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- [00:03]
Katie Ring
Hi Crime House community. It's Katie looking for another Crime House original podcast to add to your rotation. You will love Clues with Morgan Abshur and Kaylin Moore. Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin dig into the world's most notorious crimes, clue by clue. From serial killers to shocking murders. They follow the trail of clues, break down the evidence and debate the theories. It's like hanging out with your smart and true crime obsessed friends. Listen to Clues on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [00:45]
This is Crime House. It's something you would expect from a war movie or a Western. On one side, there's a man standing alone. He's shackled and has a burlap sack over his head. Across from him, a line of men waiting with their firearms at the ready. But the year is 2025 and after researching our first case, I learned that in some states, prisoners on death row can choose how they want to go out, including execution by firing squad. Everyone agrees that the actions of the man in our first case are absolutely horrific, but there is some debate over his execution. Then we'll cover the case of Liam Connolly, who allegedly killed his grandmother and set her house on fire. As of this recording, Connally is still on the run, striking terror into the hearts of locals. Let's get into it.
- [01:39]
Court Announcer
The capital punishment sentence for Stephen Corey Bryant was carried out tonight pursuant to the order of the South Carolina Supreme Court and in accordance with state law.
- [01:49]
Dropbox Advertiser
Bryant was put to death for the murders of three people in Sumter county back in 2004.
- [01:55]
Court Announcer
Bryant is accused of shooting the man and taunting police with a message he painted on the wall using the victim's blood.
- [02:06]
Katie Ring
Hi, welcome to Crime House Daily. I'm your host Katie Ring. Here we follow the cases making headlines now where justice is still unfolding. Follow us wherever you're listening and if you want ad free episodes, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence. So everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:47]
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- [03:20]
Katie Ring
Our first case is one that just recently ended with an execution. On Friday, November 14, 2025 at 6:05pm Eastern Time, Stephen Corey Bryant was executed by firing squad. He was just 44 years old. Bryant's crimes were brutal, but his sentence has been the cause of scrutiny in the 21 years since he was caught both because of his own mental state and because of the manner in which his death penalty was carried out. To understand both, we need to unpack Bryant's ghastly crimes. Let's dive in. In October of 2004, Bryant, who was 23 at the time, was out on probation following a three year stint in prison for attempted burglary. He lived in Sumter County, South Carolina, which at the time was a pretty quaint place to live. Even though it was developing quick, likely it still had a small town feel. However, in the early 2000s, Sumter county was seeing an increase in violent crime and Stephen Bryant was contributing to that even though he just regained his freedom. That wasn't going to stop Bryant from picking up his crimes right where he'd left off. Almost as soon as he stepped through the prison gates, Bryant began a days long crime spree. It started out relatively minor and he was a convicted felon with no job prospects. So he started knocking on people's doors, starting with a man named Tom Dennis. Like a lot of people in the rural county, Tom lived in a small house in a somewhat isolated location surrounded by land and trees. On October 4, 2004, Tom heard a knock at the door. When he answered, he saw a young man standing on his doorstep and a blue and white pickup truck on the side of the road behind him. That man was Steven Bryant and he told Tom that his brother had stolen his truck and driven it into a small ditch and needed help getting out again. Sumter county was a friendly, neighborly place for the most part, and people were usually happy to help someone in need, and that included Tom. He put his shoes on and went outside to help Bryant. When they successfully got the truck out of the ditch, Bryant thanked Tom and went on his way. Tom had no idea that Bryant's entire story was a lie. His brother didn't crash his truck into the ditch, he did. And it was no accident either. Bryant had specifically been looking for an isolated house that looked like someone was home. Then when Tom opened the door and while he helped Bryant with his truck, Bryant was secretly casing the house. He peered inside at Tom's nice looking belongings and notice where all of the windows were located and when Bryant drove off, he set a plan to come back. The very next day he drove by Tom's house again. This time he could tell no one was inside, so he broke in and stole Tom's laptop, briefcase and an entire bag of cash that Tom had in his home office. Fortunately, since Tom wasn't home, no one got hurt, but Bryant was only getting started. Shortly after robbing Tom, Bryant used the same MO on a man named James Ammons. He pretended to have car troubles when he really was just casing James's house. Then on October 7th, Bryant broke into the home and stole a.40 caliber semi automatic rifle and ammunition. Later that afternoon, Bryant headed to a popular fishing spot along the nearby watery river. There he spotted a man fishing on the riverbank and approached him. The man told him his name was Clinton Brown. They talked for a while before Bryant left, but he wasn't actually gone. A few minutes later, seemingly out of nowhere, Bryant pulled out his stolen rifle and shot Clinton in the back. Clinton turned around to see what had happened, but Bryant was already gone. Clinton was able to drive himself to the hospital where he received treatment over the course of nine days and luckily he survived. But others wouldn't be so lucky because Steve and Bryant had officially escalated from calculated robberies to senseless violence.
