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Hi Crime House community, It's Vanessa Richardson. Exciting news. Conspiracy theories, cults and crimes is leveling up. Starting the week of January 12th, you'll be getting two episodes every week. Wednesdays we unravel the conspiracy or the cult and on Fridays we look at a corresponding crime. Every week has a theme. Tech, bioterror, power, paranoia, you name it. Follow conspiracy theories, cults and crimes now on your podcast app because you're about to dive deeper, get weirder and go darker than ever before. 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 woman was just 16 when she entered a home to be taken care of. Today. A jury found her captor guilty, concluding she spent more than 20 years trapped in modern day slavery. 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 when.
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We begin today with a verdict out of the United Kingdom in an utterly horrific modern day slavery case that has shocked England. On January 21, 2026, a jury at Gloucester Crown Court found Amanda Wixon, a 56 year old mother of 10, guilty of multiple offenses after determining that she held another woman captive in her home for more than two decades. The victim was not related to Wixon, but she was brought into Wixon's household in 1996 when she was 16 years old. The police said Wixson assumed responsibility for her, which makes people suspect that the victim was a foster child. However, I want to note that this distinction has not been made public yet. The police emphasized that she was placed into Wixon's home and then subjected to years of exploitation. What was presented to her as a domestic arrangement quickly escalated into total control. From 1996 through at least 2022, the jury learned that the victim was made to work every day without pay. Her duties included cooking, cleaning, child care and maintaining the household from early morning until late at night. She was not allowed to attend school, wasn't paid wages and wasn't allowed to leave freely or establish an independent life. Instead, she was forced to spend hours a day on her knees working while Wixon received benefit payments for housing her for prosecutors said she had a separate room in the house that was left in appalling conditions and she lived without health and dental care. She had no possessions of her own and wore hand me down clothes. Additionally, she wasn't allowed to wash herself but was instead forced to bathe. Wixen and Wixon's children Evidence presented at trial showed that Wixon used threats of violence and psychological manipulation to maintain control, repeatedly telling the victim that police would arrest her if she tried to leave Gloucester Police said the victim was isolated from the outside world and denied meaningful contact beyond the household for decades. Throughout this period, Wixon raised 10 children of her own in the same home in Tewksbury Gloucester, all while doing terrible things to the victim. Prosecutors told the jury the victim was not being disciplined or raised as a child, but exploited as unpaid labor under coercive control. The abuse continued year after year, largely hidden from public view and until March 15, 2021, when the case crossed authorities desks. Allegedly, one of Wixon's sons officially called the police for help, saying he was concerned about the victim's well being. The victim also allegedly called for help using a secret cell phone that she had been given, although it's unclear who gave it to her. At around 10:30pm that night, police arrived at Wixon's home and found the victim severely malnourished, immediately opening a formal investigation, according to Gloucest. Detectives uncovered evidence spanning more than two decades supporting charges of forced labor, servitude and human trafficking under the United Kingdom's Modern Slavery Act. Wixon was formally charged and the case proceeded to trial in late 2025. On January 21, 2026, jurors returned guilty verdicts on multiple counts. During closing arguments, prosecutors emphasized the length and severity of the exploitation, telling jurors that had spent most of her life under coercive control inside a household where she had no familial protection and no authority over her own movements. By the time she escaped, prosecutors added, the victim was in middle age and had never lived independently as an adult. Victim impact statements summarized by British media described lasting psychological harm, including fear of authority figures and difficulty understanding her rights after decades of manipulation. Neighbors also told reporters they were unaware anything unusual was happening inside the