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Foreign hey everyone, it's Katie. If you're loving Crime House Daily, you need to check out Crimes of, the newest show from Crime House. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances and more. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. Crimes of is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find them on YouTube at Crime House Studios. New episodes out every Tuesday. This is Crime House Drivers facing manslaughter charges after a violent crash in Malibu last night. Deputies say that he hit and killed four women while speeding along PCH. Four young innocent victims, all of them in their early 20s. Deslin Williams, Asher Weir, Nev Rolston and Peyton Stewart. And the young man suspected of running over and killing four Pepperdine students on PCH last week has pleaded not guilty. He's charged with murder. His lawyer claims that he was being chased by another car at the time. In Malibu, a fun girls night out turned into a fatal crash scene. Four lives were lost on the city's dangerous Pacific coast highway and the man responsible claims it was all an accident. Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we dig into the true crime stories making headlines right now where justice is still unfolding, arrests are happening and new evidence is emerging. Every morning, First Watch gets you up to speed on the biggest cases. Every night, Nightwatch takes you deeper. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, this is the place for you. Follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a Review and for ad free listening, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. For video, check out our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily. 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. Today we're covering two major cases in the news. Our first case takes us back to 2023 in Malibu, California where four Pepperdine students were struck and killed by a car at speeds of 104 miles per hour. Now the 23 year old driver is out on bail as he awaits his next hearing on October 8th. Our second story brings us to Melbourne, Australia, where there's finally been a major breakthrough in a 31 year old case. Back in 1994, 24 year old Samantha Mitzi was brutally murdered. For years her case remained unsolved until now. Authorities have just made an arrest and we'll break down everything you need to know ahead of the Suspect's trial on December 18th. Before we dive into today's cases, I want to talk about a couple stories I've been keeping an eye on lately. In Los Angeles, 34 year old Rakim Powell is is now facing charges after allegedly using a dating app to lure victims. Prosecutors say he murdered Miguel Angel King in 2021, is a suspect in the disappearance of Robert Gutierrez in 2023, and recently attacked a third man with a bat before running him over. He could face life without parole or the death penalty. So we'll keep you posted with any updates. And in San Antonio, Texas, 62 year old Steven Robert Sablon has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 13 year old girl at gunpoint and driving her to California. Luckily, the 13 year old was able to escape when she acted quickly and held up a handwritten help me sign from the window of his parked car, prompting someone to call 911. He now faces federal charges including kidnapping and transportation of a minor for sexual activity. And he's set to be sentenced on October 25th with a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison. As always, head over to our social media at crimehouse24.7 for any breaking news updates. Our first story is a tragic case out of Malibu, California. On October 17, 2023, four college seniors were fatally struck by a car allegedly going more than twice the speed limit. The driver has been charged with multiple crimes, including murder. His next hearing is set for October 8, 2025, and both sides are preparing for trial. To get you caught up, let's go back to the beginning. The four young victims of this tragedy are Nev Ralston, Asha Weir, Deslin Williams and Payton Stewart. And they are all best friends, sorority sisters and seniors at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Niamh is lighthearted and carefree. She loves watching Gossip Girl and eating ice cream with her friends. And her name actually translates to radiance in Gaelic, which is exactly how her dad describes her. Asha is extremely empathetic and has a way of making people feel instantly at home. As an English major, she expresses herself through her writing. And she's also a huge swiftie and is passionate about photography. Deslin is A habitual optimist, she's the kind of friend who will plan your birthday down to the last detail just to make you feel special. She also has a soft spot for animals, especially horses, and dreams of becoming a vet. Finally, Peyton is the mom of the group. She's a business major, and in her free time she loves shopping, eating good food, movie nights and tea time. But most of all, she loves the people in her life. And she dotes on her younger sister, Kathleen. The four college seniors have become inseparable over the years, and on October 17, 2023, they're gearing up for another night of fun. The girls decide to head to a local fraternity party and leave around 8pm After a short drive, the four girls get out of the car and walk for a bit along the Pacific Coast Highway. It's beautiful, but dangerous. This part of the PCH is known as Dead Man's Curve, and since there are so many accidents, the speed limit is reduced to 45 miles an hour. To help keep people safe, the girls stay as close to the outer edge of the road as they can. But no amount of caution can save them from what happens next. They're standing between parked cars on the side of the road when all of the sudden a BMW comes flying around the shoulder of the road. The car spins out of control and slams into three parked cars which collide into Nev, Asha, Deslin and Payton within moments. 