- [07:42]
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- [08:55]
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- [09:24]
Katie Ring
One day after Steven Bryant stole a rifle and shot a man in the back, he went over to his friend Cliff Ganey's house to smoke a few joints and drink some beers. Apparently, Bryant had a penchant for smoking joints that he laced with Raid insecticide, not to mention methamphetamines and Benadryl. An interesting choice. So you can imagine the state of mind Bryant was in when he and Cliff went out to a convenience store to buy more beer. Bryant drove his truck and on the way back they just drove through quiet, isolated country roads. After a while, Cliff asked him to pull over so he could urinate from there. Bryant has given two different versions of what happened next. In one version, he claimed he saw Cliff reaching for a knife in his waistband. In another, he said Cliff made a sexual advance towards him. Regardless of what actually happened, the outcome was undeniable. Bryant pulled out his gun and shot his own friend three times, killing him. Afterward, he went back to Cliff's house, stole all of his electronics along with a fish tank, and set the house on fire. His spree continued from there. On October 11, Bryant returned to a home he'd cased a few days before and knocked on the door. The homeowner, Willard Tgin, opened up and in his typical mo, Bryant told Willard that his truck had overheated. Willard recognized Bryant from before. Bryant had asked to use his phone book so he could call a friend, and he seemed innocent enough, so Willard welcomed him in again and started making small talk. According to Bryant, Willard started talking about religion, but then all of the sudden turned hostile. So Bryant shot Willard nine times. Willard didn't survive. He was 62 years old. This is where it gets really disturbing. Bryant stayed in the house, which Willard shared with his wife and daughter for hours after killing him first, he stole Some jewelry, including some that Willard was wearing, which he cleaned in the sink. Then he smoked some cigarettes he found in the house, rearranged their furniture, and used their computer. When Bryant was done smoking, he burned the cigarettes into Willard's eyes, set his goatee on fire, and then scrawled a message on the wall in Willard's blood writing, victim four in two weeks. Catch me if you can. However, victim was misspelled with an E instead of a second I. Surprise, surprise. Finally, Bryant lit candles over Willard's body. Before Bryant left the house, something surprising happened. Bryant picked up and realized it was Willard's wife and daughter calling to check in. Bryant told the woman he was, quote, the prowler. A lame name if you ask me. Confused. They asked to talk to Willard, and Bryant responded, you can't. I killed him. Two days later, on October 13, Bryant met his fourth victim at a convenience store around 4:30am There, he ran into a man named Chris Burgess who was on his bike and needed a ride. Brian obliged and helped Chris hitch his bike to the back of his pickup truck before they both got in and drove away. During that car ride, Bryant turned on Chris, shot him three times, then left his body on the side of the road. Hours later, a hunter found Chris's body. By now, police were investigating the string of violent shootings, and they'd collected some crucial evidence. First, they found security footage of Brian at the convenience store with Cliff Gainey before he killed him. That footage also showed Bryant's truck, which multiple witnesses had also described seeing near the areas of the other attacks. From there, they used ballistics analysis to confirm that all of the bullets were fired from the same gun. And witnesses from some of the crime scenes were pretty sure that Bryant was responsible. The authorities followed up on the leads, and they tracked down Bryant's truck at his girlfriend's house the same day he killed Chris. They found Bryant inside and recovered the gun used in the murders as well as other stolen goods, and immediately knew they had their man. Bryant was arrested and confessed almost immediately. He was charged with three counts of murder along with three counts of burglary, one count of arson, one count of armed robbery, and one count of possession of a stolen handgun. After a series of delays, on August 8, 2008, he pled guilty while awaiting trial. Bryant would be additionally charged with threatening one detention officer and