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

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Botham Jean had been looking forward to a quiet night at home. The 26-year-old accountant made himself a bowl of ice cream and settled into his comfy leather couch, ready to watch some football. But Botham didn’t get a quiet night at home. Instead, an off duty police officer named Amber Guyger entered his apartment. She shot twice. Judging by the trajectory of the bullet that killed Botham, he was either in the process of getting up or cowering when Amber shot him. When Amber called 911, she was frantic. “I thought it was my apartment. I thought it was my apartment,” she said.   Then Brandi tells us about a woman everyone pitied. Luz Cuevas couldn’t seem to accept that her infant daughter, Delimar Vera, had died in a house fire. She told anyone who would listen that her daughter was still alive. But that was nuts. Everyone knew that the ten-day-old little girl was dead. Years passed, but Luz didn’t waver. She was certain that her daughter was alive. She just had to find 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: “The Ballad of Botham Jean” episode of Impact of Murder  “Amber Guyger is sentenced to 10 years for the murder of Botham Jean,” by Marina Trahan Martinez, Sarah Mervosh and John Eligon for the New York Times “Amber Guyger trial: ‘I shot an innocent man,’ ex-officer says,” by Marina Trahan Martinez and Sarah Mervosh for the New York Times “Trial opens for former officer who killed unarmed black man in his apartment,” by Marina Trahan Martinez and Manny Fernandez for the New York Times “Ex-Dallas officer who killed man in his own apartment is found guilty of murder,” by Bobby Allyn for NPR “Brandt Jean’s act of grace toward his brother’s killer sparks a debate over forgiving,” by Bill Chappell and Richard Gonzaels for NPR “Murder of Botham Jean,” entry on wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Delimar Vera” episode Crimelines Podcast “I believe in my heart she’ll accept me” by Audrey Gillan, The Guardian “Mom Surrenders” by Jim Walsh and Jason Nark, The Courier-Post “Girl Found and Woman Held After a Ruse Lasting Years” by Jason George, The New York Times “No Contest Plea To Kidnapping Newborn In 1997” by Natalie Pompilio “Her Side of the Story” by Nicole Weisensee Egan, Philadelphia Daily 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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

5 Maj 20213h 5min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Julene Simko called 911 in a panic. She’d just discovered her husband dead in their bed. He’d been shot in the back of the head by an intruder. She’d already grabbed a gun and fired two shots to scare off the attacker, but she feared the person was still in the house. But who could the intruder be? Julene and Jeremy’s home in rural Vermilion, Ohio, was remarkably secure. They had multiple guard dogs, a security system, and plenty of guns. Who could have gotten past all those safeguards and murdered Jeremy Simko? Then Kristin tells us about real estate agent Beverly Carter. In 2014, Beverly was the top selling and listing agent for Crye Leike Realtors. The previous year, she’d sold $12 million in real estate -- no small feat in central Arkansas. So when a man calling himself Steven Adams reached out to her about buying a new house, Beverly was all ears. Steven said that he and his wife, Crystal, were relocating to the area. They were cash buyers. That meant a quick sale for Beverly. But Beverly was cautious. She corresponded with Steven by phone and email for a few weeks. When he asked to meet her out at a rural property, she insisted that his wife Crystal meet them there, too. Crystal got on the phone and assured Beverly she’d be there. But when Beverly arrived at the home, Crystal 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: A Dateline episode, titled, “The Client” A Web of Lies episode, titled, “Final Sale” “Realtor Murder,” by Arkansas Online, compiled from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Archives “The Beverly Carter Story,” by Stewart Title on YouTube Beverlycarterfoundation.org In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Julene Simko” episode, Snapped “Vemilion woman goes on trial in 2009 murder” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Julene Simko won’t look at photos of husband’s body during murder trial” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “No physical evidence Vermilion woman performed CPR on dying husband, ex-Lorain County Coroner says” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Defense rests without calling witnesses in Vermilion woman’s murder trial” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Vermilion woman’s murder trial now awaits verdict” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Julene Simko guilty of murdering her husband in 2009 in Vermilion” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Vermilion woman gets 28 years to life for 2009 murder of husband” by Keith Reynolds, The Morning Journal “Vermilion woman was slave before killing husband” by Katie Nix, Sandusky Register  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!

