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Georgia Dentist Accused of Shooting Boyfriend Faces Murder Trial | Crime House 24/7
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This is Crime House. Good morning everyone. We have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need to know about and we're starting with the biggest one. A Georgia dentist is on trial for shooting her boyfriend through a locked door and prosecutors say what she did next was even more calculated than the shooting itself. This is crime house 24 7, your non stop source for the biggest crime cases developing right now. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a lineup for you today. Here's what you need to know
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on this show. We spend a lot of time focused on details because details can change how you understand a case. And in travel, details change how you understand a place. For travel that gets the details right, visit gocollette.com and use offer code TRAVEL26 to get $200 off select Colette Explorations Tours. Colette's small group Explorations Tours are designed with that same focus on details. You're led by experts and locals who know the destination inside and out. And groups stay small with an average of just 19 travelers, so the experience feels more personal. You might take part in a centuries old tea ceremony in Japan guided by the meaning and tradition behind every step, or explore southern Africa expert led safaris that spend multiple days on game drives, giving you time to truly understand the landscape and wildlife. With Colette you get immersive travel built on thoughtful planning, local expertise and more than a century of experience behind it. For travel that gets the details right, visit go colette.com podcast and use offer code TRAVEL26 to get $200 off select Colette Explorations Tours.
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Opening statements were delivered the morning of March 18th in the murder trial of 61 year old Suzanne Miracle, a Georgia dentist who faces a potential life sentence if convicted in the death of her boyfriend, 68 year old James Barron. Barron was shot and killed on March 7, 2025 at the couple's home in Georgia. And from the very first moments of this trial, it's clear that the prosecution and defense are telling two fundamentally different stories about what happened that night and who Suzann Miracle really is. Miracle and Baron began a serious relationship in 2024 and in October of that year purchased a home together on lake linear. By March 2025, however, the relationship was in serious trouble. Prosecutors say Miracle had discovered that Barron was sending money to a woman from his past who lived in Mova. The defense went further, saying Barron wasn't just sending money, but was actively arranging to bring the woman and her daughter to the United states and was paying for a 500 per month apartment in New Jersey for them. Prosecutor Jennifer Bagwell delivered the state's opening statement Wednesday, painting a picture of a woman who snapped. Bagwell told the jury that Miracle became unhinged and shot Baron in a fit of rage following an argument. According to investigators, Barron retreated upstairs to the bedroom and locked the door and Miracle followed him. She then fired her handgun through the closed door. The bullet struck Barron, killing him, but prosecutors say what happened next is just as significant as the shooting itself. Bagwell told the jury that Miracle retrieved a hammer and used it to bang holes in the door until she could reach through and unlock it from the inside. She didn't stop. She kept going until she got in. Once inside the room, Bagwell said, Miracle did not attempt to help Barron or call for emergency assistance. Instead, according to prosecutors, she went into what Bagwell described as damage damage control mode. Miracle allegedly took Barron's Beretta firearm and placed it near his hand, then fired two to three shots from that weapon, an apparent effort to make the scene look different from what it was. Bagwell also told the jury that Miracle admitted to police that she flushed several rounds down the toilet before officers arrived. Prosecutors are asking the jury to see all of this as the actions of someone who knew exactly what she had done and was trying to cover it up. Defense attorney Brett Willis told a very different story. He asked the jury to look past the image of a successful dentist and consider what he said was happening behind closed doors in that Lake Lanier home. Willis said, quote, this was somebody who had opinions about what she wore, what she was to eat, what she was to do with the money from the sale of her dental practice. This was someone who put their hands on her over and over again, end quote Willis described Miracle's initial perception of Barron as Prince Charming and said the reality of the relationship behind closed doors was something far darker than the public facing version of the couple. The defense's account of the night of March 7th diverges sharply from the prosecutions at every key point. According to Willis, Barron sexually