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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. This is Crime House. Today we have two stories from the past that led up to some shocking new developments dominating today's headlines. First, an attempted murderer escapes custody 10 years after an Internet meme caused him to attack his own friend. Then a beloved football coach is brutally attacked on his own turf. It has been a whirlwind couple of days for Morgan Geyser. Police in Posen took her into custody after finding her and a companion sleeping on the sidewalk. She and her friend Anissa Weihert, who were both just 12 years old at the time, attacked and stabbed one of their friends during a sleepover at Morgan's house for her birthday. Put your hands on your back. Did my hair go? Did my hair go? Then give me your name. I did something wrong. She didn't. What did you. She doesn't know what I did. 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. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know, one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch. Upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan, equivalent to 15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes if network's busy. Taxes and fees extra. C mintmobile.com Today's first case is an update on Morgan Geiser, who is convicted of stabbing his friend Peyton Lightner in 2014 when he and Peyton were just 12 years old. On November 22, 2025, this 11 year old case made headlines again when Morgan, who had been released to a group home earlier this year, cut off his monitoring bracelet and escaped. And now his alleged accomplice is shedding light on what made the two of them want to break out. Let's get into it. A quick note. Morgan is a trans man, so we will be using he him pronouns for the story now. If you don't remember the original Slender man stabbing case, here's a refresher. In 2014, Morgan Geyser was 12 years old. He and his friend Anissa Weiher were classmates at Horning Middle School and they had a mutual friend at the same school named Peyton Lightner. Even though they were all friends, Morgan and Anissa shared something common, something sinister, and that was a deep, dark fascination with a figure known as Slender Man. Slender man was a popular and completely made up Internet myth. His character was a tall, thin, faceless humanoid that was said to stalk, abduct and torture people, especially anyone who dares to reveal the truth of his existence. The character has since fallen out of the zeitgeist, but back in the 2010s he was all over the Internet. The scariest thing about Slender man and memes like him was that many people seemed to have a really hard time separating fact from fiction. Plenty of kids thought he was real and could really be out to get them. That included Morgan and Anissa. The pair spent a lot of time reading fanfiction about Slender man, getting deep into the lore and their obsession soon crossed from the virtual world into the real world with devastating consequences. On May 30, 2014, Morgan, Anissa and Peyton had a sleepover at Morgan's house to celebrate Peyton's birthday. It began innocently. They were roller skating and played dress up and had breakfast together in the morning. Later that morning, Morgan and Anissa suggested that the three go to the park to play hide and seek. But Morgan and Anissa had something much more sinister in mind than a simple game of hide and seek. By this point, they were completely brainwashed by Slender man lore. They believed they were his proxies and that they had to commit murder on his behalf in order to earn roles as servants in his mansion. When they got to the park, they told Peyton to lie down in the dirt and cover herself completely with sticks and leaves, thinking nothing of it. Peyton did as they said, but she had no idea that before they left the house, Morgan had grabbed a 5 inch kitchen knife and had been carrying it in secret the whole time. Once Peyton was so covered with leaves that she couldn't see anything, Morgan pulled out the knife and stabbed her 19 times in her arms, legs and midsection. Anissa egged Morgan on the entire time. Then the two of them ran off, leaving Peyton for dead. Luckily, she was able to crawl out of the dense woods, where she came across a passing cyclist and asked for help. But the horrified cyclist immediately called 911 and Peyton was rushed to the hospital. She required six hours of emergency surgery. One of the stab wounds narrowly missed a major artery. The surgeon who operated on her said that if the knife had gone just a width of a hair deeper, she wouldn't have survived. Five hours after Peyton arrived at the hospital, police located Morgan and Anissa walking along the side of the interstate about five miles from where the stabbing had taken place. The pair told police that they were walking towards the, quote, slender mansion some 200 miles away. The police quickly found the knife, which the pair was still carrying, and immediately took them into custody. Morgan was facing attempted first degree murder, and Anissa was facing attempted second degree murder. And during a court hearing in the summer of 2015, just over a year since the stabbing, Morgan's attorney revealed that he'd been formally diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia. A psychologist testified in court that even after the attack, Morgan still believed, among other delusions, that Slenderman was real and that as he'd gotten older, Morgan's symptoms had only worsened. The psychiatrist emphasized that a child with severe schizophrenia would likely not fare well in prison. But when asked what he would do if released, Morgan responded, quote, if Slender man told me to hurt more people, I'd have to do it. The next major update came in the fall of 2017. Morgan accepted a plea deal. If he pleaded guilty, he would avoid further jail time and be sent to a mental institution instead. Morgan was charged as an adult, but because of the plea deal, he avoided prison time and wouldn't be considered to have a criminal record. As part of the agreement, the judge found Morgan not guilty by reason of, quote, mental disease or defect, and he was sentenced to 40 years in a state run institution. Anissa, for her part, had been diagnosed with