911 calls flood in, drivers pull over and residents rush to the scene after hearing the impact. Paramedics quickly realize that there's nothing they can do and tragically, all four girls die from their injuries. Meanwhile, the driver made it out unharmed, but two men sat on either side of him, making sure he couldn't flee the scene before police arrived. His name is Fraser Baum, a 22 year old Malibu local who grew up there with his family. Frazier had made a name for himself playing baseball in high school and on his 18th birthday his his parents had gifted him his dream car as part of their divorce settlement. The BMW who was driving in the accident that killed the girls. The day after the accident, Frasier Baum is arrested and initially charged with gross vehicular manslaughter, with gross negligence and is released the next day pending further investigation. But as the case comes together, the authorities decide to upgrade his charges after they discover he was allegedly going 104 miles an hour in a 45 zone. They feel like this goes beyond reckless driving and that his action showed a complete disregard to human life. On October 24, a week after the young women were killed, Frasier was charged with four counts of second degree murder and four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, one for each victim. If convicted of murder, he faces a minimum of 15 years to life for for each charge. And he faces up to six years for each vehicular manslaughter charge. So there's a real chance he could spend the rest of his life in prison. The next day, Frazier goes to court to enter his plea. His attorneys claim that the black box in his car was faulty and that he was actually only going 70 miles an hour, which is still way above the 45 speed limit, but less egregiously dangerous. As for why he was going so fast, his lawyers say that Frazier was running away from a road rage incident. They claim another car was trying to run him off the road and that he'd only sped up that fast in order to save himself. The judge isn't really moved by these arguments and initially sets Frazier's bail at $8 million. But Frazier's lawyers negotiate down to $4 million instead. And just two days later, on October 27, his family posts his bail. Both sides prepare their arguments and a year and a half later, In April of 2025, a preliminary hearing is held so the judge can decide if the case should proceed to trial. Multiple witnesses testified during the two day proceedings, including the two men who had made sure Frazier didn't flee the crime scene. The first one, Victor Calandra, had seen Frazier driving erratically shortly before the wreck. Victor even yelled at him to be careful when Fraser pulled up next to him at the stoplight and appeared to be texting. The other man, Miguel Crutchino, said he saw Frazier swerving and accelerating rapidly on the road. Both men stopped at the scene of the crash, saw the victims bodies, and got out of their cars to make sure Frazier couldn't run away after what he'd done. After hearing from all the witnesses, the judge decides that there's enough enough here for the case to move forward. And his arraignment is set for July 1, 2025. But just a few days before that hearing, Frazier makes a major addition to his legal team. Defense attorney Alan Jackson Allen has a 96 trial win record and is known for defending powerful figures and infamous cases. Allen joins Frazier for his arraignment hearing and and asks for an extension. He says he only joined the case 48 hours earlier and his team needs more time to prepare. The judge agrees and pushes it back to August 6, where Frazier pleads not guilty. Again. The next pretrial hearing is set for a month later on September 5th. That day, Alan Jackson asked for Frazier's bail to be reduced from $4 million to $2 million, arguing that it's been an undue financial burden on Frazier's family who had to sell their home and drain their bank accounts in order to pay for their son's defense. On the other side, prosecutor Nathan Bardos says the bail has already been paid, so clearly Frazier's family could afford it. He also says that they're not obligated to pay for an expensive lawyer like Alan Jackson. The judge says sides with Bartos and Frazier's family won't be getting any money back, but it seems like they're committed to paying Alan Jackson anyway. As of this recording, he's still working on that case. The next pre trial is set for October 8th. This means we should be getting a lot more information on the case soon. And we'll be there every step of the way to bring you all of the major updates. And as always, be sure to follow us at crimehouse24.7 for breaking news. Coming up in our second story, we're tackling a 31 year old cold case from Australia that's back in the news because a suspect has finally been arrested. Our second story is about a 31 year old cold case out of Melbourne, Australia. In 1994, a mother of two named Samantha Mitzi was murdered and it seemed like her killer might never be brought to justice. But Australian authorities have continued to look for answers and in recent years, the case has been back in the news because they recently announced some good news that has brought renewed hope. A suspect has just been arrested. The man who killed her has been identified as 67 year old Colin George McCain. After evading the police for decades, he was finally charged with Samantha's murder this summer. His next court date is set for December 18th. And we're learning more about this case almost every day. So why did it take so long to get here? Let's go back to 1994 and get the full picture. 24 year old Samantha Mitzi doesn't have it easy. The father of her two children is out of the picture and she's been trying to make things work. As a single mom, she has also struggled with a heroin addiction since the age of 16. But Samantha is doing everything she can to turn her life around. And at this point in her life, she's managing to prioritize school while also paying the bills. In desperation to provide for her kids, she supplements her Income with sex, work. She. She has plans to stop as soon as she is back on her feet, but in the meantime, she needs the money. So in the spring of 1994, she decides to go on a trip to a bigger city to get more clients. Samantha lives in Castlemaine, a town about an hour and a half northeast of Melbourne. Her children are too young to bring with her, though her son Steven is six and her daughter Tenille is only four. So when Samantha heads for Melbourne on March 28, 1994, she leaves him with her friend, who can babysit for a few days. When she gets there, Samantha sets up in the neighborhood of St. Kilda, a lively suburb near the middle of the city. The following evening on March 29, she heads to an amusement center, which is a Dave and Busters type of place. There, Samantha has a milkshake and talks with the manager, who gives her permission to keep her bags there until the morning. With her