24: The Charming Kidnappers & the Swope Family Murders (?)

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Marjorie Jackson was a multi-millionaire who didn’t trust banks. So, when she discovered that a high ranking bank employee had stolen from her, she took action. Over the course of four months, she showed up at the bank with a suitcase or a couple of grocery bags and made massive cash withdrawals. She took out millions of dollars and hid the money in her modest Indianapolis home. People worried about Marjorie. It didn’t seem safe for a 66-year-old woman to live alone, surrounded by millions of dollars in cash. It wasn’t. Then Brandi tells us about a pair of newlyweds whose honeymoon ended in murder. Anni Hindocha and Shrien Dewani were a beautiful couple. They married at Lake Powai near Mumbai, India, and afterward, went on a whirlwind honeymoon to South Africa. They started their trip with a few nights at Kruger National Park, followed by a trip to Cape Town. Once they got there, they met a driver named Zola Tongo. He told the couple he’d be their tour guide. On the ride back from dinner one night, two men hijacked the car. 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: “Notorious 92: Indiana’s Most Heinous Murders in all 92 counties,” by Andrew E Stoner “Banker testifies in heiress’ murder,” by Kristie Hill for the Associated Press “Alleged bandit gang activities taken up,” The Indianapolis News, November 30, 1931 “F. Lee Bailey told Willard, to bury cash, witnesses say,” by R. Joseph Gelarden for the Indianapolis Star, December 3, 1977 “Robinson innocent of Jackson slaying; guilty on other counts,” by Carolyn Pickering for the Indianapolis Star, April 25, 1978 “Robinson’s defense brief in murder trial,” The Indianapolis Star, April 23, 1978 “Missing millions and the murder of grocery heiress Marjorie Jackson,” by Dawn Mitchell for the Indianapolis Star “Murdered heiress, missing millions an enduring Indiana mystery,” by Tim Evans for the Indianapolis Star “Marjorie Jackson Murder Case,” Encyclopedia of Indianapolis “Was FBI agent involved in missing fortune of murdered heiress?” by Mia De Graaf for the Daily Mail In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Honeymoon Murder” by Joshua Hammer, The Atavist Magazine “Anni Dewani” chillingcrimes.com “Honeymoon Murder: Timeline of events for Shrien Dewani” BBC.com “Dewani murder case: How grieving husband became suspect” by Steven Morris, David Smith, and Alex Duval Smith, The Guardian “Dewani trial: what really happened and how did police get it so wrong?” by Dan Newling, The Guardian “Murder of Anni Dewani” 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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

20 Okt 20212h 25min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Bresha Meadows had run out of options. She’d tried talking to the police. She’d tried running away from home. She tried everything she could think of to get away from her abusive father. Nothing seemed to work. So, in July of 2016, when she was 14 years old, Bresha took her father’s gun and killed him in his sleep.  Then Kristin tells us about Nailah Franklin, a pharmaceutical sales rep who seemed to be living the good life. She had a big, loving family, close friends, and a new relationship with a handsome lawyer. There was just one thing that wasn’t right -- her douchebag ex-boyfriend, Reginald Potts.  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: “Smoke and Mirrors,” episode of Dateline “Man Convicted in 2007 Killing of Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Nailah Franklin Sentenced to Life in Prison,” by Charlie Wojciechowski for NBC Chicago “Reginald Potts guilty of murder in 2007 death of Nailah Franklin,” by Michelle Gallardo Rob Elgas for ABC News “Woman called Reginald Potts 'pathological' in email before killing,” by Steve Schmadeke for the Chicago Tribune “Remembering Nailah Franklin,” by Dawn Turner for the Chicago Tribune “Nailah Franklin’s Boyfriend Says He Sent Her An Email Asking: ‘Are You Alive?’” CBS Chicago “Sentencing begins for man in 2007 murder of Nailah Franklin,” by Steve Schmadeke for the Chicago Tribune “Reginald Potts found guilty of killing Nailah Franklin,” Fox 32 Chicago “After wrenching week of hearings, judge to sentence Franklin’s killer,” by Steve Schmadeke for the Chicago Tribune “Testimony concludes in trial of man charged with killing Nailah Franklin,” CBS Chicago “Reginald Potts Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murder Of Nailah Franklin,” CBS CHicago In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Bresha Meadows Thought You’d Understand” by Melissa Jeltsen, The Huffington Post “Bresha Meadows' cousin says he also was abused by Jonathan Meadows” by Andrea Simakis, The Plain Dealer “Murder or self defense? Bresha Meadows accused of killing father” by John Caniglia, The Plain Dealer “Bresha Meadows Returns Home After Collective Organizing Efforts” by Mariame Kaba and Colby Lenz, TeenVogue “Who is Bresha Meadows? 16-year-old, who killed her allegedly abusive father, released from custody” by Najja Parker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Bresha Meadows, Ohio Teenager Who Fatally Shot Her Father, Accepts Plea Deal” by Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times “Alumni Story: CMLaw HOF Member And Friedman Reflects On The Bresha Meadows Case” Cleveland-Marshall College of Law 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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

