Let's Go To Court!

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Guess who’s baaaack? It’s none other than Daryl Pitts, a.k.a. DP. For some reason, you people just can’t get enough DP. We don’t judge. We just indulge your every whim.   For this episode, we let the judges on Patreon pick our theme. We asked them to choose between spoiled kids and bad dads, and bad dads won by a mile Brandi starts us off with a predictably dark case. When Christian Longo met Mary Jane Baker, the two hit it off almost immediately. They were both Jehovah’s Witnesses, and both eager to start a family. But Christian didn’t pay much attention to the commandments. He stole regularly. He committed adultery. Eventually, he committed murder.  Then Kristin tells us about a sketchy family business. Scott Catt loved robbing banks. It was easy. The tellers never put up a fight. There was a downside, though. The payoffs were never very big. So one day, Scott got to thinking. If he recruited some more robbers, he could get into the vault. His haul would be so much bigger. So he asked his son, Hayden, and daughter, Abby, to join him.   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: Episode of 20/20 “A Family Affair” “I would only rob banks for my family,” by Skip Hollandsworth for Texas Monthly Catt Family wikipedia page  In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Trials of Christian Longo” by Elizabeth Engstrom, The Crime Library “Christian Longo” entry, crime museum.org “Oregon v. Longo: A family’s murder” murderpedia.org

21 Aug 20192h 29min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! In the winter of 2007, the Nintendo Wii reigned supreme. It was cool, new, and impossible to get ahold of. So when the California radio station KDND-FM 107.9 The End announced their “hold your wee for a Wii” contest, 28-year-old mother of three Jennifer Strange signed up. She and 17 other participants went to the radio station, where they were given water every ten minutes for nearly three hours. As the contest went on, the participants ached with discomfort. It was entertaining radio. But concerned listeners called the station. They warned the DJs that the contest was dangerous. Hadn’t they heard of water intoxication? One DJ said that he had, but he wasn’t worried. The participants had all signed releases. No matter what happened, the station couldn’t be held liable.  Then Brandi tells us one of her strangest stories yet. It’s hard to know what’s true about Treva Throneberry’s complicated life, but one thing is for certain — she was a very troubled girl. When she was in high school, Treva sought the help of police. She told them that her father had raped her at gunpoint, and that when she’d tried to tell her mom, she’d just laughed. Treva’s three sisters doubted her story, but they didn’t doubt that she’d been raped. They’d all been sexually abused by an uncle. Surely the predatory uncle had gone after Treva, too. But before anyone could get to the truth, Treva vanished.  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: “Woman dies after being in water-drinking contest,” Associated Press “Jury rules against radio station after water-drinking contest kills California mom,” by Suzan Clarke and Rich McHugh for Good Morning America “Radio station behind ‘hold your wee for a Wii’ promotion shuts down,” by Joon Chun for Chief Marketer.com “Wii death case resolved,” by Patrick Kolan for IGN “Trial over woman’s death in radio station contest to begin today,” by Andy Furillo for McClatchy-Tribune “Jennifer Strange case finds end, Entercom forfeits license,” by Dan Morain for the Sacramento Bee “No charges in radio contest death,” by Henry Lee for the San Francisco Chronicle “Sue from Fiddletown took a stand in the public interest,” by Dan Morain for the Sacramento Bee In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Day Treva Throneberry Disappeared” by Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly “Treva Throneberry” by Rachael Bell, The Crime Library “Forever Young” by Emily White, The New York Times “Treva or Brianna” by Katia Dunn, Portland Mercury “Treva Throneberry” wikipedia.org

14 Aug 20192h 14min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brandi starts us off with the old timey-est kidnapping of them all! It was the winter of 1900 in Omaha, Nebraska, and 16-year-old Edward Cudahy was walking home from a neighbor’s house. Two men pulled up beside him and lured him into their carriage. They’d chosen their target wisely. Edward’s father owned Cudahy Packing Company. He was a millionaire. He had more than enough money to pay their ransom. But would he? Then Kristin tells us about a cake maker who didn’t want to make a cake. It was 2012, and Charlie Craig and David Mullins were in love. In fact, they were so in love that they decided to get married. That was a little tricky, though. At the time, Colorado prohibited same-sex marriage. But Charlie and David weren’t going to let legalized homophobia stop them. They planned to get married in Massachusetts and have a reception back in their home state. So they went to Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a wedding cake. There was just one problem. The owner of the bakery, Jack Phillips, refused to make cakes for same-sex couples. 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 baker’s case, neither side has much reason to rejoice,” by Jennifer Rubin for the Washington Post “Colorado judge orders Christian baker to bake gay wedding cake. Will he say no?” by Patrik Jonsson for the Christian Science Monitor “Colorado cake maker asks Supreme Court to provide a religious liberty right to refuse gay couple,” by David Savage for the Los Angeles Times “Supreme Court to take case on baker who refused to sell wedding cake to gay couple,” by Robert Barnes for the Washington Post “Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission,” Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Bold Cudahy Kidnapping” by David Krajicek, Crime Library “Kidnapping Edward Cudahy Jr.” NorthOmahaHistory.com “New Life For The Strangest Of Legends” by Micah Mertes, Omaha World-Herald

