279: The Mini Madoff

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Nadia Kajouji was having a rough time. It was her first year of college, and she was suffering from depression. Feeling isolated, Nadia turned to an online forum where she found people struggling with suicidal thoughts. It didn’t take long for Nadia to make a new friend -- someone who understood what she was going through. The woman said her name was Cami. She was 31, a registered nurse, and living in Minneapolis. She claimed that she, too, was having suicidal thoughts. Then she suggested that she and Nadia make a suicide pact.  Then Brandi tells us about the disappearance of Kyron Horman. To this day, what happened to little Kyron Horman remains unknown. What we do know is that on June 4, 2010, his stepmom Terri dropped him off at Skyline Elementary School, just in time for the science fair. She took a photo of Kyron in front of his poster, and then she says she watched him walk down the hall to class. But no one ever saw him in class. And despite the photo, no one remembered seeing him at the science fair, either. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air. 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 “Killer Chatroom” episode of Web of Lies “Unmasking the Faribault, Minn., suicide nurse” Grand Forks Herald “Inside the tragic death of Nadia Kajouji: A teen pushed to suicide by an online predator,” by Patrick Gomez for People.com “Man who aided Ont. teen’s suicide gets year in jail,” CBC “Former nurse helped instruct man on how to commit suicide, court rules,” Associated Press “William Francis Melchert-Dinkel,” entry on Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “A Betrayal of Trust: Where is Kyron Horman?” by Jenn Baxter, Medium “Kyron Horman, missing 10 years: A timeline” by Lizzy Acker, The Oregonian “Kryron Richard Horman” The Charley Project “Landscaper wore wire, asked Terri Horman for $10,000 in murder-for-hire plot, sources say” by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian “10 Years Later: Case of Missing Boy Kyron Horman Featured in TV Special on Investigation Discovery” by People Staff, People “Disappearance of Kyron Horman: 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!

2 Juni 20212h 1min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Sherry Shriner had a wacky belief: That alien lizards had come to Earth, shape shifted into human form, and were conspiring to put the antichrist in power. Sherry shared this belief online, and incredibly, her views gained traction. Soon, thousands of people came to believe the “prophet” Sherry Shriner’s teachings. Steven Mineo and his girlfriend Barbara Rogers were two of Sherry’s loyal followers. But when Barbara made a Facebook post about steak tartare, their online community turned on them. Then Kristin tells us about the Angleton family. The Angletons had it all. They lived in an affluent area of Houston, Texas. They belonged to the best country club. They hobnobbed with all the right people. Bob Angleton worked long hours as a bookie. His hard work meant big money. But the money couldn’t make up for the problems in Bob and Doris’ marriage. So in February of 1997, Doris asked Bob for a divorce. Two months later, police discovered Doris Angleton dead in her home. 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 The Dead Wives Club titled, “The Bookie’s Wife” “The Bookmaker’s Wife,” by Skip Hollandsworth for Texas Monthly  An episode of Power Privilege and Justice titled, “The Murder of Doris Angleton”  “Doris Angleton” entry on Wikipedia In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Online Alien Reptiles” episode Deadly Cults “Man's Online Feud With Reptile-Fearing Cult Ends In Bizarre Murder” by Erik Hawkins, Oxygen “Reptile Cult Feud Ends in Death” by Kelly Weill, The Daily Beast “It looked like a simple domestic murder. Then police learned about the alien reptile cult.” by Kyle Swenson, The Washington Post “Homicide Trial: Woman Claims Online Alien Cult Led to Deadly Shooting” by Carmella Mataloni, WNEP16 News “Tobyhanna woman convicted in cult-related slaying” The Pocono Record “She killed her boyfriend because of an alien cult – and was sentenced to up to 40 years” by Ryan W. Miller, USA Today “Barbara Rogers Loses Murder Appeal” by Alberto Luperon, LawandCrime.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!

26 Maj 20212h 19min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Patrick Smith called 911, distraught. He told the dispatcher that his wife, Amanda, had just shot herself in the head. When police arrived on the scene, they found gun cleaning equipment near the bed. The room was bloody, but Patrick wasn’t. He told the police what happened that night, but hours later, his story changed. With each iteration, the story got more strange. And Amanda’s mom, Judith Binnie, grew suspicious. Kristin felt like poo poo butter this week, so she didn’t do a case! By the way, you’ve heard the term poo poo butter before, right? 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, Brandi pulled from: “Killer Fetish” episode Accident, Suicide, or Murder “'I Would Go After Him With My Dying Breath': Mom Gets Justice For Daughter In Suicide-Turned-Murder Case” by Erik Hawkins, Oxygen “Patrick Smith v The State of Texas” justia.com “Jury learns more of sex than killing” by Dave Harmon, Austin American-Statesman “A daughter’s death, a family’s quest” by Dave Harmon, Austin American-Statesman “Patrick Smith’s murder trial goes to jury” by Dave Harmon, Austin American-Statesman  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!

19 Maj 20211h 34min

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Celeste lay in her hospital bed, drifting in and out of sleep. Her newborn baby, Zephany, lay sleeping in a cot next to her. At some point, Celeste remembers a woman in a nurse’s uniform coming in to comfort her baby. Celeste didn’t think much of it. She fell back asleep. But when she woke up, the hospital staff was alarmed. Baby Zephany was missing.  Then Kristin tells us about five little girls who became a tourist attraction. In 1934, news of the Dionne Quintuplets spread worldwide. People couldn’t believe it. Five beautiful, identical little girls had been born to surprised parents in Ontario. Thousands of people showed up outside the Dionne’s farmhouse to get a look at the girls. But the girls’ parents, Elzire and Oliva, were torn. They weren’t sure how they could afford to care for their premature newborns, but they didn’t want to exploit them, either. 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 Dionne quintuplets: The exploitation of five girls raised in a baby zoo,” by Gillian Brockwell for the Washington Post  “BBC1 Miracle Babies - The Story of the Dionne Quintuplets” on YouTube “The story of the Dionne Quintuplets is a cautionary tale for the age of ‘kidfluencers,’” by Shelley Wood for Time Magazine “The dark side of the famous five,” by Ian Parker for the Independent “The babies of Quintland now: Broke, and bitter,” by Anthony Depalma for the New York Times “Dionne Quintuplets” entry on Wikipedia  In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “'The selfie that revealed I was a stolen baby’” by Sarah Mcdermott, BBC News “Search for daughter never-ending” by Bianca Capazorio and Leila Samodien, IOL “How a Teen Girl Learned She Was Abducted As a Baby” by Catie L’Heureux, The Cut “I’m broken, says man who raised Zephany Nurse” by Catherine Rice, IOL “In 2015, Miché met a girl who looked just like her. She had been abducted 17 years earlier.” by Billi Fitzsimmons, MamaMia “Celeste and Morné Nurse back together five years after finding long-lost daughter” by Daily Voice, IOL “My biological dad is a 'lost cause', Zephany Nurse reveals in new book” by Dave Chambers, Times Live “Zephany Nurse kidnapper jailed for 10 years in South Africa” by Jason Burke, The Guardian  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!

12 Maj 20212h 31min

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