home. One neighbor even said that while the house appeared busy and crowded. It gave no indication that someone inside was being held against her will. In a statement following the verdict, Gloucester police said the case demonstrates how exploitation can exist behind closed doors, relying on isolation, fear and dependency rather than physical restraint. They urged the public to report concerns about potential exploitation even when situations appear domestic or informal. As of this recording, Wixson is expected to be sentenced on March 12, 2026, which is roughly three months from now. Meanwhile, authorities say the victim, who is now in her 40s, is safe and receiving ongoing treatment. Meanwhile, jurors back in the United States are working through a tricky resentencing trial determining whether a Florida man who left his to die will still receive the death penalty. A resentencing trial is continuing today in South Florida in a case that's haunted the state for nearly three decades. Proceedings resumed this week in Broward county for Harold Brady, the 76 year old man convicted in the 1998 murder of 5 year old Katisha Candy Mock. The resentencing trial began just a few days ago on January 20, 2026, and jurors are now hear testimony that will determine whether Bratty remains eligible for the death penalty or will be sentenced to life in prison. Here's the important distinction. Jurors are not reconsidering Bratty's guilt that was established decades ago. Instead, they're being asked to weigh the circumstances of the crime and Bratty's background under Florida's current death penalty standards, which now require a unanimous jury recommendation. The crime itself dates back to November 7, 1998. According to trial testimony and court records, Candy disappeared from her Fort Lauderdale neighborhood after being abducted by Brady, who was 24 at the time. He beat and choked Candy's mother, 22 year old Shondell Maycock, whom he had met through a church group. Brady then forced Chandelle and Candy into his car. The mother grabbed her baby and jumped out of the moving vehicle in an attempt to escape. Badly injured, Shondell was thrown into the back of Bratty's car. When he opened it again, he choked her until she became unconscious. When she woke up, Shondell was on a remote dirt road and couldn't find Candy anywhere from there. Prosecutors said Bratty had driven the child to a remote, swampy area near a canal in the South Florida Everglades called Alligator Alley. Alligator Alley is an environment known to be inhabited by alligators, and Bratty threw Candy onto rocks near the water. Her body was found the next day when a man fishing in the alley came across her body medical and forensic evidence established that she'd been attacked and killed by alligators. Investigators later connected Bratty to the crime through witness statements and physical evidence leading to his arrest days after Katisha disappeared. At Bratty's original trial, prosecutors acknowledged that he did not physically carry out the fatal attack, but argued that his actions directly caused the child's death. The they told jurors that intentionally abandoning a young child in a deadly environment constituted premeditated murder. The jury agreed, convicting Bratty of first degree murder and kidnapping. He was sentenced to death in 2007. Since his conviction, Bratty has remained incarcerated on Florida's death row. But in 2017, his sentence was reversed after the Supreme Court ruled that Florida's death penalty law was unconstitutional. Florida law now requires a unanimous jury to impose the death penalty, and Bratty's original sentence wasn't unanimous. So his resentencing trial continues today nearly two decades after his initial sentence. This week, jurors have heard emotional testimony from Candy's mother, Shondell. She described the last time she saw her daughter and the years of grief that followed, telling jurors that learning the details of how her child died remains a source of lasting trauma. Prosecutors are presenting evidence to emphasize the cruelty of the crime and the vulnerability of the victim, focusing on Katisha's age and the deliberate nature of her abandonment. If jurors unanimously recommend death, Bradi could again face execution. But if they don't, the court will impose a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. For Candy's family, the proceedings represent another painful return to a crime that began in 1998 and has never truly ended. And hopefully they get their justice soon. As we watch what happens in that Florida courtroom, a case is breaking across the country in Los Angeles where a California firefighter is being accused of killing his wife with an axe.
