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It's Crime Time

It's Crime Time

By Emily Fisher

A short true crime podcast detailing the stories of solved and unsolved cases for the true crime enthusiast to get a quick fix of true crime!
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S02E27: Marlene Warren and the Florida Killer Clown

It's Crime TimeMar 02, 2024

00:00
28:08
S02E27: Marlene Warren and the Florida Killer Clown
Mar 02, 202428:08
S02E26: The Mysterious Disappearances of Andre Bryant, Christopher Dansby, and Shane Walker
Feb 10, 202430:34
S02E25: The Crimes of the Knights of the Crystal Blade-Doomsday Cult

S02E25: The Crimes of the Knights of the Crystal Blade-Doomsday Cult

In 2016, John Coltharp and his best friend founded a doomsday cult loosely based on the teachings of the FLDS. It is important to note that the FLDS had no idea about this cult nor did it condone their behavior.
In September of 2017, John’s estranged wife, Micha Coltharp went to the Utah police department to report that John had taken their children and she could not locate him nor contact him. Thinking this would be a routine domestic dispute that could easily be resolved, police started to investigate but what they discovered was far worse than they initially imagined as the children along with John Coltharp, his parents Catherine and Keith Coltharp, and his second-in-command in the cult, Samuel Shaffer had packed up and left to create a commune in the deserts of Lund, Utah.
Jan 13, 202434:06
S2E24: The Betrayal of Skylar Neese
Dec 16, 202326:51
S02E23: The Gruesome Murder of Shad Thyrion by Taylor Schabusiness
Dec 02, 202344:13
S02E22: The Gruesome Murders of Joel and Lisa Guy
Nov 04, 202334:46
S02E21: The Solved Cold Case of Gretchen Harrington
Oct 14, 202328:09
S02E20: The Mysterious Murders of Susan, Karen, and Michael Reinert

S02E20: The Mysterious Murders of Susan, Karen, and Michael Reinert

On June 22, 1979, English teacher, Susan Reinert and her two children, 11-year-old Karen and 10-year-old Michael set out to brave a hailstorm to take a trip for the weekend to Allentown, Pennsylvania where she would be holding a presentation for a group she was a member of. Her battered and naked body was found three days later in the trunk of her orange hatchback in a parking lot in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania which was 90 miles from her home. William Bradfield and Jay C. Smith, fellow employees of Susan were suspects due to a tangled web of stories created by Bradfield to his circle of friends. Bradfield had been a lover of Susan's and Jay C. Smith was the principal of the school they all worked at, who somehow got roped into the murder story by Bradfield.

The trials set out to untangle the chaotic web created by Bradfield and find the real murder (s) and locate the children, but the bodies of Susan's children, Karen and Michael have never been found.

Sources


Sep 23, 202301:03:19
S02E19: Miranda and Elytte Barbour: " It’s dark. It’s violent. It’s like another person.”
Sep 07, 202335:19
S02E18: Carlee Russell's Kidnapping Hoax
Aug 19, 202327:36
S02E17: The Gruesome Murder of Nicole "Niki" Perry
Aug 07, 202322:53
S2E16: The Apartment of Horrors: Kendrick, Jordan, Trevon, and Ja'Veon Lee
Jul 19, 202329:27
S02E15: Coercive Control: The Devastating Murders of Hannah Clarke and Her Three Children
Jul 12, 202301:07:53
S02E14: The Independence Day Murders of Sue and Melinda Marshel
Jul 05, 202322:18
S02E13: The Troubled Friendship of Two Davids- The Body in the Bag Killer
Jun 28, 202315:30
S02E12: The Unsolved Chen Family Murders

S02E12: The Unsolved Chen Family Murders

In 2000, Jin Chen and his wife, Hai Yan Li moved to a suburb in Albany, New York known as Guilderland from Houjo, Fujian province off the southeastern coast of mainland China. In New York, Jin was given a job at his relatives' restaurant, The King's Wok. The Chens decided to start a family in 2004, with the birth of their first son, Anthony, and then a second son, Edward (Eddy) in 2007. On Thursday, October 5, 2014, Jin did not show up for work and had not called to say he was not coming in. When coworkers and relatives went to check on Jin and his family, they discovered all four family members had been murdered. Language barriers and fears from community members have made this case difficult to investigate, and almost 700 leads have lead investigators to the Chinese mafia and human trafficking rings, but the case remains unsolved. Two other cases have been thought to be related to the murders of the Chen family, the case involving the murder of three Chinese family members in 2011 in D'Iberville, Mississippi and a case in 2014 involving the murder of four Chinese family members in Harris County, Texas. The D'Iberville case has yet to be solved, but the case in Texas has since been solved and is said to be unrelated. Sources Nola (2015) A&E (2022) CBS 6 Albany (2019) CBS News (2022) ABC 13 News (2022) Tuscaloosa News (2019)
Jun 21, 202314:53
S02E11: Junko Furuta's 44 Day Nightmare

