Crime House Daily – Episode Summary

Podcast: Crime House Daily
Host: Katie Ring
Episode Title: First Watch: Daughter Kills Mother After Warnings & Cop Fights For His Innocence
Date: November 18, 2025

Overview

This morning's First Watch episode, hosted by Katie Ring, explores two haunting criminal cases that both call into question the reliability and effectiveness of the justice and mental health systems:

1. The Spores Family Tragedy: How repeated failures to address Lauren Spores’ severe mental illness led to the death of her mother after years of warnings and unsuccessful interventions.
2. The Michael Chappell Case: A former Georgia police officer seeks to clear his name after nearly 30 years in prison, spurred by new evidence and a determined advocacy campaign.

Katie Ring approaches these stories with deep empathy and a sharp focus on systemic breakdowns, questioning: "What happens when we can't trust the systems that are supposed to protect us?" — [00:39]

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spores Family: Mental Illness, Bureaucracy, and Tragedy

Background & Early Warnings

• Lauren Spores (29) diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder as a teenager, displaying hallucinations and delusional behavior.
• Family history of violence and prior legal involvement:
  • 2018: Lauren attacked her father, Jeffrey Spores, with glass bottles. He died two days later from an overdose, but the medical examiner's report did not note head trauma, leaving her uncommitted ([06:18]).
• The bar for involuntary commitment in Wisconsin is extremely high:
  "Once Lauren turned 18, things got a little more complicated. The state of Wisconsin has a very high legal bar..." — Katie Ring [05:01]

Systemic Failures

• Parental Struggles: Carrie, Lauren's mother, continuously sought help from the courts, hoping for intervention after multiple violent episodes.
• Legal Loopholes:
  • Despite restraining orders and clear threats, the legal system repeatedly found Lauren incompetent to stand trial but could not force treatment.
  • "The family hoped that Jeffrey’s tragic death would finally persuade the courts to intervene... But any hope of that was quickly squashed." — Katie Ring [08:32]

Escalating Crisis

• October 2025: A series of escalating encounters:
  • Lauren threatened bystanders, was repeatedly sent to hospitals, but quickly discharged.
  • Police repeatedly encountered Lauren but declined to intervene, considering it a mental health crisis, not criminal behavior ([13:26–15:50]).
• Final Tragedy: On October 12, 2025, Lauren entered her mother's home. A neighbor witnessed Lauren fatally bludgeoning her mother, Carrie Zettle, with a rock ([16:57–19:05]).
• Key moment: Police failed to conduct a welfare check properly just hours before the murder.

Memorable Quotes

• "This story is so incredibly heartbreaking and tragic. As someone who had an uncle with schizophrenia, I know how much a diagnosis like this can affect a family ... Our justice system completely failed this family." — Katie Ring [19:43]
• On Carrie’s impossible position: "I can't even imagine how heartbreaking it must have been to lose your husband and also have to get a restraining order against your daughter." — Katie Ring [10:28]

Timestamps for Key Events

• Lauren's diagnosis and family struggles: [05:01–08:15]
• Jeffrey’s death and aftermath: [08:15–10:28]
• Restraining orders, legal inaction, and Lauren’s plea: [10:28–12:22]
• 2025 escalation and police encounters: [13:26–16:57]
• The murder of Carrie Zettle: [17:40–19:05]

2. Michael Chappell: A Cop’s 30-Year Fight for Innocence

Case Recap

• 1993: Officer Michael Chappell responded to a robbery report. Days later, Emma Jean Thompson, the victim, was found murdered. Suspicion quickly fell on Michael due to:
  • Eyewitness reports placing a squad car at the crime scene.
  • Michael’s financial troubles at the time.
  • A single drop of Emma Jean’s blood found in his cruiser ([21:12]).
• He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1995, despite maintaining his innocence.

New Developments

• 2021: The case regains attention after a true crime book ("Michael Chappell") and podcast ("In the Land of Lies") champion Michael's story and reveal evidence of possible police misconduct ([22:38]).
• New Evidence: Jermaine Rogers, who testified for the prosecution in 1995, now claims he was threatened by police and given incentive to lie.
  • He further alleges witnessing another officer, JP Morgan, kill Emma Jean Thompson, connecting the event to drugs and corruption ([26:15]).
  • JP Morgan, the alleged killer, committed suicide shortly after the murder and was never thoroughly investigated.

Legal Proceedings

• Rogers’ recantation and polygraph supported Michael’s legal team's new petition for habeas corpus. However, polygraph results are likely inadmissible.
• Court proceedings for possible exoneration are ongoing, with the next steps expected in November 2025.

Notable Quotes

• "Rogers says he witnessed a different police officer kill Emma Jean Thompson ... He also said authorities offered to drop some unrelated drug charges he was facing in exchange for his testimony." — Katie Ring [25:40]
• On the DA’s skepticism: "They think that if he lied before, he could be lying now. However, Rogers is so confident in his claims that he submitted himself to a polygraph test." — Katie Ring [27:00]

Timestamps for Key Events

• Case background, 1993–95: [20:15–22:30]
• Book, podcast, and new attention: [22:30–24:00]
• Jermaine Rogers’ new testimony and allegations: [25:40–27:45]
• Legal updates and anticipation: [27:45–28:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On system failure in the Spores family tragedy:
  "Our justice system completely failed this family. And if they had just listened to the family's cries for help, two innocent people would still be alive and a young woman would be getting the care she needed."
  — Katie Ring [19:43]
• On the complexity of mental illness and legal barriers:
  "Many times, people with schizophrenic disorder believe that people trying to help them are actually trying to harm them, whether that be family Members or staff members at treatment facilities."
  — Katie Ring [06:40]
• On the Chappell case’s new evidence:
  "Rogers is so confident in his claims that he submitted himself to a polygraph test ... both times, the polygraph technician registered no intention to deceive."
  — Katie Ring [27:10]

Episode Flow & Tone

Katie Ring’s tone is deeply empathetic, informed, and insistent on systemic accountability. She blends personal sentiment ("As someone who had an uncle with schizophrenia...") with clear reporting, providing context and urgency for reforms without sensationalism.

Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment | Key Points | |----------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:39 | Episode Introduction | Theme: Systemic failures in crime and mental health | | 03:29 | Deep Dive: Spores Family | Lauren’s mental illness, family’s struggle, court inaction | | 13:26 | October 2025 Escalation | Mental health crises, police non-intervention | | 17:40 | Carrie’s Death | Welfare check failure, murder details | | 20:15 | Michael Chappell Case | 1993 case, conviction, new evidence emerges | | 25:40 | Jermaine Rogers’ Testimony | Recantation, new allegations against another officer | | 27:45 | Legal Looking Forward | Anticipation of possible exoneration, upcoming court hearings |

Conclusion

Crime House Daily’s November 18, 2025, episode lays bare the tragic consequences when institutional systems fail to act on warning signs — whether it’s the bureaucratic inertia that cost two family members their lives, or a potential wrongful conviction that has cost a man nearly three decades behind bars. Katie Ring delivers the stories with a blend of compassion and clarity, leaving listeners with tough questions about justice, accountability, and reform.

For further discussion and real-time updates, Katie encourages listeners to comment and follow Crime House Daily’s accounts.