28 Apr 20212h 16min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brian Hile was smitten. He’d never had much luck with the ladies, but at 28, his dream had come true. He’d found a smokin’ hot girlfriend. She had long blond hair, piercing eyes, and she loved to send him sexy pictures. But after two years of dating, Brian discovered that he’d been catfished. He’d never been talking to a woman. He’d been talking and sending pictures to a man in South Africa. Brian wanted revenge, but South Africa was too far away. So he went after Tiffany Watkins, the completely innocent woman from the photos. Then Brandi tells us about Kristine Young, who became deeply concerned when she couldn’t get ahold of her adult daughter, Ashley Young. That concern grew when she realized that her daughter had recently visited an old friend, Jared Chance. Kristine had always had a bad feeling about Jared. She’d been right to feel that way.  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: “Catfished” episode of Web of Lies United States of America v. Brian Curtis Hile on docketbird.com “Michigan stalker of Santee woman fit to stand trial,” by Dave Rice for The San Diego Reader “Online hoax prompted man’s revenge plot,” the Smoking Gun.com  “Crime of passion: How web hoax triggered revenge plot,” The Sydney Morning Herald In this episode, Brandi pulled from:  “Foul smell and trail of blood led to discovery woman's friend was really monster” by Gail Shortland, The Mirror “‘Optics not good,’ defense attorney admits, in woman’s killing, dismemberment” by John Agar, Michigan Live “Jury finds Jared Chance guilty of murder, mutilation” Fox17 News “Parents of convicted killer Jared Chance get jail for their roles after the crime” by John Hogan, WZZM13 “Father of man who killed, mutilated woman avoids retrial on perjury charge” by John Agar, Michigan Live “Appeals court upholds Jared Chance murder conviction” by Sentinel Staff, Ionia Sentinel-Standard “People of MI v Jared Chance” 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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

21 Apr 20212h 25min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Cindy Reese had a bad feeling. The second she opened her front door, she saw that her house had been ransacked. She called for her husband, Michael, but he didn’t answer. Clearly, something was wrong. So Cindy called the police. When they arrived, police discovered Michael Reese dead on the kitchen floor. He’d been shot execution style. Cindy was stunned. As she told it, she’d narrowly missed encountering the murderer herself. She and Michael had been to church that evening, and afterward they got some fast food. When they arrived home, Cindy remembered she needed some orange juice and ham from the grocery store. She told Michael to take their dinner inside. She’d eat with him after she got back from the Piggly Wiggly. But investigators didn’t buy Cindy’s story. Then Kristin tells us about the suicide of a Texas A&M professor. James Aune was a pretty big deal. He was a tenured professor who’d authored two books on rhetoric. He had the respect of his peers and his students. But James had a dark side. He spent a lot of time online, mostly in chat rooms. One day, he met an 18-year-old woman named Karen. James was smitten. He opened up to the teenager, and she did the same. Eventually, Karen confessed that she wasn’t 18. She was 16. James didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, he exchanged nude pictures with her. Then it backfired. 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: “Web of Lies” ID show, titled, “Online Education” “The strange and sordid end of an A&M professor,” by Ross Dubois for Texas Monthly “Man accused of blackmailing Texas A&M professor pleads not guilty,” by Maggie Kiely for The Eagle “FBI says man was blackmailing Texas A&M professor before suicide,” by Maggie Kiely for The Eagle “Man gets year in prison for extorting Texas A&M professor,” Associated Press In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Even The Devil Went To Church” episode Dateline “Cindy Reese” episode Snapped “Michael Reese’s Wife Shot & Killed Him to Be With Her Pastor” by Caroline Warnock, heavy.com “Church-goer and her pastor lover killed her husband so they could be together” by Gail Shortland, The Mirror “Cindy Reese sentenced to prison for 2015 murder of her Morris husband” by Ivana Hrynkiw, AL.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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