S02E11: Junko Furuta's 44 Day Nightmare

Junko Furuta, a 17-year-old student living in Misato, Saitama Prefecture, Japan was beautiful, popular, and a great student who her friends endearingly called 'Jun-Chan'. Junko did not smoke, drink, or participate in any "bad teenage behavior" which is why she was often called a good girl. Her beauty and kindness unfortunately caught the eye of the school bully, 18-year-old Hiroshi Miyano. When Hiroshi asked Junko on a date, she politely declined, and did not realize this would ultimately lead to her final 44 days of life involving the most horrendous, inhumane torture. Hiroshi and his friend, Nobuharu Minato devised a plan to kidnap Junko as she was biking home from work. They captured her, and four friends (Hiroshi Miyano, Nobuharu Minato, Jo Ogura, and Yasushi Watanabe) held her hostage for 44 days at Minato's parents' vacation home before finally being murdered. The suffering Junko endured at the hands of these four boys and others was so cruel that it's hard to fathom how four teenage boys, let alone any monster, could dream up and enact such a plan.

Sources
Medium (2021)
How Stuff Works (2023)
The Cinemaholic (2023)
Tokyo Reporter (2018)
Film Daily (2020)
Film Daily (2022)
All That's Interesting (2022)
The Scare Chamber
Wikipedia

Audio
Junko Furuta on the news (in the memory of junko furuta)- Youtube
Jun 14, 202331:08
S2E10: Manchester's Most Notorious: The Torture and Murder of Kelly Anne Bates

S2E10: Manchester's Most Notorious: The Torture and Murder of Kelly Anne Bates

On April 16, 1996, 48-year-old James Patterson Smith reported to his local police station in Manchester, England to report that he had "accidentally" killed his girlfriend during an argument when she drowned in the bathtub. When police reported to his home, they discovered his 17-year-old girlfriend's naked, dead body lying in a bedroom and her blood all throughout his home. It was clear this was no accident. Kelly Anne had met James when she was only 14-years-old and began a relationship with him, then 45-years old, unaware of his horrifically abusive past. The pathologist tasked with examining and autopsying her body concluded that she had over 150 separate wounds showing a month's worth of severe torture in the last weeks of her life. James had starved Kelly, denied her water, and tied her to furniture and a radiator by her hair or neck ligatures, even gouging out her eyes 5 days to 3 weeks before her death. This is one of the worst, most notorious torture murders in British history.

Sources
Murderpedia
All That's Interesting (2022)
Manchester Evening News (2015)
Ranker (2022)
Daily Mail (2023)
Mirror (2020)
Wikipedia
National Domestic Violence Hotline
US: 800-799-7233 (Available in English and Spanish, as well as 200+ languages through interpretations)
England: 0808 2000 247


Jun 07, 202328:08
S02E09: Sylvia Likens and the Baniszewski House of Horrors

S02E09: Sylvia Likens and the Baniszewski House of Horrors

In the 1960s, Sylvia Likens lived in southern Boone County, Indiana with her family which consisted of her father, Lester Likens, mother Betty Likens, fraternal twins, Danny and Diana, and another set of fraternal twins, Bennie and Jenny. Sylvia was the middle child between the two sets of twins. The Likens family were very poor and Sylvia's father worked many odd jobs, even traveling with the carnival to sell food from a concession stand, but it is said that the children were happy and taken care of. In June of 1965, Sylvia's mother, Betty was arrested for shoplifting, leaving Lester to come up with a way to support his children while she was away. Lester found his two daughters, Sylvia and Jenny at a home near theirs known as the Baniszewski home. Lester decided he would "board" his daughters at Gertrude Baniszewski's home, paying her $20 a week to take care of them while he went with the carnival to bring in some money. Gertrude had 7+ children of her own, and the Baniszewskis were also very poor with the home being filthy, in disarray, and lacking adequate food and sleeping arrangements but Lester had not known this when he left his daughters. Bennie and Danny were sent to live with their grandparents, and Dianna had been 19, married, and living on her own.
What would happen during the months of June 1965 to October 1965 consist of unspeakable horrors which Sylvia and Jenny endured. Sylvia being punished far worse, enduring unimaginable torture by not only the Baniszewskis but other neighborhood children. Some say it is due to Gertrude and her oldest daughter, Paula's jealousy of Sylvia coupled with Gertrude not receiving on time payment from the Likens but nothing that Sylvia ever could have done would make her deserving of this torture, and ultimately, horrific death.
Since then, the Likens family has been plagued by a series of tragedies, and this case is one that will never be forgotten in Indiana.