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Foreign. California homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman found inside a North Hollywood home early Wednesday morning. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to a residence in the 5600 block of Satsuma Avenue at approximately 4:00am on January 21, 2026 after receiving a request for a welfare check. Police say the welfare check was initiated after the woman's husband, 45 year old Andrew Jimenez, an off duty firefighter deployed by the Glendale Fire Department, went to a police station earlier that morning and asked officers to check on his wife. When officers entered the home, they found an adult woman dead inside a bedroom. Authorities later identified the victim as 55 year old Mayra Jimenez. Police confirmed she was married to Andrew Jimenez. She was Investigators described the scene as violent, according to police and local reporting. Officers observed significant blood inside the residence and detectives believe the woman suffered injuries consistent with blunt force trauma to the head. KTLA and People reported that investigators are examining whether a heavy object, reportedly an ax, found at the scene, may have been involved. Authorities have not publicly confirmed a specific murder weapon. Homicide detectives were called to the scene shortly after the body was discovered and the investigation was later classified as a homicide. Police arrested Andrew Jimenez and he was later held at the Northeast Station for questioning. Officials confirmed he was off duty at the time of the incident, according to ABC 7. Jimenez was later booked into jail on suspicion of murder, with bail listed at $2 million as of Jan. 22. Prosecutors had not announced whether formal charges had been filed. The Los Angeles County Medical examiner has not released an official cause or manner of death. The Glendale Fire Department confirmed Jimenez's employment and said he's been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. In a statement, the department said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement and extended condolences to the victim's family. Police said the killing appears to have occurred inside the home and described the case as an apparent domestic violence incident adding there is no threat to the public. The investigation remains active and authorities say additional information will be released as it becomes available now to the Bay Area, where a viral confrontation outside a San Francisco restaurant has led to a very different legal outcome. If you saw that viral video of a woman attacking staffers at a restaurant in San Francisco, this story's for you. If you didn't, you're going to want to tune in for this one because despite the violent altercation, prosecutors have announced that they will not file criminal charges against the woman accused. According to the San Francisco District Attorney's office, no charges will be brought against a woman captured on video during an altercation outside Hazy's, a restaurant located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. The Incident occurred on December 13, 2025, and video of the confrontation later circulated widely on social media. TMZ later obtained the footage and shared it on TikTok, where it has since drawn over 9 million views and counting. In the footage, the woman is seen yelling at a Hazy's employee and directing racially offensive remarks towards staff while standing outside the restaurant. Another person, believed to be her boyfriend, is also seen engaging with staff and bystanders. The video prompted widespread condemnation and calls for criminal charges. The woman was later identified as Shireen Afkari, a San Francisco resident who was employed at the time by the fitness tracking company Strava. San Francisco police confirmed officers responded to the scene and arrested Afkari on suspicion of public intoxication the night of the incident. However, police say no other criminal charges were filed at the time, according to reporting from People and SFGate. The District Attorney's office said the case was never formally referred to prosecutors for criminal review, which is why no charges, including potential hate crime allegations, are being pursued. In a statement explaining the decision, the district attorney's office emphasized the distinction between behavior that is socially offensive or disturbing and conduct that meets the legal threshold required for criminal prosecution under California law. While no criminal charges were filed, the incident had immediate professional consequences. Strava confirmed that Afkari was terminated from her position, citing violations of company policy and values, and said the behavior shown in the video was inconsistent with its standards. Hazy said it was not accused of any wrongdoing. However, in the aftermath of the incident, the restaurant also terminated a bartender, Miguel Marchese, citing insurance concerns after he was involved in the incident. Marchese later said he declined a severance offer of $5,000. Prosecutors said the case remains closed unless new evidence is presented.
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Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.
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Parle tout francais hablage parle Italiano.
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Lastly, let me tell you about what else is happening at Crime House today. Conspiracy theories, Cults and Crimes is exploring the Altamont Concert riot and the murder of 18 year old Meredith Hunter. The Altamont Free Concert of December 6, 1969 is usually remembered as a single frozen moment. A young man stabbed to death in front of the Rolling Stone stage captured on film, replayed endlessly as proof that the optimism of the 1960s collapsed in real time. But that framing oversimplifies what actually happened. Altamont was not one decision, one act of violence, or one failure of character. It was a layered breakdown involving planning, shortcuts, drug culture, Racial tension and a crowd size that exceeded anything the counterculture had ever attempted to manage. Here are four lesser known but critical details that help explain why Altamont unfolded the way it did and why reducing it to a single stabbing misses the point. Number one, the crowd was already