13 Okt 20212h 14min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! T’was the fall of 1882, and Nicholas Dukes had a lot going for him. He was a prominent attorney. He’d just been elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. To top it all off, he was engaged to Lizzie Nutt. Lizzie came from a prominent family and was hot as hell. But as Nicholas and Lizzie got to know one another better, Nicholas became concerned. She was flirty. Forward. It was possible she wasn’t a virgin! (Neither was he, but that didn’t matter.) Nicholas was disgusted to find himself engaged to a woman who wanted to have sex with him. So he told her father.  On the afternoon of October 2, 1998, 15-year-old Zach Witman called the police. He’d just discovered his 13-year-old brother, Greg, dead in their home. Zach told the dispatcher, “I came downstairs, and the door was cracked and he was lying there. Just lying there! Gone! Gone! Gone! Gone! Why? Why? Why?” Greg had been stabbed multiple times -- to the point of near decapitation.  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: “Demon in a bottle: the Dukes/Nutt affair,” by Paul Slade for PlanetSlade  “An honorable vengeance: the Dukes-Nutt saga,” developed by Rachel Zajac for the Uniontown Public Library  “A matter of honor,” Murder by Gaslight “19th century Dukes-Nutt murder scandal subject of new exhibit and book,” by Frances Borsodi for the Herald Standard In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Witmans” documentary “Commonwealth v. Witman” findlaw.com “Gregory fought for life” by Rick Lee and Teresa Ann Boeckel, York Daily Record “In the jurors’ hands” by Rick Lee and Teresa Ann Boeckel, York Daily Record “I killed my brother: Zachary Witman admits to gruesome 1998 murder; parole now possible” WITF.org “The Untold Truth Of The Witman Murder Case” by Aimee Lamoureux, grunge.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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

6 Okt 20212h 27min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! It was the summer of 2004, and Charlie and Teri Brandt needed to get someplace safe. With Hurricane Ivan headed for their home in Big Pine Key, the couple went to Orlando to stay with their niece, Michelle Jones. Michelle was thrilled to have them, but toward what should have been the end of their visit, she stopped returning phone calls. So did Teri and Charlie. Finally, one of Michelle’s friends went to the house to check on everyone. She was horrified by what she discovered. Then Kristin tells us about the evening of February 17, 2007. Melissa Lucio was in a panic. Her two-year-old daughter Mariah had fallen asleep, but wasn’t waking up. Paramedics arrived at Lucio’s apartment, and attempted to revive the little girl. But she remained unresponsive. As moments ticked by, the paramedics grew more and more concerned. The girl’s body was covered in bruises. It looked like she’d been badly beaten. Melissa’s other children told the EMT’s that Mariah had recently fallen down the stairs, but medical personnel feared something much more sinister had occurred.  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 documentary, “State of Texas vs. Melissa” Wrongful Conviction podcast episode, “Melissa Lucio” “Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall,” Death Penalty Information Center “Did Melissa Lucio, the First Hispanic Woman on Death Row in Texas, Kill Her Daughter? An Uneven New Documentary Raises More Questions Than Answers.” by Roxanna Asgarian for Texas Monthly “Doctor testifies abuse was ‘worst’ he’s seen,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star “Mother found guilty of murder,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star “Detective testifies in Lucio trial,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Deadly Obsession” episode 48 Hours “Charlie Brandt Killed His Mom At 13 — Then Walked Free To Butcher His Wife As An Adult” by William DeLong, allthatsinteresting.com “Deadly rage brewed in ‘quiet kid’” by Robert Perez and Melissa Harris, The Orlando Sentinel “Killer tied to ’89 death—wife suspected him all along” by Gary Taylor, The Orlando Sentinel 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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