Sources
Indy Star (2013)
The Weekly View (2015)
NBC San Diego (2015)
True Crime Edition (2021)
Medium (2019)
All Thats Interesting (2023)
Sylvia's Child Advocacy Center
Criminal (2020)
Audio of Gertrude Baniszewski at parole board- Youtube- Thomas Henning
May 31, 202342:18
S02E08: The Murder of Bella Fontanelle

S02E08: The Murder of Bella Fontanelle

Only a few weeks ago, on April 26, 2023, police located a 10 gallon Chlorine bucket on the front lawn of a Louisiana home. Inside this bucket was the body of little 6-year-old Bella Fontanelle, who was murdered, stuffed into a bucket, and left on the front lawn of her mother’s home by her father’s girlfriend. This story is still very much in development at this time.
May 11, 202322:22
S02E07: The Freeman Family Massacre
Apr 20, 202332:22
S02E06: The Okmulgee Cyclist Murders
Jan 14, 202318:30
S02E05: Bruce Pardo and the Christmas Eve Massacre (Covina Massacre)

S02E05: Bruce Pardo and the Christmas Eve Massacre (Covina Massacre)

On December 24, 2008, 45-year-old Bruce Jeffrey Pardo dressed as Santa Claus carrying weapons and a Christmas package, walked up to the home of Joseph and Alicia Ortega where they were having a Christmas Eve party for 25-30 family members. Bruce was determined to massacre all party guests due to his anger from his recent divorce from Joseph and Alicia's daughter, Sylvia Ortega Pardo. After shooting some of the party guests, Bruce used a homemade flamethrower he carried in the package to ignite the home, charring the bodies of his victims. The aftermath of this massacre has not been forgotten by the Ortegas and their family, as it left 13 children orphaned and others without one parent.

Sources
Murderpedia
Los Angeles Times
Audio:
CBS News: Santa Shooting Spree 911 Tapes
Dec 24, 202221:08
S02E04: The Mysterious Death of David Scott Elmquist
Dec 14, 202201:04:00
S02E03: Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.'s Chilling Crimes. Illness or Greed?

S02E03: Timothy Ray Jones, Jr.'s Chilling Crimes. Illness or Greed?

In June 2004, 22-year-old Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. met 18-year-old Amber Kyzer. They were married a month after meeting, and over the course of their relationship, had five children: Merah, Elias, Nahtahn, Gabriel, and Abigail. Their marriage was rocky, as Amber was forced to be subservient to her husband due to his religious beliefs. They struggled to care for all of the children while keeping a clean home, and Tim developed some rather aggressive discipline habits where he would force the children to workout until absolute exhaustion if he felt they had done wrong. DSS became involved, but had failed to see the whole picture of what was going on, as they deemed the only problem to be with the cleanliness of the home. Amber and Tim eventually got divorced, and Tim had custody of the children. It seemed as though he was struggling to care for all of them and the home, as Amber had in the past, as well. One day, Nahtahn was accused by Tim of damaging an electrical outlet, causing him to have to endure exhausting physical punishment (running laps around the family home for hours) until he couldn't breathe. Tim went to check on Nahtahn later that night, claiming he had passed away in his sleep. Instead of getting help for Nahtahn, Tim then did the unthinkable. 

Was all of this because he did not want Amber to have the children, or was it all only because he was just truly mentally ill as he claims? 

