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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.
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Cult and on Fridays we look at a corresponding crime. Every week has a theme. Tech, bioterror, power, paranoia, you name it.
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Follow conspiracy theories, cults and crimes now.
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On your podcast app because you're about to dive deeper, get weirder and go darker than ever before.
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This is Crime House.
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Good morning everyone.
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We have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need to know about. And we're starting with the biggest one in Florida. A rapper is expected to appear in.
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Court today for a witness tampering hearing.
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Which stemmed from his alleged involvement in.
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A double homicide case that took the lives of his best friends.
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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.
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Few a quite a lineup for you today.
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Here's what you need to know.
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Right into the news. Jamel Demons the rapper known as YNW Melly, is scheduled to return to a.
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Fort Lauderdale courtroom today, January 20, 2026.
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When jury selection is set to begin.
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In his witness tampering case.
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It's important to note that some sources report the hearing is on January 20.
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And others report January 21.
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But either way, the proceeding marks the next immediate milestone in a long and layered prosec that also includes a pending.
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Retrial for double homicide.
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The witness tampering case stems from allegations that while housed at the Broward county jail in 2023, Demons attempted to influence a prosecution witness connected to his earlier murder trial. Prosecutors allege Demins passed a message through another inmate in an effort to dissuade testimony. Earlier this month, attorneys for both sides appeared in court to argue pre trial motions related to the tampering case. Defense counsel asked the judge to any.
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Reference to Demon's pending murder charges, arguing.
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That such information would unfairly prejudice jurors.
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Deciding a separate offense.
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Prosecutors opposed that request, saying contextual evidence may be necessary to explain the alleged.
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Motive behind the tampering.
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Defense attorneys also moved to exclude lyrics, music videos and older social media posts from evidence, arguing they are irrelevant to.
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The alleged tampering and predate the conduct in question.
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The that case unfolds against the backdrop of a far more serious charge that has defined Demins incarceration for nearly seven years. Before his arrest, Demons rose rapidly in the music industry. He gained national attention in 2018 with.
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The song Murder on My Mind, which went viral and later charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The track became his breakout hit and.
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Helped propel him into mainstream recognition.
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Following that success, Demons continued releasing music and even worked with rapper Kanye west and it seemed like he was at the top of his game.
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But then came the downfall then 19.
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Year old Demins is accused of killing.
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Two men on October 26, 2018.
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19 year old Christopher Juvie Thomas Jr. And 21 year old Anthony Sack Williams, both victims were members of the same rap collective and longtime associates of Demons, according to prosecutors. The three men were together after a.
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Late night recording session in Miramar, Florida.
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The state alleges demons shot Thomas Jr. And Williams inside a vehicle and later attempted to stage the scene as a drive by shooting. Authorities say shell casings and trajectory evidence.
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Did not align with a roadside ambush, prompting further investigation.
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Demons was arrested on February 13, 2019 after a Broward county grand jury indicted.
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Him on two counts of degree murder.
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He has pleaded not guilty and has remained in custody without bond since his arrest. 20 year old CO defendant Cortland Henry, also known as YNW Bortlen, was originally charged alongside Demons. In 2025, prosecutors dismissed Henry's murder charges as part of a plea deal in which he entered no contest pleas to.
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Lesser offenses, including accessory after the fact and witness tampering.
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Demons first murder trial began in June 2023 and ended in a mistrial in July after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict following several days of.
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Deliberation, the court declared a hung jury.
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Leaving the charges unresolved. Since then, the case has been marked by repeated delays tied to appeals, evidentiary disputes and scheduling conflicts.
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And then on January 5, 2026, attorneys returned to court ahead of Demons murder retrial for a motions hearing.
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In the meantime, a new trial date for the double homicide case is currently set for January 2027, nearly nine years.
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After the killings and eight years after demons arrest.
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Demons has had a history of run ins with the law starting when he was in high school where he got three charges for shooting a gun towards a group of people near Vero Beach High School in Florida. He was arrested twice more after that.
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For possession of marijuana charges and he.
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Was connected to the 2017 death of.
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An off d cop.
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Currently, authorities haven't released a motive in Demon's killing of Thomas Jr. And Williams, and his attorney continues to question why he'd kill his, quote, best friends. For now, the immediate focus remains on the witness tampering case, where the jurors are expected to be seated later this month. And while his broader homicide case continues moving through Florida's courts, let's turn to a case unfolding across the coast where another celebrity is facing charges in a.
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Now high profile case in Los Angeles.
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Actor and director Timothy Busfield is scheduled.
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To appear in Court on January 20, 2026 for a pre trial detention hearing.
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After prosecutors moved to keep him in.