assaulted Miracle that evening before taking away her phone and the keys to the only working car in the home, then retreating to the bedroom and locking the door the left without a phone and without a way to leave. Miracle, the defense argues, fired through the door not to kill Baron, but in an attempt to break the lock so she could retrieve her phone and get out of the home. It was, according to Willis, an act of desperation, not rage. As for the shots fired from Barron's handgun the ones prosecutors say were part of a staged scene. Willis told the jury those were suicide attempts by Miracle in the immediate traumatic aftermath of the shooting. The and now the jury will have to decide which version of events they believe. Miracle faces charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and criminal damage. She's pleaded not guilty. Witnesses are expected to take the stand as the trial continues through next week and will be right here as testimony unfolds from a trial just getting underway in Georgia. We now move to a sentencing that wrapped up this week in California in a case involving a former MLB player. In an update to a case we've been closely following, 36 year old babysitter turned mistress Samantha Scott was sentenced to two years probation in Placer County Court on March 16 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of accessory after the fact. That sentence, with no additional jail time, is the direct result of a deal Scott struck with prosecutors that required her to testify against her lover and former Major league baseball pitcher, 52 year old Dan Serafini at his murder trial. And now Serafini is serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole. On June 5, 2021, Serafini shot his in laws, 70 year old Gary Spore and 68 year old Wendy Wood at their $3.5 million Lake Tahoe home in Homewood, California. Prosecutors argued Sarafini carried out the killings to gain access to the couple's $23 million estate, which would have been split between their two daugh, including Sarafini's then wife, 39 year old Aaron Spore. Sarafini allegedly snuck into the home while the victims were out on their boat with Aaron and her and Seraphini's two young sons, there was no forced entry. Nothing was stolen. And because the shooter entered the home in the middle of the day while three cars sat in the driveway and left without taking anything, investigators concluded early on that the shooter had to have known the victims. Scott was a familiar face in the Sarafini household, a close friend of Aaron Spore and a baby sitter to the couple's two young sons. On the day of the shooting, she voluntarily drove Seraphini to Lake Tahoe. She has long maintained she believed she was going there to purchase a large quantity of cocaine, which is why she claims she didn't turn off her phone that day. That decision proved consequential. Cell phone records placed her car approximately one mile from the crime scene, which is what allowed investigators to begin building their case against Sarafini in the first place. Surveillance footage from a motel in Elko Nevada showed the two together the night before the shooting, further establishing their proximity to the area. Scott was first questioned by investigators in November 2021, just months after the shootings, and a search warrant was executed at her home. When she told Seraphini about the interview and the search warrant, he allegedly confessed to her, telling her he had shot Wendy Wood twice in the head at point blank range. She kept what she knew to herself and said nothing to authorities for over two years. Meanwhile, prosecutors noted at trial that Serafini had turned his cell phone off entirely on the day of the shooting. A man who typically sent upwards of 100 text messages per day sent none that day. It wasn't until November 2023, more than two years after the shootings, that both Scott and Serafini were arrested. Initially charged with murder herself, Scott agreed to flip on Serafini. She pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of accessory after the fact and testified against him at his six week trial last summer. Her testimony became the centerpiece of the prosecution's case. The jury convicted Serafini of murder and attempted murder in July. The victim's story did not end cleanly either. Wendy Wood, who survived being shot twice in the head, disinherited her daughter Aaron and then died by suicide in February 2023, nearly two years after she was shot. Aaron Spore has continued to stand by Seraphini despite their divorce. Seraphini, Aaron and Scott are all named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Aaron's sister Adrian, who filed it four months before Seraphini's arrest. Erin does still own half of her parents Lake Tahoe home, which was placed in a trust in her name by her parents back in 2017. Scott walked out of Placer County Court on March 16 with two years probation. But Serafini will spend the rest of his life in prison. From a case now reaching its conclusion, we turn to another California killing where proceedings are underway in the murder of a man accused of stabbing a reality television star.