7 Aug 20192h 8min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Ronald Ball was thirsty. So he walked over to the vending machine, got himself a Mountain Dew and cracked it open. He took a swig. Right away, he became violently ill. As soon as he recovered, he turned his attention to the Mountain Dew. What the hell was wrong with it? As he poured the rest of the soda into a cup, a dead mouse plopped out. When Ronald Ball threatened Pepsico with a lawsuit, the company relied on a defense that shocked the world… and probably had their PR team looking for new jobs.  Then, Brandi tells us about a string of bank robberies that occurred in the summer of 2012. Over time, law enforcement came to refer to the mysterious bank robber as the “Phony Pony Bandit,” because the robber wore a cheap wig, pulled back in a ponytail. The Phony Pony Bandit went on quite a spree, but it came to an end on September 25, when a sheriff’s deputy caught him in the act. 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: “Swig of Mountain Dew included dead mouse, suit claims,” by Kelly Holleran for the Madison-St. Clair Record “A brief history of rodents in soda containers,” by Arielle Duhaime-Ross for The Verge “Pepsi says Mountain Dew can dissolve mouse carcasses,” by Eric Randall for The Wire. “Mouse and Mountain Dew Experiment” on YouTube  In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Bank robbery suspect shot in Stanwood” by Diana Hefley and Rikki King, The Everett Herald “‘Phony Pony Bandit’ admits to armed robberies” by Diana Hefley, The Everett Herald “‘Phony Pony Bandit’ gets 17-year sentence for robberies” by Diana Hefley, The Everett Herald “Bank robber shot in Stanwood drops lawsuit against SnoCo” by Jeremiah O’Hagan, Skagit Valley Herald

31 Jul 20191h 12min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brandi starts us off with a story so upsetting that she’s put off telling it for weeks. In the winter of 1992, two hunters discovered a body that was so badly abused it initially didn’t look real. The body was charred. It had been beaten and stabbed. Law enforcement officers were stunned. Murders weren’t common in Madison, Indiana, but this one was unspeakably gruesome. Despite the state of the body, it didn’t take long to determine that it belonged to 12-year-old Shanda Sharer. A little while later, investigators rounded up their prime suspects: teenagers Melinda Loveless, Laurie Tackett, Hope Rippey, and Toni Lawrence.  Then Kristin tells us about Jeff and Jody Brooks. In 2014, the couple found a house they thought they’d live in for the next twenty years. The modest ranch in Annapolis, Maryland, had a main floor office for Jody and plenty of room for their children. But the home also had a strange scent. As winter turned to spring, the family discovered snakeskins on the floor. Then, they heard movement coming from inside their walls. What they discovered will give you the heebie jeebies. 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: “Welcome to ‘The Snake House’: Lawsuit claims home infested with snakes,” by Tim Prudente for the Capital Gazette “Settlement reached in Annapolis ‘snake house’ case,” by Ben Weathers for the Captial Gazette “Capital follow-up: Famed Annapolis ‘snake house’ close to sale,” by Rachael Pacella for the Capital Gazette  In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Death of Innocence – The Murder of Young Shanda Sharer” by David Lohr, Crime Library “Why 12-Year-Old Shanda Sharer Was Tortured And Killed By Four Teenage Girls” by William DeLong “Woman convicted in 1992 slaying of 12-year-old Shanda Renee Sharer is released from prison” by Justin L. Mack, The Indy Star