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Custody on child SA charges. The hearing was announced Thursday, January 15th by Sam Bregman, the district attorney for Bernalino County, New Mexico.
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Who said his office has filed a.
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Motion asking the court to deny Busfield pre trial release.
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Prosecutors argue Busfield should remain detained, citing what they described as a calculated pattern of predatory conduct. Busfield is charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor under.
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The age of 13 and one count of child abuse in New Mexico.
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The charges stem from allegations involving two.
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Underage boys, according to an arrest warrant.
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Issued January 9, 2026. Investigators allege Busfield had inappropriate sexual contact.
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With the boys while working on the.
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Television series Cleaning Lady, a former Fox.
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Series produced by Warner Brothers Television.
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Buzzfield directed several episodes of the show and prosecutors allege the conduct occurred while he was in a position of authority on set. Buzzfield turned himself into police early last.
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Week on January 14th following his arrest warrant. However, his attorney has denied the allegations.
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Adding that Buzzfield voluntarily took and passed.
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An independent polygraph examination related to the accusations. At a press conference announcing the hearing.
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Bregman declined to provide details about the alleged conduct, saying his office intends to.
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Present its arguments in court rather than in public statements.
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He did, however, outline the procedural path forward, beginning with the January 20th pre.
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Trial detention hearing, which will determine whether Busfield remains in custody before trial.
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As part of the detention motion, prosecutors disclosed a new and separate allegation. According to court filings, Busfield is accused of groping a then 16 year old girl in the early 2000s while she was auditioning for a role at Busfield's B Street theater in Sacramento, California. Prosecutors have emphasized that the allegation involving the 16 year old is not part.
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Of the current criminal charges.
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Instead, they say it was included to support their argument that Busfield poses a risk if released before trial. No charges have been filed in connection with that allegation. The criminal case has triggered immediate professional consequences. In early January, Busfield's talent agency confirmed.
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It had dropped him.
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The agency said it was no longer representing Busfield in any capacity as the legal proceedings continue. Industry sources have also confirmed that Busfield is no longer attached to active projects, and production entities have taken steps to.
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Distance themselves while the case is pending.
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Busfield has worked steadily in television and film for decades, with prominent roles in.
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The West Wing, 30something and Little House on the Prairie.
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He's married to actor Melissa Gilbert. Legal experts note that pretrial detention hearings focus on issues such as public safety, flight risk and the likelihood a defendant.
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Will comply with court conditions not on guilt or innocence.
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Judges may consider patterns of alleged conduct.
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When determining whether detention is warranted.
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As of now, Busfield faces charges only in the New Mexico case involving the two boys, so we'll make sure to.
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Keep you posted on today's hearing.
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Meanwhile, a 20 year old man in.
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Michigan is also scheduled to appear in court today for allegedly murdering his much older housemate.
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Experian Today, January 20, 2026 A Warren, Michigan man charged in the death of.
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His 63 year old housemate, Roger Willie, is scheduled to appear in Macomb County Circuit Court after a judge ruled the case should proceed to trial. The upcoming appearance follows a January 12.
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Decision by a Circuit court judge who.
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Reversed an earlier district court ruling that had dismissed the charges. Prosecutors argued the lower court applied the.
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Wrong legal standard when evaluating the evidence, and the judge agreed.
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Kayvon Brisco hall is charged in connection with the death of Willie, who was.
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Found inside the home they shared in 2024.
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Prosecutors allege Willie suffered fatal injuries during an altercation inside. Some reports have described Willie as the defendant's live in boyfriend, though charging documents.
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Refer to him as a housemate.
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According to investigators, police were called to.
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The home after reports of a disturbance.
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When officers arrived, they found Willie unresponsive. An autopsy later determined his death was a homicide, prompting prosecutors to pursue criminal charges. At a preliminary examination last year, a district court judge declined to bind the case over for trial, ruling prosecutors had not established probable cause. That decision dismissed the case at the district court level. The Maycomb County Prosecutor's Office appealed, arguing the district court improperly weighed witness credibility and evidence rather than applying the limited.
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Probable cause standard required at that stage of the proceedings.
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The circuit court agreed, ruling prosecutors presented sufficient evidence for the case to be.
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Decided by a jury.
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The judge emphasized that questions about credibility and factual disputes are matters for trial, which will likely be scheduled at Briscoe.
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Hall's court appearance today.
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While we await the outcome of that.
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Hearing, jury selection is happening up north.
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In New York, where two twin brothers.
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Are standing trial for sa and shockingly.
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One of their accusers died under suspicious.
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Circumstances just weeks before their trial. Jury selection begins today in a New.
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York federal court in the case against.
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Twin brothers Allon and Orin Alexander as.