Sources

News19 (2021)

PostandCourier (2021)

USA Today (2019)

Greenville Online (2019)

News 19 (2019)

WYFF4 (2014) 

Audio:

Timothy Jones, Sr. Testimony Law&Crime Network 

Sep 04, 202259:11
S2E02: The Brutal Stabbing Death of Orsolya Gaal
Jul 29, 202236:17
S02E01: The Butcher and the Bone Fragments

S02E01: The Butcher and the Bone Fragments

In May of 2021, a police officer's (Bruno Portillo) wife (Reyna  Gonzalez-Amador) set out to go on a shopping trip in Atizapan de  Zaragoza, Mexico with an elderly man (Andres Mendoza) who had become a  friend of the family. He was also somewhat of a charity case for the  couple and their children, as he seemed dirty, poor, and down on his  luck. They often invited him to their home for meals, and so he was not  so lonely. Since he seemed as though he meant them no harm, Reyna wanted  his help shopping for supplies for her cell phone business on May 14,  2021. When she had not returned that night, Bruno knew exactly where to  turn his attention, Andres. Bruno reported his wife missing, but with  barely any help from police at first due to their lack of funding, etc.,  he took it upon himself to obtain the police street surveillance  footage of the street where Andres lived. Reyna was seen entering Andres  house, but never exiting with him to go shopping. This is when Bruno  knew he had to take officers there to do a search for his wife. After  Reyna had been missing for four days, a search was finally able to be  conducted, and what Bruno found was horrifying. What was found after  this discovery was also never expected and launched and investigation  into one of Mexico's most prolific serial killers whose reign of terror  has lasted decades.

Sources:

Infobae (2022, March)
NewsWeek (2022, March)
AP News (2021, June)
The Sun News (2021, June)
The Washington Post (2021, June)
Atlanta Journal Constitution (2021, June)

Jul 19, 202212:21
S01E31: The Disappearance of Cynthia "Cindy" Vanderbeek

S01E31: The Disappearance of Cynthia "Cindy" Vanderbeek

Cynthia "Cindy" Louise Vanderbeek and her husband, Stephen Alfred Vanderbeek were travelling vendors that travelled to boat shows during the 1990s, selling boat cleaning supplies and other items. Cindy gave up her whole life to be with a man she thought was absolutely perfect.  In March of 1995, Cindy was to attend the christening of her newborn nephew as she was the godmother, but when she doesn't show up, and Stephen shows up on her family's doorstep alone, they begin to worry. Stephen tells them a story about how she was offered a quick job in Wisconsin and she would be late arriving to Maryland. He then changes his story, saying she will meet him in Florida, withdraws all of their savings from the bank, asks Cindy's mother, Camille, for the money she had been saving for them, and makes his way back home. Her family struggles to report her missing as no department will take her case when finally, the police department in Montgomery county, Maryland takes it on. Detective Robert Nichols doesn't give up or lose hope and investigates this case for ten years before finally solving the mystery of what happened to Cindy Vanderbeek. 



OG Release Date: 06/14/2021



Sources:


The Washington Post (2005, June)


Soundings (2005, September)


Doe Network (2005, June 21). 


Tapatalk (2006, June 19.)  


Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 1


Anatomy of Murder. Sail Away Part 2. 


Media in this episode:


NPR News (2008, January 28).



Jul 19, 202229:42
S1E30: The Texas Killing Fields

S1E30: The Texas Killing Fields

The Texas Killing Fields is an area that borders the Calder Oil Field in League City Texas. The Calder Oil Field is a 25-acre patch of land that is situated a mile from Interstate 45. This location, as well as the surrounding areas have been dubbed "The Texas Killing Fields" or "The Highway to Hell" due to a string of 30+ cases involving female murder victims' bodies being found in these locations from the span of 1971 to the early 2000s. Several other disappearances in the area have been thought to be linked to these cases, as well. Many of the cases still remain unsolved, despite suspects and confessions while few have been solved and deemed to be unrelated. Many of the victims were in the age range of 12-25 years old and had similar physical features which makes many people believe the killings to be the work of a serial killer or multiple serial killers during that time period. The Killing Fields have been often described as the perfect place to kill someone and get away with it, as it is difficult to be heard if yelling in the area and there is really no where to hide when running.  

OG Release Date: 01/18/2021

Sources: 

 Texas Killing Fields Wiki  

Websleuths Forum 

Unsolved Mysteries Rhonda Johnson & Sharon Shaw

 I-45 Victims

Chron 

Patch 

Ranker 

Texas Equusearch 

Galv News 

Audrey Cook-Cold Case #86-216  

Chron

Charley Project Shelley Sikes 

Suzanne Rene Richerson: Charley Project  

 Lynette Bibbs 

Chron

 Laura Smither article  

Tot Tran Harriman- Charley Project 

 Remembering Jessica Cain, 20 years after her disappearance

Terressa Vanegas Reddit

 Donna Prudhomme-Cold Case #91-2200

Houston Matters article


Jul 19, 202259:19
S01E29: Listener Requests

S01E29: Listener Requests

On this episode, I feature 3 cases chosen by my past coworkers who are also listeners of my podcast! Two cases are local to us, one is local to my friend at the time she lived in Kentucky, and the final case is one I have been wanting to get out there for a long time.  