29 Sep 20212h 15min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Detective Scott Apple entered room 348 of the MCM Elegante Hotel, he didn’t think he had a mystery on his hands. A man named Greg Fleniken lay dead on the floor. The hotel room showed no signs of a struggle. Greg’s wallet contained more than $1,000. His body showed no obvious signs of trauma. Clearly, he hadn’t been the victim of a robbery or foul play. It seemed a lifetime of smoking had caught up with him. But an autopsy revealed otherwise. Then Brandi tells us about a love triangle. Rachel Wade and Sarah Ludemann were in love with the same guy -- Josh Camacho. But rather than turn their anger toward the guy who was playing them both, Rachel and Sarah battled one another. Sarah showed up at Rachel’s work to harass her. They left each other nasty voicemails. Then, on the evening of April 14, 2009, Rachel headed over to an ex-boyfriend’s house. But before she left, she tucked a knife into her purse.  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 Body in Room 348” by Mark Bowden for Vanity Fair “I know what you did,” episode of 20/20 “Trial nixed in civil suit over notorious death at MCM Elegante Hotel,” by David Yates for the Southeast Texas Record “Wife of man found dead at MCM Elegante proceeds with lawsuit,” by Sarah Moore for the Beaumont Enterprise “Update: Lance Mueller gets 10 year prison sentence for shooting,” The Chippewa Herald In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “One teen boy, two teen girls and homicide” by Lane DeGregory, Tampa Bay Times “Rachel Wade Sentenced: Teenage Love Triangle Murderer Gets 27 Years for Death of Sarah Ludemann” by Kevin Hayes, CBS News “Teen love triangle: Street fight over boyfriend ends in death” True Crime Daily “Rachel Wade” episode Snapped “Woman found guilty in death of love rival” by Mark Douglas, The Tampa Tribune “Rachel Wade” 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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

22 Sep 20212h 33min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Candy Williams couldn’t believe her luck. She’d been out on the beach in late 2005, when a handsome stranger approached her. His name was Jovan Collier. The pair quickly hit it off. Jovan was charming and funny -- and not at all afraid of commitment. Three months later, Candy and Jovan were living together and planning to get married. But as Candy later discovered, there was quite a bit she didn’t know about Jovan. The least of which was his actual name.  Then Kristin tells us about Sharee and Warren Smith, who were living quiet lives in Birmingham, raising their young son. One day, an older man knocked on their door. He told Sharee that he was considering moving in next door. When Sharee asked him why he was moving, he told her that his neighbors were too loud. He suspected they were drug dealers. Sharee felt sorry for the old man. A few weeks later, the man -- Harry Street -- moved in next door with his wife and their young daughter. Pretty quickly, he proved to be a nightmare neighbor. 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 Nightmare Neighbour Next Door (season four, episode 5) “The night Barry Williams killed five people after neighbour dispute over noise,” by Nick McCarthy for the Birmingham Mail “Shooting spree killer Harry Street detained over bomb and weapons,” BBC “Harry Street: 1978 West Bromwich killings remembered,” BBC “Mass killer Harry Street detained indefinitely over weapons charges,” The Guardian “Harry Street: Timeline of a serial killer,” Birmingham Mail In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “A Teen Killer’s Dark Secret” by Bruce Vielmetti, The Journal Sentinel “Teen’s Dark Secret: He Murdered His Family” by Ashley Bridges and Miguel Sancho “From Teen Killer to Obsessive Stalker: How a boy who slayed 3 members of his family ended u behind bars 25 years later” The Daily Mail “Man who slaughtered family 30 years ago arrested in Texas for harassing ex-fiancee who learned of his past” by Sasha Goldstein, New York Daily News “Convicted killer pleads guilty to harassing 3 McLennan County women” by Tommy Witherspoon, Waco Tribune-Herald 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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