beating another. Now, as we know, Bryant would eventually be sentenced to the death penalty, but there was a lot of controversy over this in court. Bryant's attorney argued that his client had apparently been sexually Abused by multiple people, both family members and others in the community when he was just a child. His troubled childhood continued when he was sent to juvenile detention at 11 years old. Brian's defense argued that he suffered from PTSD and self medicated with drugs and alcohol, which impaired his thinking as he carried out his killing spree. But the prosecution argued that the killings had been methodical and premeditated and that these factors shouldn't affect his sentence. The judge agreed and on September 11, 2008, Stephen Bryant, then 27, was sentenced to death for the murder of Willard Teigen, along with two life sentences for the murders of Clifton Ganey and Christopher burgess in a 2025 appeal. Ahead of his execution, Bryant's lawyers continued to argue that he was too mentally ill to know right from wrong. They said as a result of his mother abusing drugs and alcohol while she was pregnant with him, Bryant had severe brain damage and that this evidence wasn't heard during his initial trial. They theorized that he suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which caused brain damage that had played a key role in the murders. Then they pointed out that he had not been given a brain scan prior to his trial, which may have proven in utero brain damage. But Bryant's conviction was upheld along with his death sentence. A death warrant was issued on October 17, 2025, and Bryant was given a CH between dying by lethal injection, electric chair or firing squad. He chose firing squad. Before his death, he was also granted his last meal. He asked for a mixed seafood stir fry, fish fried over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and a German chocolate cake. Witnesses say he made no final statement, only glancing briefly at the victim's families before the hood was put over his head. Bryant became the seventh person executed in the state of South Carolina in 14 months, following a 13 year pause in executions due to supply issues with lethal injection drugs. Bryant's case was one of the few that have sparked debate about the manner in which death row inmates are executed. Certain methods and their legalities still vary widely by state. His victims loved ones didn't make a statement in the immediate aftermath. But three of Willard Teachen's family members stood and held hands in the front row of the witness room as it happened. As for Steven, his attorney read a statement that his final wish was that nobody like him who needed help was ever denied because they couldn't afford it. It's impossible to say whether that would have helped him. But in the end, Stephen Bryant faced the ultimate punishment in South Carolina for his crimes. While his case reached A definitive and deadly conclusion. Our next case remains unresolved because the man at the center is still on the run. As of this recording, a manhunt is still underway for a man named Dominic Liam Connolly in Craven County, North Carolina. Connolly, who's 24, is wanted for murder, first degree arson, attempted first degree murder, assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting a public officer, and larceny of a motor vehicle. The FBI was initially offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Connolly's arrest, but they've since doubled it to $10,000. Connolly is considered armed and dangerous. Let's get into what happened leading up to his disappearance. On October 25, 2025, authorities were called to a house fire on Highway 101 near the city of Havelock, North Carolina. When they arrived at the scene, they made a grim discovery. Patricia Lopedote had been murdered inside the home before it was set ablaze. Though they have yet to publicly disclose her cause and manner of death. In a press release, the Craven County Sheriff's Office said the scene was brutal. Investigators were quickly able to determine that Patricia, who was 72 years old, was Liam Connolly's grandmother, and that as recently as 2021, the two had shared the same address. And after an autopsy and investigation, they concluded that Connally had murdered her before setting the house on fire. Authorities still aren't sure why Connally would have wanted to murder his own grandmother. But from the moment her body was found in the burning home, the search for Connolly was on.
