went to the police station anyway. She couldn’t shake the possibility that perhaps Melanie was still alive, and in desperate need of help. 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: “Til Death Do Us Part,” by Paul Rubin for the Phoenix New Times “A Deadly Dose” episode of American Justice “The Final Straw,” by Paul Rubin for the Phoenix New Times “The Jerk” episode of Reasonable Doubt  “Reasonable Doubt: The Murder Trial,” by David Kohn for CBS News In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Suddenly Psychic” episode Psychic Investigators “Etta Smith Claims a Psychic Vision Showed Her the Location of a Murder Victim’s Body” by Nik Young, medium.com “Premonition Of Murder” segment Unsolved Mysteries “Psychics Helping Police Solve Crimes” Larry King Live Transcript, cnn.com “Three Young Suspects in Custody” upi.com “Adult Trial for Youth, 17” The Los Angeles Times “Police sued, false arrest main issue” by Associated Press, Napa Valley Register “False arrest might be movie material” by Richard Varenchik, Daily News “Psychic ‘Vision’ Suit Settled” by Jan Klunder, The Los Angeles Times 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 46+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

10 Mai 20232h 21min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Mike Golub’s ex-girlfriend, Shannon Floyd, asked him to pick up their son from her home, Mike had to be a little taken aback. In the years since they’d broken up, Mike had only ever been to Shannon’s home one time. Typically, Mike and Shannon did pick ups and drop offs at a neutral location. But that evening, Mike complied with Shannon’s request. He headed toward the home she shared with her husband, Chad Floyd, and was never seen or heard from again. Then Kristin tells us a story that had first responders scratching their heads. It was April 4, 1989 when Kim Hallock told police that she and her ex-boyfriend, Chip Flynn, had been robbed and kidnapped by a Black man. She said that she and Chip had been hanging out at a park when a stranger threatened them with a gun. He ordered the two of them into Chip’s truck, then got in with them, shifting gears, steering the truck and holding a gun on them as he made his way to a citrus grove. When the man parked the truck, Chip grabbed a gun that Kim had hidden underneath a pair of jeans. With his hands tied behind his back, he shot at the man. Though first responders found Kim’s story odd, the detectives who were assigned to the case apparently didn’t. 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: 48 Hours “Crosley Green Comes Home”  “A judge ruled Crosley Green was wrongfully convicted – so why was he ordered back to prison,” by Erin Moriarty for CBS News “Two years after his release, Crosley Green is going back to prison,” by Brittany Shammas and Angela M. Hill for The Washington Post “Crosley Green, imprisoned for 31 years, says he’s the victim of a racial hoax,” by Erin Moriarty for CBS News “Sister testifies to suspect’s role in slaying,” by Robert Kohlman for Florida Today “Attorney: Parents’ deaths might affect man’s sentence,” by George White for Florida Today “Victim recalls night of terror during trial,” by Robert Kohlman for Florida Today “Convicted killer Crosley Green will remain in prison… for now,” by John A. Torres for Florida Today “Man returns to prison 2 years after his murder conviction was set aside,” by Bill Hutchinson for ABC News “Crosley Green’s last chance for freedom,” by Erin Moriarty for CBS News In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Justice in the Heartland” episode 48 Hours “Still missing: Stanton County 13 years later” by Kathy Hanks, The Hutchinson News “Michael Eugene Golub” charleyproject.org “Unfair take by ’48 Hours’” by Dan Monnat and Kurt Kerns, Garden City Telegram 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 45+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

3 Mai 20232h 25min