a psychotic disorder and was also sent to a state institution for 25 years, a lesser sentence than Morgan, since she allegedly didn't actually carry out the stabbing. In February of 2018, Morgan was sent to Winnebago mental health institute, where he remained until early this year. Then, In January of 2025, a judge ordered Morgan's release to a group home under a community supervision and housing plan. Prosecutors pushed back, arguing that Morgan had been reading gory novels and communicating with a man who had a hobby of collecting memorabilia for murderers. They argued that Morgan wasn't ready to be given more freedom and independence. Ultimately, though, Morgan was released to the group home, where he stayed for months without incident. A few news stories at the time mentioned the transfer, but for the most part, the Slender man case had faded from memory. It hadn't made headlines for over a decade, but then In November of 2025, the case that had faded from public consciousness suddenly came back into the spotlight when Morgan Geiserv escaped. From clothes to bedding to jewelry, Quint has the highest quality fabrics, materials and pieces that are timeless and will actually last. And the best part is that they work with ethical, trusted factories that allow them to offer prices far below what other luxury brands charge. Last time I promised you an update on the linen duvet I bought and I can now confirm that that after a few washes, the linen fabric is super comfy and looks amazing. I will definitely be gifting some items from Quint for Christmas and I might have to sneak in another item for myself. 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Natural Cycles is the only birth control app that can pinpoint your fertile window by analyzing your hormone driven temperature trends. It's more than just a basic cycle tracking app. Natural Cycles is the only FDA cleared and CE marked birth control app and has helped millions prevent and plan for pregnancy naturally. Save 15% when you sign up today with code RADIO15. Learn more at Natural Cycles.com when Peyton Lightner was stabbed nearly to death by her own friends in 2014, people all over the world were terrified. It wasn't just the thought that two 12 year olds could be capable of such violence, but the thought that an Internet myth could have made them do it. The truth was, though, that Slender man didn't hypnotize Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weir into luring their friend into the woods and stabbing her. According to forensic psychologists who were involved in the case, Morgan, Anissa and the Slender man mythology together created a perfect storm. One psychologist said that between the mental health issues that Morgan and Anissa each suffered from, plus the fact that they'd spent so much time together and talked constantly, they developed a shared delusion. Any kid was at risk of becoming fixated on a super popular and scary meme like Slender man, but for Morgan and Anissa, they each became obsessed and then fed into each other's obsessions. Morgan and Anissa were finally separated from each other after their arrests when they were sent to separate state run mental health institutions. But then, in November of 2025, when Morgan escaped from the group home he'd been transferred to, authorities soon discovered that he'd quickly developed a deep attachment to someone else. On the morning of November 23, police in Madison, Wisconsin announced that Morgan, who is now 23, had removed his ankle bracelet and fled the group home. They said he was last seen in the neighborhood on Madison's west side the previous day with, quote, an adult acquaintance. No one had any idea who that person might be. Then, about 24 hours after Morgan escaped, a truck stop worker about 100 miles away in Chicago called the police after noticing two people sleeping outside. They weren't doing anything suspicious or alarming. The worker just wanted to make sure they were safe. When police arrived, they woke the two people up. One of them, who was wearing a baggy coat over a hooded sweatshirt, told them their name was Stephanie. However, the police had an inkling that neither person was telling the truth. The more they tried to figure out their real identities, the more nervous so called Stephanie became. Soon, Stephanie broke down and said, quote, I did something really bad. Then they motioned towards the other person they'd been sleeping next to and said, she doesn't know what I did. She doesn't know my real name. At this point, the officers handcuffed both people and brought them down to the station. Sure enough, once authorities ran their prints, they realized they had Morgan Geyser, the slender man stabber, in custody. Police identified the second individual as 43 year old Charlie Mecca. Morgan and Charlie had reportedly met at a church two months before Morgan's escape. Charlie was released with a citation after a brief detention, and after that, she went public with her side of the story. She confirmed that she met Morgan at church and didn't know who Morgan really was at first. When they met, the two struck up a fast friendship and eventually got permission from the group home, which adhered to strict rules around socialization, to visit with each other. Soon they were seeing each other every day. Charlie thought Morgan was being mistreated at the group home and felt like leaving Wisconsin was the only way to keep them both safe. And Morgan agreed. They used public transportation to get to the Chicago area and from there, authorities believed that they had plans to go to Nashville, Tennessee. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mecca was charged under the legal name Chad Mecca and faces criminal trespassing and obstructing identification charges. Morgan, on the other hand, may now have to return to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute where he was originally sentenced after the stabbing. As of December 4, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has asked for their recommendation on Morgan's placement to remain sealed. Meanwhile, Morgan's lawyers asked for further court hearings to be delayed until after the holidays. It's possible he could be charged in relation to destroying his ankle monitor and escaping the home. As for the victim in the original attack, Peyton Lightner, she endured months of follow up doctor visits but fortunately was able to make a full recovery. When asked later in interviews about being attacked by her then 12 year old female friend Morgan, Peyton had something surprising to say. Quote, I would probably initially thank her just because of what she did. I have the life I have now. I really, really like it. And I have a plan. Peyton went on to attend high school and college and plans to pursue a career in the medical field, an interest that was sparked following the attack. And as always, we'll bring you all of the updates as they come in. If you've seen the Netflix documentary series Last Chance, you Then you know about Laney College's beloved coach Coach John Beam, who helped countless young football players kick off their career tragically in November of 2025. After a 45 year coaching career, John's players, students and loved ones lost him forever after he got shot in cold blood on campus. While the shooter is now in custody, authorities still haven't gotten to the bottom of why he did it. However, it has come out that John and his alleged kid killer had crossed paths because the shooter was a student at Laney. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for today, December 16th. So what led John Beam to those fateful final moments? Let's dive in. Everyone who knew John Beam knew him as a devoted husband and a loving father and grandfather. In 2025, as retirement was on the horizon for John, he dreamed of spending the next chapter of his life coaching his grandkids in soccer, basketball and softball. John always believed in giving young people a chance to reach their goals, especially those who everyone else seemed to overlook. This mindset not only brought John far in his own career, but it helped launch countless careers for the people he coached, taught and mentored. John started his coaching career in 1979 as an offensive line coach at Sarah High School in his hometown of San Diego, California. After a few years in 1982, he headed north to Oakland, California where he became the defensive coordinator at Skyline High School. He was eventually promoted to head coach, a position he held until 2003. John was at Skyline for 21 years and during that time their team won 15 league championships. Even though he was extremely successful there, John was especially known for his time at Laney College, a public community college in Oakland. John started at Laney as a running back coach in 2004 and became head coach in 2012. Completely in line with his character, he was known to take risks by bringing in players no other coach wanted and developing meaningful relationships with his players. And it paid off because during John's time at Laney, his beloved Eagles won two league titles. John had an influence beyond the field too. In addition to his coaching role, he taught classes at Laney, including Fundamentals of Football and Kinesiology. He wanted athletes to have a well rounded understanding of their sport. And all the effort he put into helping them succeed was getting attention. In 2016, Netflix aired a documentary series called Last Chance you, which followed talented football players who didn't make it to the top schools and as they tried to turn their lives around by playing for junior colleges. The fifth and final season, which aired in 2020, starred the Laney College Eagles with John as the head coach. He definitely deserved the recognition. Countless of his players moved on to play for four year colleges and at least 20 have gone on to join the NFL. John retired from his job as coach in November of 2024 after 20 years with the team, but stayed on as the athletic director. It's an understatement to say John cared a lot about his students. He wanted them to live good lives. And in his eyes, that didn't just mean doing well in school and locking down a steady football career. It also meant being able to live somewhere safe. And over the last few years, John had been getting more concerned that his students and players weren't safe on campus or in the surrounding area. John started feeling Wary Back in 2020 when Laney College lost its usual security detail. Up until then, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office had armed deputies protecting the school. But that year, the contract ended, which meant Laney now relied exclusively on unarmed security guards. And that made John feel uneasy. Especially because by the fall of 2025, danger seemed to be closing in on the school. There had been break ins and at least one fire set in the area around the school. Then on November 12, 2025, a student was injured in a shooting at John's alma mater, Skyline High School. But the very next day, while John was at work, security guards showed him footage of a break in at the field house right there on campus. This was pretty distressing for John. He and other coaches and athletes spent a lot of time in the field house. It was frightening to think that anyone could just walk in and do who knows what. That was the last straw. John decided that the school needed to have a serious conversation about campus safety. Fortunately, the very same day John learned about the break in, he had the perfect platform to speak his mind. A school wide safety event that was taking place. Later on, however, John had no idea just how badly things were spinning out of control around him. And within 24 hours, he'd be in a hospital bed fighting for his life. Marshall's buyers are hustling hard to get amazing new gifts into stores right up to the last minute. Like a designer perfume for that friend who never RSVP'd wishlist topping toys for her kids who came too. Belgian chocolates for the neighbor, a cozy scarf for your boss, and a wool jacket for your husband that you definitely did not. Almost forget Marshalls. We get the deals, you give the good stuff, even at the last minute. Phew. Find a Marshall's near you. Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh my gosh, they're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Meet the computer you can talk to with Copilot on Windows Working, creating and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision. Help spark inspiration and use Copilot voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help With Copilot Vision, Copilot sees what you see. Let co pilot talk you through step by step guidance so you can master new apps, games and skills faster. Try now@windows.com copilot Laney College is located in the heart of Oakland, California, a city with a deep, rich history of social activism and civic engagement, a thriving art scene and loyal sports fans. At the same time, many Oaklanders have worked hard for a long time to make the city safer. In August of 2025, the mayor's office said that they were seeing a 31% decrease in overall crime and a 28% decrease in violent crime. They said they were setting up programs to target gun violence. End quote. Build a safety infrastructure that reflects Oakland's values. That's definitely all great to hear, but at the same time, Rome wasn't built in a day, and not everyone living and working in Oakland was feeling the effects of the government's efforts. That included John Beam, the head coach of the Laney College football team. On November 13, 2025, campus security guards informed John that the field house was broken into. So that city, same day, John took the podium at a school wide safety awareness event called Taco Bout Safety to try and push for more stringent safety measures. He told everyone there about the break in and that he thought the campus was at a higher risk than ever since they lost their armed deputies. Not only that, but their entire community college district, which had four campuses total, was only equipped with six total unarmed guards. In John's eyes, that level of security just wasn't cutting it and students should be able to go there without fear of what might happen. Unfortunately, John would never get the chance to see if his own words created any change. Just before noon the very next day, John was on campus and went into the field house. Shortly after, a man wearing a hoodie followed him inside. Then all of a sudden, that man pulled out a gun and shot John once in the head. John fell to the ground and the man fled the scene. He then boarded a bus from downtown Oakland towards Eastmont Mall, about nine miles from Laney College. Before long, someone called 91 1. First responders rushed to the field house and found John, who still showing signs of life but was clearly badly injured. He was taken to nearby Highland Hospital in critical condition. That night, as doctors were still scrambling to save John, hundreds of people, including friends, family and football players held a vigil outside the Highland Hospital. Meanwhile, police were searching frantically for the shooter. And as it turned out, the man had left a clear trail of breadcrumbs from the field house to Eastmont Mall. Since he had used public transit to get there, that meant there was a trove of surveillance footage tracing his path. At 3:15am the next morning, November 14, the police tracked the man down at a transit station in the area. He was 27 year old Cedric Irving Jr. An unhoused man that had been staying near the mall. Alameda County Sheriff's deputies quickly placed Cedric under arrest and he didn't put up a fight. In fact, he seemed to know why they were there and even admitted to the officers that he was not only carrying a gun in his bag, but but that he'd use that gun to shoot John Beam. Cedric had no prior criminal record, so once he was in custody, investigators started looking into other aspects of his background. What they found was some troubling possibilities for how he might have crossed paths with John in the past. To start, Cedric played varsity football at Skyline high school in 2016 and 2017. John had already moved on to Laney College by then though. According to Cedric's brother It's possible the Skyline team held practice with the Laney College Eagles at some point during that period. Given John's high profile reputation in the community, authorities wondered if his career had brought Cedric into his orbit. So they digged more into Cedric's past and realized that he was not only enrolled at laney College in 2022, but he'd taken one of John's classes. Cedric wasn't enrolled at Laney at the time of the shooting, but he'd been known to loiter around campus. Authorities investigated if something had occurred between Cedric and John that made the younger man want to harm his former teacher. And that's when they learned that Cedric seemed to have an inexplicable fixation on John. During their interviews with Cedric, he made some bizarre comments, like accusing John of using witchcraft on him and others. The more they talked to Cedric, the more detectives realized that serious mental health struggles were a likely factor in the crime. Unfortunately, authorities never got to ask John about his potential connection to cedric because at 10am on November 14, John succumbed to his injuries and died in the hospital. After that, Cedric was charged with murder. Cedric was formally arraigned on November 18th. He's currently being held without bail and is expected to enter a plea during his hearing today, December 16. If he is found guilty, he may be looking at a prison sentence of 50 years to life. The case is garnering a lot of attention, not just because of John's status as a pillar in the community, but because in the time since Cedric was arrested, authorities have said they believe the killing was targeted, but they haven't released a suspected motive. Since John has passed away, there has been an outpouring of emotion from his former players, sharing memories of everything John did to help them become who they are. Today, one of his former players from Skyline High, Damon owens, who's now 52 years old, said this. John saw potential in me that I didn't see in myself. But he also surrounded us with the necessary support in order to galvanize that potential and grow it. We'll have all the breaking updates on this case as they come out, so make sure to check our socials at Crimehouse 24 7. 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 Crime House daily and make sure to follow us on social media at crimehouse24 7 for real time updates because the pursuit of justice never stops. Looking for your next Crime House? Listen, don't miss Clues with Morgan Absher and Kaylin 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.