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

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

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Lydia Fairchild was in a tight spot, financially. She had two young children, was pregnant with a third, and she was unemployed. So she applied for welfare. As part of Washington state’s application process, she and the children’s father both submitted DNA samples to confirm that they were the children’s biological parents. But the DNA tests revealed shocking news. She was not the children’s mother. Then Brandi tells us about a murder that hit close to home. It was the spring of 2002, and Amanda Sharp and her friend Kevin Gunby didn’t want to go to school. So the pair skipped class and headed over to Kevin’s house. Hours later, when their friend Brad Jaynes showed up at Kevin’s house, Kevin delivered startling news. He told Brad that he’d killed Amanda. Then he showed him her body.  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 Twin Inside Me”  “She’s her own twin,” from ABC News “The You in Me,” by Sam Kean for Psychology Today “The case of Lydia Fairchild and her chimerism,” by Alexis Darby for The Embryo Project Encyclopedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “SM North students trying to cope with classmate’s death” by Kati Jividen, The Kansas City Star “Slain girl remembered as creative, adventurous” by Richard Espinoza and Kati Jividen, The Kansas City Star “Trial date set for teen in slaying of girl, 17” by Tony Rizzo, The Kansas City Star “Teenager is convicted of first degree murder” by Tony Rizzo, The Kansas City Star “Fairway man gets life sentence for strangling girlfriend” by Tony Rizzo, The Kansas City Star “State v. Gunby” findlaw.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!

25 Aug 20211h 48min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Kathy Sigman and Maria Ridulph were best friends. The little girls played together constantly, and the evening of December 3, 1957, was no exception. But that evening, a young man approached them. He seemed friendly. He offered them piggyback rides and asked them about dolls. He told them his name was Johnny, and that he wasn’t married. At one point, Kathy excused herself to get a pair of mittens. But when she came back outside, Maria was missing, and Johnny was nowhere to be found. Then Kristin tells us about a college student in Oklahoma, who woke up to a loud thump. The woman sat in bed for a while, listening for more strange sounds. When she didn’t hear any, she got up to go to the bathroom. That’s when she saw a man standing at the end of her hallway. She flipped on the lights, but the man vanished behind a corner, only to reemerge seconds later. The man sexually assaulted her, then left out the front door. Later, when the woman called police, they showed her two line-ups. Both line ups included an innocent man named Thomas Webb.  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 Wrong Man” by Jon Schuppe for NBC News The book “Rectify: A story of healing and redemption after wrongful conviction,” By Laura Bazelon “Wrongfully convicted man gets $175,000 for 13 years in prison,” by Jon Schuppe for NBC News “Rape suspect walks free after innocent man spends 14 years in prison,” by Dallas Franklin for kfor.com “Thomas Webb, III” entry on The National Registry of Exonerations In this episode, Brandi pulled from: "Taken: The Coldest Case Ever Solved” by Ann O’Neill, CNN “JUSTICE STORY: The coldest case, ‘The Piggyback Kidnap’” by Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News “Man cleared in 1957 slaying of Sycamore girl wins $300K settlement from Seattle. Cops there arrested him after DeKalb County reopened case.” Associated Press “Man wrongly convicted in 1957 Sycamore killing of 7-year-old declared innocent by judge” by Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune “Murder of Maria Ridulph” 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!

18 Aug 20212h 41min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When he was working as a manager at Imo’s Pizza, Michael Devlin put up a pretty good front. He was personable. Well read. Friendly. But back at his apartment, Michael was a different man. He was rude and quiet. His son, Shawn, appeared to have adopted Michael’s habits. Neighbors said they never saw Shawn smile. But what they didn’t know was that Shawn wasn’t really Michael’s son. His name wasn’t even Shawn Devlin. It was Shawn Hornbeck. But the truth wouldn’t come out until much later, when another boy, Ben Ownby, went missing.  Then Brandi tells us about a kidnapping that shook Long Island, New York. It was July 4, 1956. Betty Weinberger’s one-month-old infant, Peter, fell asleep in his carriage on the patio. As the little boy slept, Betty went inside the house. When she came back out a few minutes later, her baby boy was gone. Betty’s husband later found a ransom note at the scene. In it, the kidnapper demanded $2,000 in exchange for the baby. The kidnapper warned the Weinbergers not to involve the police, but the couple felt they had no choice.  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: “Monster next door?” by Malcolm Gay for the Riverfront Times “One search, two boys found: The Missouri miracle 14 years ago,” by Tim O’Neil for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Michael Devlin stabbed in prison with ‘ice pick,’” by Todd Frankel for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “I am still too scared to tell my mom and dad, ‘kidnap’ creep admits,” by Susannah Cahalan for the New York Post “Shawn Hornbeck,” Crime Museum “MIchael J. Devlin,” entry on Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Held for Ransom” by Michael Dorman “Mark of a Murderer” by Mike McAlary, Esquire “JUSTICE STORY: Tragic kidnapping of Long Island infant shattered two young families” by Robert Dominguez, New York Daily News “Weinberger Kidnapping” FBI.gov “Vincent LaMarca” 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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

11 Aug 20212h 9min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! This episode nearly killed us. ….Or was it the Oreos, Pringles and alcohol that nearly killed us?  When we sat down to record this episode a *second time,* we about lost our minds at the thought of talking about these two shit bags again. But ya girls persevered, technology issues and tummy troubles be damned!  Brandi started us off with the story of Jacque Waller. Jacque worked her ass off. As a mom of triplets, she also juggled a demanding career. But her husband, Clay Waller, didn’t pull his weight. He couldn’t hold a steady job, and he rarely lifted a finger with the kids. If that imbalance wasn’t bad enough, Clay then became abusive. When Jacque told him she’d had enough, he threatened her life.  Then Kristin tells us about Donnah Winger, who was coming home from a trip to Florida with her infant daughter, Bailey. Donnah’s parents had arranged for Donnah and Bailey to be picked up from the airport and driven the two hours back to their home. It seemed like a perfect plan, but as soon as the driver started talking, Donnah knew she was in for a rough time. The man said he had a demon in his head. Then he invited Donnah to an orgy. She was deeply disturbed. When she got home, she told her husband Mark Winger about the driver, and he insisted that she file a complaint.  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 20/20 titled, “The Perfect Lie” “Jailed killer plotted to kill 5 more,” by Wanda DeMarzo for the Miami Herald “Man accused of staging 2 killings,” the Associated Press “Man gets life sentence in slaying of wife, shuttle bus driver,” the Associated Press for the St Louis Post-Dispatch “Tale of grisly double murder will be retold,” by Wanda DeMarzo for The Miami Herald “Mark Winger,” entry on Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Devil’s Island: The Missouri Murder of Jacque Waller” episode Crime Watch Daily “Jacque Waller” chillingcrimes.com “Jacque’s sister asks Clay Waller: Does she haunt you?” by Heartland News, KFVS12 News “United States v. Waller” findlaw.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 20+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

4 Aug 20212h 5min