14 Apr 20212h 22min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Mitchell Carlton Sims was pretty proud of himself. He’d landed a job as the manager of a Domino’s Pizza in West Columbia, South Carolina. But the good times didn’t last long. He got into a disagreement with his boss over a bonus and flipped out. Mitch tried to stage a coup. It didn’t work. He tried to get his boss fired. That didn’t work either. Finally, Mitch quit. But he held onto an out-of-control rage toward his former employer.  Then Brandi tells us about a family annihilator. (Does that surprise you? If so, welcome to the podcast.) James Kraig Kahler was a bad husband. He controlled and manipulated his wife, Karen. He controlled Karen’s social circle, as well as her finances. But James lost a little control when Karen sold enough cakes to buy herself a gym membership. She became a regular at the gym, and eventually found work as a trainer. It was there that she met Sunny Reece. Karen and Sunny’s friendship soon blossomed into something more. Initially, James was okay with that. 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 Vengeance: Killer Coworkers, titled, “Killing Spree” “Defendant’s voice: Tape describes killing of pizza deliveryman,” by Patricia Klein for the Los Angeles Times People v. Sims, on courtlistener.com “Mitchell Carlton Sims,” entry on Murderpedia “Motel visit key to ‘pizza murder’ verdict,” by Stephanie O’Neill for the Los Angeles Times “Restaurant robbery described,” Associated Press “Death penalty urged in slaying of pizza deliveryman,” Associated Press “Witness says murder defendant hated pizza chain,” by Stephanie O’Neill for the Los Angeles Times In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Death in the Family” episode Fatal Vows “Fatal Vows: Lesbian affair leads jilted husband to murder his ex-wife and their daughters - The Kahler Case” The Mirror “James Kraig Kahler” murderpedia.org “Testimony begins in Kahler murder trial” by Brennan David, Columbia Daily Tribune “State of Kansas v. James Kahler” findlaw.com “Kahler v. Kansas” 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!

7 Apr 20212h 46min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Kay Sybers hated going to the doctor. According to her husband, Bill Sybers, Kay hated going to the doctor so much that she refused to get medical treatment for her ongoing chest pain. The morning of May 30,1991, Kay woke up in pain. Bill, who was a pathologist and medical examiner, attempted to draw blood from Kay’s arm so that he might figure out what was wrong. But he couldn’t get any blood. He then left for work, and Kay died later that morning. But how did she die, exactly? Had Bill really been trying to draw blood? Or had he injected her with a deadly poison?  Then Kristin tells us about a murder that haunted a small Washington town for nearly 30 years. Mandy Stavik was home from her freshman year of college for Thanksgiving break of 1989. She went for a five-mile jog with her dog, Kyra, as she often did, but she never came back. Mandy’s mom immediately panicked. She called everyone she knew. People searched and searched for Mandy. Three days later, a detective found Mandy’s body in the Nooksack River. It took decades to solve the 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: An episode of 48 Hours, titled, “Mandy Stavik: The Case No One Could Forget” An episode of 20/20, titled, “30 years searching”  “Here’s what we learned from the defense attorney on day one of the Bass Trial,” by the Bellingham Herald on YouTube “Here’s what we learned from the prosecuting attorney on day one of the Bass Trial,” by the Bellingham Herald on YouTube In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Dr. Bill Sybers, Florida doctor accused of murdering his wife” by Seamus McGraw, The Crime Library “Evidence Embalmed” by Jonathon King, The Sun Sentinel “Medical examiner: He didn’t kill wife, did botch autopsy” Associated Press, Ocala Star Banner “Facing retrial, state drops murder case” Associated Press, The Herald “TribuneFormer Bay medical examiner Dr. Sybers dies of lung cancer” by News Herald Staff, The Panama City News 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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