- [19:10]
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- [19:28]
Liberty Mutual Advertiser 2 / Ryan Reynolds
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- [19:31]
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- [19:32]
Liberty Mutual Advertiser 2 / Ryan Reynolds
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- [19:41]
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- [20:30]
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- [20:55]
Katie Ring
Try now@windows.com copilot On October 25, 2025, Dominic Connelly allegedly killed his own grandmother, Patricia Lopedote, before setting her house on fire. Patricia's other family members were shocked and saddened by the news. They say Patricia was warm and had a generous spirit, especially at the holidays. Patricia always made handmade gifts for everyone and loved doing puzzles and playing games. Now her seat at the dinner table will be empty, and so will Connolly's. After Connolly initially fled, authorities in North Carolina wanted to find him quickly. But they didn't know how much of a challenge that would be. Connolly did have a few priors. In 2017, he'd been charged with contributing to to the delinquency of a minor in violating probation, but he certainly didn't seem like a seasoned or sophisticated criminal. But taking no chances, the manhunt pulled in every available resource. Multiple agencies utilized drones, helicopters, canines, trail camera footage, and even planes. Early on, there were some promising leads. For starters, three days after the body was found, Patricia's car, which had been stolen from her house, was found abandoned in a parking lot by a nearby baseball field. When police found it, they assumed they were closing in on Connolly. And then another lead. Four days after the crime, on October 29, police got a call. Connolly had been spotted at a Bojangles restaurant in Vanceboro, about 40 miles north of his grandmother's home. They raced to the scene and sure enough, the tip was correct. Officers found Connally in the bathroom, but when they tried to confront and arrest him, Connally pulled out a knife and stabbed one of their arresting officers. Fortunately, that officer is expected to fully recover from his injuries, but unfortunately, Connolly got away in the scuffle. He was seen running in the direction of a nearby apartment complex before he disappeared again. And now he still remains at large as the Days turned into weeks. Authorities initial confidence has waned. It looks like Connelly might be more adept to evading capture than they had bargained for. Authorities have doubled the initial $5,000 reward to $10,000. They've posted press releases describing Connelly as white, 180 pounds, with blue eyes and blondish brown hair. Craven County Crime Stoppers has even posted a video directed at Connelly in which Corporal Kelly Cox says, quote, we will not stop. We are asking you to end this peacefully now, for your own safety and for the safety of the public and our officers. Do not make this situation worse. Your safest option is to turn yourself in. The situation has gotten pretty scary. Local schools were shut down on October 31, with the sheriff recommending they remain closed until Connally is located. Residents are advised to lay low and local festivals have even been canceled. Authorities are urging area residents to, quote, cut off Connolly's lifeline supplies by locking their cars and sheds, closing their garages and ensuring nothing is left outside of the homes that could be used for food or hydration. The sheriff's department says it's likely that Connolly is hiding in the dense woods somewhere in Craven county, but that's as specific as they can be. Of course, residents are terrified, and thanks to social media, the search has gotten complicated. While social media can be a helpful tool for a manhunt like this, it's actually been causing some headaches for the teams hunting Connolly down. In November, a Facebook post was circulating which purported to show Connolly at a Speedway convenience store in Greenville, North Carolina. However, it wasn't actually Connolly, but it caused plenty of discussion, not to mention widespread fear in Greenville before police were able to follow up on it. The cops already have their hands full. So far, they've searched more than 3,000 acres and almost 500 structures in the area, and there's plenty more to go. But ever since increasing that reward money, there's been an uptick in sightings reported on social media and none of them have been Connolly. Even as they continue to use Facebook and other social media platforms to update locals on the search, officers have had to urge these same locals not to fall prey to online fear mongering. Law enforcement requests that anyone with information about Connally contact the Craven County Sheriff's office at 252-636-6-6620. If you see Connolly, do not approach him and call 911. We'll be sure to bring you all of the updates as they come in. Foreign.
- [25:55]
What did you think of today's cases? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time if you haven't already. Follow us wherever you're listening at Crimehouse Daily and make sure to follow us on social media crimehouse 247 for real time updates. Because the pursuit of justice never stops.
- [26:20]
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- [26:45]
Katie Ring
Learn more at Dropbox.com-looking for your next crime house? Listen, don't miss Clues with Morgan Abshur and Kailyn Moore Every Wednesday, Morgan and Kaylin take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever. Clue by clue. It's like hanging out with your smart true crime obsessed friends. Listen to Clues on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
- [27:13]
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- [27:34]
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