15 Sep 20212h 20min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When a utility worker came across Inna Budnytska, he initially thought she was dead. She’d been severely beaten and abandoned in a vacant lot in Miami. She was unconscious, and remained in that state until a team at Jackson Memorial Hospital nursed her back to health. The next day, when Inna felt well enough to communicate with police, she told them her name and asked to speak with her attorney. That struck detectives as odd. Suspicious, even. But the truth was that Inna had just survived a terrible crime. She was alone in America, and her attorney was one of the few people she knew.    Then Brandi tells us about Robert Schwartz, a celebrated scientist and founding member of the Virginia Biotechnology Association. Robert’s colleagues began to worry about him when he didn’t show up for work one Monday morning in December of 2001. A neighbor came to check on Robert in his rural home, and discovered a grizzly scene. Robert had been murdered two days earlier, just as he was preparing to sit down to eat dinner.  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 Case of the Vanishing Blonde,” by Mark Bowden for Vanity Fair “The Woman in the Suitcase,” episode of 20/20 “Serial rapist was on the loose for years before an abandoned suitcase put a stop to his crimes,” by Chris Kilmer and Allie Yang for ABC News “‘Suitcase rapist pleads guilty in New Orleans and sentenced to 45 years,” by Jim Mustian for The New Orleans Advocate In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Clara Schwartz” episode Snapped “Clara Schwartz: A Deadly Game” by Katherine Ramsland, The Crime Library “Schwartz v. Commonwealth” findlaw.com “Fantasy, reality collide at murder trial” by Jon Echtenkamp, The Fairfax Times “Clara Jane Schwartz” murderpedia.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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

8 Sep 20212h 29min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Adrianne Reynolds had a tumultuous childhood. But when she turned 16, she moved to East Moline, Illinois to live with her adoptive father and stepmother, and it seemed that Adrianne was on steady ground. She began working toward her GED at Black Hawk College Outreach Center, got a job at a fast food chain, and did chores around the house. She even made a few friends. At least, she thought they were her friends. Then Kristin tells us about the first court-ordered integration of a public school in the South. Black students had limited options in Clifton, Tennessee. The local school for black students lacked the resources of the white students’ public school. Plus, it only taught children through the eighth grade. If a black student in Clifton wanted to attend middle or high school, they had to be bussed to a school in Knoxville. On top of that, their parents had to pay tuition. To add insult to injury, most of the black folks in Clifton lived just a few yards away from Clifton High School. So, in 1950, a brave group of black students and their families fought the local school board for their right to equal education. 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 documentary, “The Clinton 12” “The Clinton Desegregation Crisis,” Blackpast.org “Clinton Desegregation Crisis,” by Carroll Van West for Tennessee Encyclopedia “The Clinton High School Desegregation Case,” by Linda T. Wynn for the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture “Forgotten Heroes: Lessons from School Integration in a Small Southern Community,” by Whitney Elizabeth Cate for East Tennessee State University In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Sarah Kolb” episode Snapped “Circle of Friends” episode Dateline “Sarah Kolb Part 1” True Crime Family: Killer Profile, podcast episode “Sarah Kolb Part 2” True Crime Family: Killer Profile, podcast episode “Sarah Anne Kolb” murderpedia.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 25+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

1 Sep 20212h 35min