31 Mars 20212h 45min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! As far as 911 calls went, this one was strange. An anonymous woman claimed that her neighbor, whose name she didn’t know, had been attacked by a man. Then she hung up. When the dispatcher called back, she realized that the “neighbor” had called from a pay phone outside a fast food restaurant. But when police arrived on the scene, they quickly realized that the caller had been onto something. Anna Lisa Raymundo, an ivy-league educated research scientist, lay dead in her entryway. She’d been stabbed multiple times and beaten over the head. Her condo showed signs of a violent struggle with her attacker. Then Brandi tells us about a woman who died tragically while taking down party lights from a tree. When investigators arrived at the home of Louis Mahony and Lainie Coldwell, it seemed clear that Lainie had fallen off a ladder, to her death. But she was only injured on the back of her head. The rest of her body was unharmed. As time passed, it seemed less and less likely that Lainie’s death was an accident.  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: Vengeance: Killer Coworkers episode, “Obsession at the office”  “Sheila Davalloo,” entry on Murderpedia.com “Big pharma researcher stabs romantic rival to death, then tries to kill husband,” by Benjamin H. Smith on oxygen.com An episode of Killer Women with Piers Morgan “Wife guilty of trying to kill husband,” by Jonathan Bandler for The Journal News In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Ex-cop staged freak accident to cover up brutal murder” by Gail Shortland, The Mirror “R v Mahony” Queensland Judgements “'I could put my fist into back of her head': Attending nurse” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder trial: Clothes iron 'very good fit' with head wound” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Partner discovered murder accused having affair after STD” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Lainie Coldwell was leaving her husband, murder trial hears” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder accused was 'ranting and raving': Court hears” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder accused changed story at de facto wife's wake” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused killer had colleagues lie to claim wife's $2m” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused wife killer had secret sex tryst in Sydney” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused killer's laptop had 'accidental deaths' search” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder trial: Human movement expert doubts tree fall death” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Why would Louis kill Lainie at home? Barrister asks” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused wife killer manipulated investigators, Crown claims” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Ex-policeman sentenced to life for murdering de-facto wife” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily 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!

24 Mars 20212h 42min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Tim Noble called 911, desperate for help. He’d just walked into the home he shared with his fiance, Debra Holden, and found her dead on the couch. A gun lay next to her. It appeared she’d died by suicide, and that’s exactly what the medical examiner ruled. Investigators couldn’t find the bullet, though. That seemed a little odd. The blood trail also seemed odd. It was as if she’d been moved after she died. Then Tim showed up at the hospital with a bullet in his leg and an incredibly strange story as to how it got there. Then Kristin tells us about Margaret Rudin, the so-called black widow of Las Vegas. When Margaret and Ron Rudin got married, it was the fifth marriage for both of them. What had been a whirlwind courtship got rocky as soon as they moved in together. Margaret discovered that Ron was having an affair. She also discovered that he’d never renovated the home after his ex-wife died by suicide. Over the years, Margaret says their marriage improved. But when Ron was brutally murdered, Margaret was the prime suspect.  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: “Five Weddings and a Murder,” episode of 20/20 “Rudin’s Revenge,” episode of Mugshots “Last Vegas attorney Amador arrested on felony assault charges,” by Mike Blasylas for the Vegas Review-Journal “Socialite seeks a mistrial,” by Ken Ritter for the Associated Press In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The Missing Bullet” episode Accident Murder or Suicide “Man Passes Out, Urinates Himself After Being Questioned About Fiancée's Murder” by Aly Vader Hayden, oxygen.com “Murder trial: Opening statements paint two pictures of a woman’s death” by Amanda Thames, Jacksonville Daily News “Defendant takes stand in murder trial” by Mike McHugh, Jacksonville Daily News “Onslow Co. man sentenced to life in prison for killing fiancee” by Elizabeth New, WNCT9 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 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

17 Mars 20212h 36min