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Hey, Sal. Hank. What's going on? We haven't worked a case in years. I just bought my car. And it was so easy. Too easy. Think something's up? You tell me. They got thousands of options. Found a great car at a great price. Uh huh. And it got delivered the next day. It sounds like Carvana just makes it easy to buy your car, Hank. Yeah, you're right. Case closed.
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Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.
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Taxact can think of a million things more fun than filing taxes. Taxact is going to name some now sitting in traffic, folding a fitted bedsheet, listening to your co worker talk about his fantasy team digging a hole. Digging an even larger hole next to that original hole. Unfortunately, TaxAct's filing software can't make taxes fun, but TaxAct can help you get them done. TaxAct, let's get them over with on March 17, 36 year old Richard Gonzalez appeared in court for a hearing in the murder case stemming from the Fatal stabbing of 58 year old Old Eduardo Sol, the television personality best known for his work on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody as the case moves through the early stages of what is expected to be a lengthy legal process. The case dates back to September 10, 2024, when Sol placed a 911 call from his Palm Springs apartment telling dispatchers he needed help. When officers arrived, they found him suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was transported to a hospital where he remained for 10 before dying from his injuries on September 20. Gonzalez was arrested later that same day in a detail that has become central to the investigation. Authorities say Gonzalez himself had contacted police earlier, reporting that he'd been assaulted the previous night. But as officers followed up on that claim, investigators say evidence began to place him at Sol's apartment at the time of the stabbing. He was initially booked on suspicion of attempted murder. After Soul's death, the charge was formally upgraded to murder. The March 17 hearing brought additional details into public view. According to reporting from the Bay Area Reporter, Investigators have said that Sol and Gonzalez had been in a casual sexual relationship prior to the stabbing. While hospitalized, Soul initially declined to identify his attacker, but before his death, authorities say he did name Gonzalez. Prosecutors are expected to rely heavily on that identification, along with forensic evidence, evidence and the timeline established through Gonzalez own contact with law enforcement. The defense, meanwhile, has entered a not guilty plea, signaling that the case will be contested as it heads toward trial. Eduardo Soul's life and career extended well beyond the circumstances of his death. Before gaining national recognition on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, he built a career as a singer and actor, appearing in telenovelas and entertainment programming. He later became widely known as a landscape designer on the show, helping transform homes for families across the country. He was active in charitable work as well, including advocacy for the Lupus foundation of America, a cause his family encouraged supporters to honor in his memory following his death. This week's hearing marks another step in a case that continues to unfold as both sides prepare for the next phase in court. From one courtroom hearing to another. We close this morning in Florida where a Man is convicted of shooting and killing his friend inside a hotel room nearly four years after a fatal shooting inside a Sarasota, Florida hotel room. The man at the center of the case has been sentenced. On March 17th, 30 year old Brennan Lee Wakey received 25 years in prison for manslaughter with a firearm in the 2021 death of his ex partner, 24 year old Colton Wright. Wakey was also convicted of tampering with evidence for attempting to delete photos and received a concurrent five year sentence on that charge. NBC 2 spoke to Wright's mother, Amy Thompson, who said her son and Wakey had recently broken up. She believes her son was a victim of domestic violence and said Wakey had been controlling during their relationship. She said, quote, he was obsessed with him. He wouldn't let him go. I guess in his mind if he couldn't have him, nobody would, end quote. The shooting happened inside a room at the Hyatt place Hotel on December 9, 2021. According to investigators. Colton Wright was found with a gunshot wound to the face and prosecutors said Brennan Wakey was the only other person in the room at the time. Wakey later claimed he acted in self defense during an argument, but the jury ultimately rejected that claim convicting him of manslaughter. Wakey had originally been charged with second degree murder. trial, he argued self defense, claiming Wright, who Wakey asserted was addicted to methamphetamine at the time of his death, had come at him with a glass margarita bottle, forcing him to draw his firearm. The hearing was emotional from the start. Several members of Wright's family addressed the court describing him as loved by everyone and full of life before he crossed paths with the defendant. At the close of Thompson's statement, she addressed Wakey directly. She said, quote, I would love to know what went on in that sick and twisted mind of yours. You are nothing but a little man. You are evil, vindictive and conniving. May you rot in hell. End quote. Wakey's defense objected to the statements and he eventually addressed the court himself offering an apology to Wright's family. He said, quote, I am deeply and truly sorry. All I can do is apologize and ask for forgiveness, end quote. He added that no sentence would change what happened, saying he will have to live with the knowledge that he took the life of someone he cared about. Your planet is now marked for death.
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Hi listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson. I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I know you'll love. America's Most Infamous Crimes. Hosted by Katie Ring. Each week Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American history, revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society. Serial killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night, and investigations that changed the way we think about justice. Each case unfolds across multiple episodes released every Tuesday through Thursday, from the first sign that something was wrong to the moment the truth came out or didn't. These are the stories behind the headlines. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes Tuesday through Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Before you go, let me tell you what else is happening at Crime House today. This week on Crimes of we look at the story of a criminal who seemed almost impossible to keep behind bars. Over and over again, arrests were followed by escapes, manhunts and new crimes. Each time authorities believed they'd finally stopped him, he found another way out. For law enforcement, prison is supposed to be the final barrier, the place where the chase ends and the public is safe. But throughout history, some criminals have managed to turn confinement into just another obstacle to outwit. Whether through careful planning, sheer audacity, or an astonishing stroke of luck, a few fugitives have carried out escapes so bold that they almost sound like scenes from a movie. Yet each one forced authorities to confront an uncomfortable truth. Even the most secure prison system can have weaknesses. Here are some criminals whose prison escapes stunned investigators and captivated the public. Frank Morris and the Alcatraz Escape Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary sat on a rocky island in the middle of San Francisco Bay and was widely considered escape proof. Cold water, powerful currents, and constant surveillance made the idea of fleeing the prison seem almost impossible. But in 1962, inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin carried out one of the most daring prison escapes in American history. Over months, they secretly widened the ventilation openings in their cells using makeshift tools constructed from spoons and scrap metal. Behind the walls, they built a hidden workshop where they assembled an inflatable raft from stolen raincoats. To delay discovery, the men crafted lifelike dummy heads from soap, paper, and real human hair collected from the prison barbershop. The decoys were placed in their beds to fool guards during nighttime checks. When the escape was finally discovered, the men had already vanished into the dark waters of the bay. Despite one of the largest manhunts in the prison's history, the three escapees were never conclusively found. Whether they drowned in the freezing water or managed to reach land remains one of the most enduring mysteries in American criminal history. Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Few prison escapes have embarrassed authorities more than the escape of Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman from Altiplano federal prison in 2015. Guzman was being held in one of Mexico's highest security facilities when surveillance cameras suddenly showed him entering the shower area of his cell, the only place without a direct camera view. Moments later, he disappeared. Investigators soon discovered that an elaborate tunnel had been constructed beneath the prison. Stretching more than a mile, the tunnel was equipped with lighting, ventilation systems, and even a small motorcycle mounted on rails to transport dirt and equipment. The tunnel led directly from the shower floor of Guzman's cell to a building outside the prison walls. The precision of the engineering suggested months of planning and extensive outside assistance. The escape triggered international outrage and a massive manhunt. Guzman was eventually recaptured months later, but the tunnel remains one of the most astonishing prison break operations ever uncovered. Pascal Paellet French criminal Pascal Payet turned prison escapes into something resembling a career. In 2001, Payet orchestrated a dramatic breakout from a prison in southern France when accomplices hijacked a helicopter and landed it in the prison yard. Payet climbed aboard and flew to freedom. Authorities recaptured him the following year, but that did not end the story. In 2007, Payet escaped again, this time using another helicopter that landed directly, lightly on the prison roof. Armed accomplices forced guards to stand down while Payet boarded the aircraft and disappeared once more. The sheer theatricality of the escape stunned the public and embarrassed prison officials. Although Payet was eventually captured again, his repeated helicopter breakouts earned him a reputation as one of the most audacious escape artists in modern criminal history. Ted Bundy Serial killer Ted Bundy managed to escape custody not once, but twice while awaiting trial in Colorado in the late 1970s. The first escape occurred in 1977 during a courthouse hearing in Aspen. Bundy had convinced authorities to allow him access to the law library without restraints so he could prepare his defense. While alone, he simply jumped from a second story window and ran into the nearby mountains. Although he was captured days later, Bundy was not finished. Later that year, while held in a Colorado jail, he slowly lost weight and cut a hole in the ceiling of his cell. After climbing into the crawl space above the jail, he slipped into the apartment of a jailer who was out for the evening and walked out of the front door. Bundy fled across multiple states before being arrested again. His escapes remain some of the most infamous examples of how dangerous prisoners can exploit even small weaknesses in security. John Dillinger during the Great Depression, bank robber John Dillinger became one of the most famous fugitives in the United States. His charisma and daring crimes turned him into a folk antihero in the eyes of many Americans. In 1934, Dillinger was captured and held at the Crown Point Jail in Indiana, a facility that authorities described as escape proof. But Dillinger managed to carve a fake gun out of wood and darken it with shoe polish. Using the crude replica, he threatened guards and demanded their cooperation. The bluff worked. Dillinger locked the guards in their own cells, stole the sheriff's car, and drove out of the jail. Although he was eventually tracked down and killed by federal agents later that year, the escape embarrassed authorities and became one of the most famous prison breaks in American history. Richard Lee McNair In 2006, federal inmate Richard Lee McNair carried out one of the most improbable prison escapes in modern while being held at a facility in Louisiana. McNair had already escaped custody twice before, earning a reputation among investigators for patience and careful planning. This time, he devised a method so simple it initially went unnoticed. McNair constructed a makeshift escape pod out of a wooden crate used to ship mailbags and other prison supplies. Once inside, he arranged to have the crate transported out of the prison as part of a routine delivery. Air holes drilled into the box allowed him to breathe while he was moved through the facility's loading system. The crate passed through prison checkpoints and was eventually placed on a truck leaving the grounds. Once outside the facility, McNair broke free from the container and disappeared. The escape was so unusual that a police dash cam later captured an officer briefly questioning McNair on the side of a highway shortly after the breakout, speaking calmly and offering vague answers, McNair convinced the officer he was simply out jogging and was allowed to leave. He remained on the run for more than a year before finally being captured in Canada. McNair's escape demonstrated that sometimes the most effective prison break strategy isn't force or speed. It's patience and the ability to blend into the ordinary routines. No one thinks to question why escapes capture the public imagination. Prison escapes occupy a strange place in the public imagination. They combine the suspense of a manhunt with the ingenuity of a puzzle. Every escape raises the same question. How did someone manage to defeat a system designed to contain them? For investigators and corrections officials, each escape also becomes a lesson. Every tunnel, disguise, or improvised tool exposes a vulnerability that must be corrected. Yet the fascination persists because escapes reveal something fundamental about crime and punishment. No matter how secure the walls, there will always be someone determined to test them them. In today's episode of Deception, we look at a criminal whose story reads like a long game of cat and mouse with law enforcement. A thief who seemed to slip through the system again and again. For the full story of the outlaw who just wouldn't stay locked up, listen to today's episode of Deception. Because sometimes the most astonishing crimes are not the ones that happen during the heist. They're the ones that happen after the arrest. You've been listening to crime house 247 bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Richardson. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. Stay safe and thanks for listening.
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Thanks for listening to today's episode. Not sure what to listen to next? Check out America's Most Impactful Crimes, hosted by Katie Ring. From serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game changing investigations, each week Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history. Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes now. Wherever you listen to podcasts.