24 Jul 20192h 5min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Jessie Nizewitz agreed to be on VH1’s reality dating show “Dating Naked,” she knew one thing for certain — she’d be filmed naked. When Jessie arrived on set, she says producers encouraged her to wrestle naked with her date. They urged her to playfully slam him into the sand. Jessie was hesitant, until they reassured her that all of her private parts would be blurred when the episode aired. A few weeks later, Jessie was back at home, watching her episode. Just as promised, her naked body was blurred. But then, for a split second, it wasn’t. That image was captured and spread all over the internet. Jessie was humiliated. She felt lied to. So she decided to sue.  Then Brandi tells us about the abduction of Amber Hagerman. Her name might not initially sound familiar, but you probably know her legacy. Amber was just nine years old, riding her bike a few blocks from her grandparents’ home when a man abducted her. A neighbor witnessed the abduction. He called police to report what he’d seen. Soon, the FBI stepped in. But did they have enough information to find Amber? 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: “This is why Dating Naked was Canceled,” by Nicki Swift for YouTube “‘Dating Naked’ cast member sues after crotch-blur fail,” by Jamie Schram and Amber Sutherland for the New York Post “‘Dating Naked’ cast member sues after VH1 showed her naked,” James Hibberd for Entertainment Weekly Court documents “‘Dating Naked’ lawsuit seeks to strip Viacom of $10M for showing too much,” by Dominic Patten for Deadline “‘Dating Naked’ $10M lawsuit stripped by judge,” by Dominic Patten for Deadline “‘Dating Naked” $10M “inadvertent” nudity suit should be tossed, says Viacom,” by Dominic Patten for Deadline “$10M ‘Dating Naked’ lawsuit dismissed,” HNGN.com In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Amber Hagerman” by David Krajicek, The Crime Library “Amber Hagerman: 20 Years Later” CBS DFW “Amber Alert” wikipedia.org.  “Ariel Castro Kidnappings” wikipedia.org

17 Jul 20191h 46min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! It was the winter of 2014, and Sue Duncan and her husband Leo Fisher were settling in for a quiet night at home. Sue had a chicken roasting in the oven, and Leo was reading on his recliner. Then, the doorbell rang. Leo opened the door to find a man in a long black jacket at his doorstep. The man fired a Taser at Leo’s chest and barged into the couple’s home. The man said he was with the “Virginia SEC,” and that he was there to arrest Leo. Right away, Sue sensed she didn’t have the full story. Then, in the mid-90’s, Pepsi launched a new ad campaign. It was pretty simple. Every time you bought a Pepsi, you earned points. With those points, you could buy items from the Pepsi catalogue. To advertise Pepsi Points, Pepsi aired a commercial aimed at showing off all of their sweet swag. You could buy a t-shirt. A leather jacket. And, as a funny little twist, they ended the commercial by saying that Pepsi drinkers could buy a Harrier jet for 7,000,000 points. It was clearly a joke. At the time, Harrier jets were worth $33.8 million. Plus, they were only available for military use. But you know who didn’t think they were joking? A 21-year-old business student named John Leonard. 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 commercial itself, which is available on YouTube Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. 2d 116 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) “Pepsi Harrier Giveaway,” Snopes.com John Leonard, Plaintiff-appellant, v. Pepsico, Inc., Defendant-appellee, 210 F.3d 88 (2d Cir. 2000) “Pentagon: ‘Pepsi ad not the real thing.’” CNN.com In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “A Home Invasion, A Torture Session, One Lawyer Nearly Killing Another—The Gruesome November Night in One of Washington’s Wealthiest Suburbs.” by Jason Fagone, The Washingtonian “Ex-Lawyer Sentenced to 45 Years in Home Invasion, Torture Attack of Former Boss, His Wife” by David Culver, NBC Washington

10 Jul 20192h 16min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! It’s October of 2014, and the people of Duncan, Oklahoma, are concerned. They haven’t seen the Hruby family all weekend. The Hruby’s are usually everywhere. They own the local newspaper. They’re actively involved in the community. But on Monday morning, their longtime housekeeper made a gruesome discovery. John, Tinker, and 17-year-old Katherine Hruby were dead. Everyone in the Hruby family was dead. Everyone but Alan. Then, Brandi tells us about a murder mystery at the Glensheen Historic Estate. The 20,000 square foot mansion is something to behold. It’s now a museum, operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth. But for a long time, the mansion was home to the Congdon family. In the late 60’s, the original owner’s youngest daughter Elisabeth promised the home to the university upon her death. But her death came sooner than anticipated. Late at night on June 27, 1977, Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila were murdered. Who could have carried out such a senseless crime?   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: American Greed episode “Blood Relatives” “Man to spend life in prison for killing parents, sister,” by Nolan Clay for The Oklahoman In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Trail of clues, legal twists kept Glensheen murder case going for years” by Candace Renalls, Duluth News Tribune “Blood money: The grisly murders at Duluth’s Glensheen mansion” by Hannah Jones, City Pages “Man’s Suicide Note: ‘I Didn’t Kill Those ’Girls’” Associate Press “40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth” by Dan Kraker, MPR News

3 Jul 20191h 56min