belongings safe, she sets off to find some clients. Sometime after 9pm and just before 10, a few people see Samantha speaking with an unknown man near the corner of Blanche street and Brighton Road. At least one witness says that the two seemed like they might have known each other, and they chat briefly before going off together. Just minutes later, between 10 and 10.30pm, a couple who live nearby are woken up by a series of short screams. They don't check it out for themselves, they but they call the police to report it. Around 11, a sex worker, identified in the media simply as Tiffany, is heading to that same area. She'd been picked up by two men and they went to a parking lot near the street corner where Samantha was last seen. When Tiffany and the men get out of the car, they hear pained moans coming from the brush behind the lot. The men want to leave, but Tiffany refuses to abandon someone in trouble and tells the men to shine the headlights on the bushes. That's when they spot Samantha, who is naked and had clearly been badly beaten. But she's still alive. Tiffany's clients flee the scene, but she runs to get help and Samantha is rushed to the hospital. But her injuries are too severe and she dies around 10:30 the next morning. The cause of death was determined to be multiple skull fractures caused caused by blunt force trauma. But finding her killer won't be easy. The murder weapon and her clothes are nowhere to be found. When the news breaks, other sex workers stay off the streets because Samantha is the second woman who was recently killed in the area. Less than two months earlier, on February 1, 1994, another sex worker named Michelle Copping was killed in the same suburb. Now people are wondering if a serial killer is on the loose. Police plead with the public for information on the killings. They get numerous tips, and it seems like the investigation might actually go somewhere. But unfortunately, none of the leads pan out. Samantha's case goes cold, and it will be decades before it warms back up. Foreign Mitzi is killed on the night of March 29, 1994. Leads are few and far between. The investigation goes nowhere. And as years pass, it doesn't seem like it'll ever be solved. But in 2017, 23 years after Samantha's murder, the area's law enforcement makes a big push to solve cold cases like hers. For the first time, Samantha's children, Steven and Tennille, who are now adults, publicly speak about their mother's death and how hard it was for them. They didn't have a relationship with their father, so when Samantha died, they effectively became orphans. Steven and Tenille hope that with their mom's case back in the news, they might finally get answers. And one of the lingering questions is, is that if both Samantha and Michelle Copping were murdered by the same person, could they have a serial killer on their hands? Well, it turns out that another sex worker named Amanda Burns was also murdered three years before the two women on April 6, 1991, in the same suburb and under the same circumstances. She was also discovered naked, and her cause of death was also blunt force trauma. Police don't officially connect the three cases together, but they're hoping to find answers for all of these women. However, nothing comes of it immediately and the press attention dies down for a few years. But In May of 2021, Australian police announced they're making an online cold case hub. They've selected cases they think could still be solved and have opened the files to the public. They soon made a YouTube channel as well, highlighting each case and telling the public that it's not too late to come forward with what they know. It's not clear how the tip comes in about Samantha's killer, but soon the authorities learn about a 67 year old man named Colin George McCain. They don't specify how he landed on their radar, but one article hints at a DNA analysis. Fortunately, the evidence is strong enough for the police to arrest McCain on Aug. 14, 2025, in Ararat, a town a few hours west of Melbourne. He's charged with one count of murder and two counts of rape. It turns out he also has a long, disturbing history of other crimes. Colin George McCain had been a sex offender since he was a teenager, committing his first offense at just 15. Since then, he racked up more charges for assaulting or harassing children, some as young as seven years old. In 1984, he sexually assaulted and beat a teenage girl before covering her in debris on a beach. The girl pretended to be knocked out and when McCain left, she ran down the beach naked to find help. Police caught McCain coming back to the crime scene with with a shovel and theorized that he was possibly planning on burying her alive. In another offense, McCain followed a children's Christmas parade and dragged a 10 year old girl off into the woods. Luckily, her friend followed them and was able to help save her. One of his preferred methods for finding victims was buying newspapers and phone books and trying to find the phone numbers of children to prey on. He then called them and sexually harassed them over the phone. He made over a hundred phone calls to one child he was particularly obsessed with. His stints behind bars got increasingly longer and in 1998 he was locked up for a decade. But none of this seemed to have any effect because in 2012 he was caught harassing children over the phone while while on probation. It's unclear if McCain got into any more trouble before being charged with Samantha Mitzi's murder, but if he's found guilty, it'll bring Samantha's kids a lot of relief. At McCain's court hearing in August, Tenille and Steven sat in the front row. Afterward, Tennille said, quote, it sends a very powerful message if someone can be convicted after 31 years, it's a big deterrence. Colin McCain's next court date is December 18th. There should be a lot more information about him coming out between now and then. We can only hope that Samantha Mitzi and any other victims Colin McCain might have harmed will finally get the justice they deserve. We'll be there every step of the way bringing you updates and be sure to follow us. Rimehouse24. Seven for breaking news. What did you think of today's case? Drop your theories in the comments and follow us @Crime House 24. 7 on TikTok and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube @Crime House daily. For ad free listening, join Crime House plus on Apple podcasts. You stay curious and I'll stay on the case. See you next time.