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Prosecutors move forward despite the recent death of a key accuser just days before trial. The case centers on allegations that the Alexander brothers committed sexual assault against multiple women over a period of years, including at least one incident alleged to have occurred in 2010. Federal prosecutors say the brothers used their wealth status and access to exclusive social.
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Settings to target and assault women, often in private residences or during high end social gatherings.
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Orin was a prominent luxury real estate.
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Broker with clients including Kim Kardashian, Kanye west and Lindsay Lohan while Alon worked in the family's private security business.
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One of the brother's most prominent accusers.
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A 45 year old Australian woman named Kate Weiderman, had alleged she was assaulted.
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By the brothers during a party in.
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New York in 2010, claiming they forced.
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Her into an SUV and drove her.
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To an estate in the Hamptons where the assault occurred.
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Her account was expected to be a central part of the government's case. But things changed unexpectedly when Whiteman was.
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Found dead in Australia in late 2020.
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It wasn't reported until the New York.
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Times confirmed it on Thursday, January 15.
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Authorities in South Wales have said they believe her death is, quote, non suspicious.
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As they await more evidence from the coroner's office.
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Meanwhile, New York prosecutors have confirmed that.
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Whiteman's death will not halt the case.
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According to court filings, the government intends to proceed using testimony from other accusers.
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As well as corroborating evidence gathered during the investigation.
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The Alexander brothers were arrested in December December 2024 for allegedly assaulting a woman.
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In January 2012 aboard a cruise ship, and now they stand indicted on federal charges related to alleged SA involving several women.
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Prosecutors say the alleged conduct followed a.
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Pattern with victims describing similar circumstances surrounding the encounters, specifically where the women, estimated to be up to 60 in total, were lured into lavish parties, drugged and then assaulted.
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In recent weeks, prosecutors filed additional charges as trial approached, expanding the scope of.
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The case and reinforcing their argument that the alleged conduct was not isolated. Defense attorneys have pushed back, arguing the accusations are unfounded and that the brothers are being targeted based on their public profiles. Both Alon and Oren Alexander have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Through their attorneys, they've denied the allegations and challenged the credibility of the accusers. As jury select election begins today, the.
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Court has not indicated whether the trial schedule will change. Proceedings are expected to continue as planned, marking a significant step forward in a.
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Case that has drawn national and international.
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Attention, but also coming at the expense.
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Of the Whiteman family, who remains searching for answers.
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Lastly, let me tell you about what.
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Else is happening at Crime House today.
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Crimes of Passion is examining three real.
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Murder cases, cases where catfishing and stolen online identities were central to how the violence unfolded.
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Catfishing is usually discussed as a social.
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Embarrassment, a lie that leads to humiliation, heartbreak or betrayal. But in rare and devastating cases, catfishing becomes something much darker.
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The three cases explored here are unsettling, not because the technology was advanced, but.
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Because it was ordinary.
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The lies were believable, the emotions were.
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Real, and the consequences were irreversible. First off, the Tall Hot Blonde case remains one of the earliest and most.
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Infamous examples of catfishing leading directly to murder. And it's also one of the most frequently misunderstood. At the center of that case was.
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Thomas Montgomery, a 46 year old married factory worker in New York. Online, Montgomery posed as an 18 year old Marine using the screen name Marine Sniper. Montgomery met Tall Hot Blonde in an online chat room.
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Tall Hot Blonde presented herself as an.
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Attractive 18 year old girl named Jessie.
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She sent photos, flirted and engaged in emotionally intense conversations. What he didn't know was that the person actually sending those messages was Jesse's mother, Mary Sheeler. Mary Sheeler had been using her teenage.
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Daughter'S photos, screen name and identity to interact with adult men online without her daughter's knowledge.
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She was impersonating her in chat rooms.
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Exchanging sexualized messages and fueling romantic rivalries. When Montgomery's wife discovered the affair and revealed Montgomery's true age to Jesse, the dynamic shifted. Tall Hot Blonde began interacting with Brian Barrett, a younger co worker of Montgomery's. That interaction ignited Montgomery's jealousy. On April 15, 2006, Thomas Montgomery drove from New York to Tennessee, located Brian Barrett and shot him to death in.
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The parking lot of the factory where Barrett worked. At trial, Montgomery admitted to the shooting. He was convicted of second degree murder.
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And sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. The case became a landmark moment in public understanding of catfishing, demonstrating that online deception doesn't stay online when emotions turn into obsession.
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Our next story comes more than a decade later. Catfishing took on a far more calculated.
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And predatory form in this story.
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In November 2017, Sydney Loof, a 24 year old woman from Lincoln, Nebraska disappeared.
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After going on a Tinder date.
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She told friends she was meeting a woman named Audrey.