Case #1 On October 31, 2019, 35-year-old Benjamin Lee Figard of New Paris phoned 9-1-1 to report that he had shot and killed his 40-year-old wife, Amanda Jane Figard, and his 12-year-old step-daughter, Laina Rae Haney and placed their bodies in the basement.  

Case #2 On the night of January 8, 2015, 21-year-old Stephanie Waters went to meet 15-year-old Ryan Hardwick and 16-year-old Deauntay Dontaz Moye in place of her boyfriend, Benjamin Holsinger to sell them some Marijuana. When she arrived with her dog, Duke, the two teens shot her and her dog, placed her in the back of the vehicle, and drove around the Altoona area while smoking the Marijuana.  

Case #3 29-year-old Tromain Jerome Mackall from southern Maryland moved to Owensboro, Kentucky to be with his girlfriend, Johnathan Dewitt aka Simone Dahlia in February 2016. After attending a party on July 24, 2016 and leaving at 1:30 A.M. on the morning of July 25,  he went missing. A body was found floating in a truck toolbox on August 2nd in Spring Fork Creek near Owensboro Road in Falls of Rough, Kentucky about 30 miles from the party Tromain had attended. The body was identified as Tromain's using dental records on August 23rd. The cause of death was determined to be homicide from multi-modal asphyxiation. 5 people were charged in connection to the kidnapping and murder of Tromain Mackall.  

Case #4 Revell Reuben Jeeter, a 59-year-old man from Maryland moved to the quiet village of Harrisonville, Pennsylvania on 12 acres of land he had purchased to enjoy his retirement with his best friend, his dog, Bubba. On July 21, 2003, after obtaining meat from a butcher shop in McConnellsburg with his dog, he was to attend a crab feed with his friends and family but did not show up, and has not been seen since. He is still missing 17 years later. Anyone with information is asked to call the PSP at (717) 485-3131. 

Sources:

 Hancock Clarion Altoona Mirror 

 Leagle.com 

 **there are 3 more sources listed on instagram**




Jul 18, 202241:43
S01E28: The Murders of Conner and Brinley Snyder [Popular Social Media Post Thought to be Suicide]

S01E28: The Murders of Conner and Brinley Snyder [Popular Social Media Post Thought to be Suicide]

This case had relatively widespread social media coverage by those believing it was a sad suicide story, but the truth has come out.

On September 23, 2019 at 4:30 PM, dispatchers were called to a home at 2442 Route 143 Kempton, Albany Township, Berks county, Pennsylvania by Lisa Snyder. A mother who says her son, Conner Seth Snyder, age 8, committed suicide by hanging himself with a dog lead from the rafter of their basement after telling her he wanted to build a fort with the new dog lead she had purchased. She claimed he was severely bullied in school and kept saying he wanted to die, but did not want to go alone, so, there hanging with him was his little 4-year-old sister, Brinley Louise Snyder, on the same dog lead. 


First responders responded to the 9-1-1 call about 11 minutes later, to find that Lisa claimed she had only briefly tried to get Brinley down from the lead but became sweaty due to her anxiety. The children passed away 3 days later on September 26, 2019. A large police investigation ensued, as this case was shady from the beginning, and on December 2, 2019, Lisa Snyder was finally arrested. She remains in prison while awaiting sentencing to see if she will receive the death penalty. There was no evidence suggesting Conner had ever been bullied. 

OG Release Date: 08/17/2020

Sources:


Crime Online (2019, December 3)

Washington Post (2019, December 3) 

Mcall (2019, December 2) 

People  (2019, December 2)

Mcall (2019, December 2)

Penn Live (2020, June 30) 


Audio:


CrimeOnline-9-1-1 Dispatch 


Press Conference 6ABC Philadelphia 



Jul 18, 202222:50
S01E27: "I Didn't Kill My Family"- Jack Elijah Turner

S01E27: "I Didn't Kill My Family"- Jack Elijah Turner

On August 10, 2019, Scott Whitman returned to his Crawford County, Pennsylvania home sometime after 10 P.M. from his shift as a CNA at a local retirement home to see his wife and son. When he arrived, he noticed the home was dark and his wife's silver Lincoln MKS was missing from the driveway. Where would his wife and their 10-year-old son go at such a late hour, he thought. Upon entering the home, expecting to find a note from Shannon telling him where they had gone, as Darrin was borrowing his phone to view YouTube videos, he instead found the bodies of his wife and son on the sun room floor, both had been shot in the head. The murderer had been the one to steal the Lincoln, as well. Scott's son, Jack Elijah Turner became the main suspect, especially since he was on the run and had been seen with his deceased step-mother's stolen Lincoln on video surveillance as he robbed a Kwik Fill gas station in Mill Creek. A four day manhunt ensued until Jack missed a Greyhound bus in Charleston, West Virginia that was to take him back to Erie, Pennsylvania.

OG Release Date: 08/03/2020

Sources:

True Crime Society  (2019, October 23)

Jacksonville (2019, August 14)

Meadville Tribune (2019, October 8)

Your Erie (2020, February 17) 

Heavy (2020) Jack Elijah Turner: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Retrieved from: https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/jack-elijah-turner/

True Crime Society  

Go Erie (2019, October 7)


Audio: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08usf_3ghJk


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgx1b7Vip8Q


Jul 18, 202222:50
S01E26: The Now-Solved Cold Case of Krystal Beslanowitch
Jul 18, 202217:35
S01E25: The Gustaf-Adolph Lutheran Church Poisoning
Jul 18, 202219:05
S01E24: The Murder of Tia Rigg
Jul 18, 202225:47
S01E23: A Girl Held Hostage by Munchausen-by-Proxy: Gypsy Rose and Dee-Dee Blanchard
Jul 18, 202225:47
S01E22: The Hinterkaifeck and Setagaya Murders
Jul 18, 202238:12
S01E21: The Disappearance and Death of Madelyn Rae Clifton
Jul 12, 202223:46
S01E20: The Murders of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom
Jul 11, 202220:23
S01E19: The Girl in the Closet- Lauren Kavanaugh
Jul 11, 202229:16
S01E18: The Icebox Murders
Jul 11, 202216:57
S01E17: The Most Prolific Serial Killer in the U.S.- Samuel Little

S01E17: The Most Prolific Serial Killer in the U.S.- Samuel Little

Jul 11, 202221:07
S01E16: The Slenderman Stabbing (Payton Leutner)
Jul 11, 202229:05
S01E15: The Disappearance and Deaths of the McStay Family

S01E15: The Disappearance and Deaths of the McStay Family

On February 4, 2010, Joseph and Summer McStay, as well as their two toddler sons, Joseph, Jr. and Gianni vanished from their home. Nine days after they went missing,  it was reported to police, as people realized that they had not simply went on vacation. Joseph's vehicle was found left at the United States Mexico border, and the scene in their home looked as if they were taken in the middle of a normal day as popcorn had been spilled on the couch, and a carton of raw eggs had been left on the counter. The family's remains were finally found in a shallow grave in the desert on November 13, 2013 by a passing motorcyclist.  It was determined that the family had died from blunt force trauma. Joseph's friend and business partner, Charles "Chase" Ray Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 when his DNA had been found in the family's vehicle. He had bludgeoned the family to death with a sledgehammer and buried them in the desert, all for financial gain as he had a gambling addiction. Chase Merritt was sentenced to death finally 10 years after the crime in January 2020. 


OG Release Date: 02/29/2020


Note: I'm not sure what was wrong with my microphone, but throughout the episode it would get crackly and I tried my best to re-record and edit the segments. :( Sorry!!




Sources :


Crime Museum (2017). 

San Diego Union Tribune (2019, May 28).


AP & Reuters. (2015, January 25). 


Daily Mail UK (2014, January 4). 

Videos: Law & Crime: Chase Merritt Sentencing 


Law & Crime: McStay Family Murder-Sentencing-Victim Impact Statements Continue,


Jul 07, 202224:33
S01E14: The Murder of America's Child, Polly Klaas
Jul 06, 202217:53
S01E13: The Death of Aniah Haley Blanchard
Jul 06, 202211:60
S01E12: Conrad Henri Roy III and Michelle Carter
Jul 06, 202230:53
S01E11: The Disappearance of the Murray O' Hairs
Jul 05, 202227:23
S01E10: The Cheshire Home Invasion Murders
Jul 04, 202224:25
S01E09: David Parker Ray and His Toy Box of Horrors
Jul 04, 202223:38