256: The Sweetheart Swindler & a Cold Case

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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

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