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Audrey did not exist. The Tinder profile belonged to Bailey Boswell, who along with her boyfriend Aubrey Trail, used fake profiles to lure victims. Unlike the Tall Hot Blonde case, this catfishing was not fueled by jealousy or emotional confusion. It was intentional and strategic. Boswell and Trail were searching for victims.
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They believed they could control.
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By posing as Audrey, a friendly, attractive woman, Boswell lowered Loof's guard. After the date, Sidney Loof vanished.
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Her body was later discovered dismembered and scattered across rural Nebraska.
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An autopsy revealed she had been strangled. Both Boswell and Trail were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
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The murder of Sidney Loof shocked the.
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Public because it exposed a new vulnerability in modern life. Dating apps normalized meeting strangers. Catfishing exploits that normalization. In this case, deception was not about romance. It was about selection, access and control. If the Tall Hot Blonde case shows how catfishing can ignite violence and the Sidney Loof case shows how it can enable predation. Our third story, the murder of Carrie.
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Farver, reveals something even more disturbing.
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Catfishing used to conceal a murder for years.
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Carrie Farver disappeared in November 2012 after visiting the home of Dave Krupa, a.
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Man she'd been dating. After that night, she was never seen again. But almost immediately, something strange happened.
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Krupa started receiving messages from Carrie.
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Angry messages, threatening messages, emails, texts, Facebook posts. Carrie appeared obsessed, furious and determined to harass him indefinitely.
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Carrie's mother received messages from her as well.
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Friends received messages.
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The digital presence was relentless.
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Carrie seemed alive. Volatile, unstable, but alive. In reality, Carrie Farver had been murdered that night by Liz Gollier, another woman involved with Krupa.
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After killing Farver, Gollier launched one of.
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The most extensive catfishing campaigns ever documented. Using Farver's phone, social media accounts and email, Gallier impersonated Carrie for nearly four years.
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She sent thousands of messages designed to suggest that Carrie had chosen to disappear and was stalking Krupa from afar. She mailed threatening letters.
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She created online posts.
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She even sent messages to herself posing.
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As Carrie to reinforce the illusion.
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For years, investigators believed Carrie was alive but missing voluntarily.
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Eventually, the digital trail led back to Liz Gollier. Gollier was arrested, convicted of first degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison. The Carrie Farver case is sensational because it transformed catfishing into something unprecedented, a method of extending a murder indefinitely. The crime didn't end with the killing. It continued through years of psychological manipulation that delayed justice and traumatized everyone involved.
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These three murders are different in motive.
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And method, but they share a defining feature.
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Catfishing was not incidental. It was essential.
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Each case forced courts and investigators to confront new questions about responsibility in the digital age.
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How much culpability lies in deception?
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When does online manipulation become real world violence? How long can a lie keep a crime hidden? The Internet did not invent violence, but it changed how violence can begin, how it can be hidden, and how long it can go unnoticed. Catfishing murders are rare, but they are.
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Uniquely disturbing because they weaponize trust. They turn ordinary communication into a mechanism.
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For obsession, control and death. These are not stories about technology gone wrong. They're stories about human behavior amplified, accelerated and made lethal by deception.
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For the in depth story behind the.
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Tall hot blonde case, head over to.
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Our Crime House feed for the latest episode of Crimes of Passion. You've been listening to crime house 247 bringing you breaking crime news.
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I'm Vanessa Richardson.
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We'll be back tomorrow tomorrow morning with more developing stories.
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Stay safe and thanks for listening.
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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.
B
Cult, and on Fridays we look at a corresponding crime.
A
Follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen.
Episode: Rapper Faces Witness Tampering Hearing Related To Double Homicide Trial
Host: Vanessa Richardson
Date: January 20, 2026
This episode delivers up-to-the-minute updates on several major developing true crime cases across the country, starting with rapper YNW Melly's (Jamel Demons) witness tampering hearing in Florida connected to a double homicide retrial. It then breaks down high-profile criminal proceedings involving actor/director Timothy Busfield, a Michigan murder case, and the sexual assault trial of twin brothers in New York. The episode closes with a deep dive into "catfishing murders," using chilling real-life examples to explore how digital deception has escalated deadly violence.
Vanessa Richardson delivers concise, fact-based updates with a tone balancing urgency, clarity, and empathy, especially in the deep-dive segment on catfishing murders. She often poses pointed, thoughtful questions about justice, motive, and the evolution of internet-related crime.
This episode captures the shockwaves of several fast-moving criminal cases while using skillful narrative journalism to explore the chilling escalation of online deception to real-world violence. The hosts’ reporting simplifies complex proceedings, spotlights the human toll, and asks essential questions about the digital era’s impact on law, crime, and trust.