violent before the Rolling Stones arrived. One of the most persistent myths about Altamont is that the violence began with the Rolling Stones set or that the band's presence somehow triggered the riot. In reality, the day had already descended into chaos hours before the Stones took the stage. From the morning onward, fights broke out near the stage as people pushed forward, slipped on the dirt slopes, and fell into one another. Alcohol and drugs were abundant, including large quantities of lsd, methamphetamines and alcohol. Often consumed without water or by early afternoon, concert goers were visibly dehydrated, disoriented and aggressive. Several performers who went on before the Stones encountered open hostility. Santana and the Flying Burrito Brothers both had to stop playing as fights erupted directly in front of the stage. During Jefferson Airplane set, singer Marty Balin attempted to intervene when he saw Hell's Angels beating a fan. He was punched in the face by an angel and knocked unconscious on stage, in full view of the crowd. That moment is rarely emphasized in popular retellings, but it matters. It demonstrated that violence was no longer reactive. It had become normalized. By the time the Stones arrived, the crowd had already learned that physical force was how disputes were handled at Altamont. The riot was not waiting to happen. It was already happening. Number two, the stage design eliminated any chance of crowd control. Altamont Speedway was never designed for a concert, let alone a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people. But one specific design flaw played an outsized role in what followed. The stage was only a few feet high at most major concerts. Elevation creates psychological and physical separation between performers and audience. It establishes boundaries and sightlines, and it gives security room to operate. At Altamont, that boundary barely existed. Audience members were essentially islands level with the performers, and the stage itself became a congested space. People repeatedly climbed onto the stage, not to attack the band, but just because the structure invited it. Each time someone mounted the stage, the Hells Angels responded with force, dragging people off and beating them in front of the crowd. The stage became a flashpoint, not because of the music, but because of the design. Modern crowd control science emphasizes vertical separation and controlled access points. Altamont had neither. The physical environment turned minor disruptions into violent confrontations again and again. Number three, Meredith Hunter had already been assaulted multiple times before the fatal stabbing. Meredith Hunter's death is often framed as a sudden, isolated incident. A man pulls a gun, is stabbed, and the story ends there. But eyewitness accounts and documentary footage show that Hunter's experience that day was one of repeated provocation and viol. Hunter, a young black man in a predominantly white crowd, stood out immediately. Witnesses later recalled that he was shoved, grabbed and beaten by Hell's Angels earlier in the day while trying to approach the stage. Each time he was forcibly removed, sometimes knocked to the ground, sometimes struck with fists or objects. By the time Hunter returned to the front of the stage during the Rolling Stone set, he was already injured, angry and frightened when he pulled a handgun from his jacket. It was not the opening move of the conflict. It was the final escalation of one that had been ongoing for hours. This does not excuse the presence of a gun, but it does complicate the simplistic narrative that portrays the stabbing as a clean act of self defense by the Angels. Hunter's actions occurred within a context of repeated racialized violence that is often glossed over. Altamont did not just expose the limits of counterculture idealism. It exposed how quickly those ideals collapsed when confronted with race number four, the Grateful Dead quietly withdrew because they knew someone would die. The Grateful Dead were originally scheduled to perform at Altamont, and their absence is usually mentioned in passing. What is less known is why they left and how close they came to becoming part of the tragedy. Members of the Dead arrived at the site early and immediately sensed that the situation was unstable. They witnessed beatings near the stage, observed the crowd density, and recognized that the Hell's Angels were operating without restraint. Several Dead associates warned that the concert was dangerous and could turn fatal. Rather than make a public statement, the band made a quiet decision. They would not play. They left the site without fanfare, understanding that announcing their withdrawal could spark panic or anger in an already volatile crowd. Their decision was pragmatic, not ideological. They believed that playing would worsen the situation, not calm it. This detail matters because it shows that the danger was legible to those who knew what to look for. Altamont was not a mystery or a freak accident. Some people recognized the warning signs. Taken together, these four details reveal a different Altamont not a moral collapse, but a systemic one. Violence did not erupt because ideals failed. It erupted because planning, accountability and realism were dismissed as unnecessary. Altamont is remembered as the end of an era, but that framing lets too many people off the hook. The ideals of the 1960s didn't die in a single moment, and Altamont didn't kill the dream. It exposed what the dream refused to confront. And that is why, decades later, it still refuses to fade quietly into history. For the in depth story behind the Altamont concert riot and the killing of Meredith Hunter, head over to our Crime House feed for the latest episode of Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. 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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Funds.
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Looking for your next listen? Hi, it's Vanessa Richardson and I have exciting news. Conspiracy theories, cults and crimes is leveling up starting the week of January 12th. You'll be getting two episodes every week. Wednesdays we unravel the conspiracy or the cult, and on Fridays we look at a corresponding crime. Follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen.