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The Oregon Girlfriend's Body in the Woods: Sentencing Update | Crime House 24/7
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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 shooting, a cover up up in the woods and the alleged involvement of a teenager. The case that haunted Oregon has now ended with a life sentence. 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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A Clackamas county courtroom just delivered a life sentence in a homicide case that shocked an Oregon City neighborhood, a case involving a deadly shooting, the concealment of a body in the woods and the help of a teenager. On Thursday, January 15, 56 year old William Glenn Blake was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Blake pleaded guilty to second degree murder, according to the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office. The plea brought an end to a months long investigation into the death of his girlfriend, 38 year old Jennifer Ruth Stewart. The sentence follows Blake's admission that he shot Stewart and later dumped her body in a wooded area of Clackamas County. Prosecutors said the plea agreement spared Stewart's family a trial while still holding Blake accountable for her death. The crime itself dates back to August 14, 2025. Investigators say Stewart was shot inside home she shared with Blake in Oregon City. Authorities have not publicly released details about what led up to the shooting and no motive was discussed in court. After the killing, prosecutors say Blake left the home and went to a Home Depot where he purchased a large plastic tote, garbage bags and gloves. Those purchases later became a key part of the investigation, helping detectives establish a timeline following Stewart's death from for more than two weeks, Stewart was missing. On September 1, 2025, hunters searching a wooded area near Hillockbourne Road in Clackamas county noticed turkey vultures circling overhead. When they investigated, they discovered human remains and contacted authorities. An autopsy later confirmed the remains were those of Jennifer Stewart and that she died from a gunshot wound. Detectives used a combination of surveillance video, purchase records and vehicle data to track Blake's movements in the days following the killing. Investigators also revealed that Blake's 15 year old son allegedly helped move Stewart's body after the killing. The teen was later arrested and charged in juvenile court with abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the current status of that juvenile case. Blake was arrested in October 2020 five weeks after Stewart's body was discovered. Prosecutors initially charged him with multiple offenses, including murder and evidence related crimes. As part of the plea agreement announced this week, Blake pleaded guilty to second degree murder. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed additional charges connected to the handling and disposal of Stewart's remains. Inside the courtroom, Jennifer Stewart's mother, Elizabeth Stewart, addressed the court directly during victim impact statements, according to prosecutors. She described the pain of losing her daughter and spoke about the circumstances of her death and the way her body was treated afterward. In her statement, she referred to Blake as a rabid, savage beast and said it was unfathomable that her daughter was shot, placed inside a tote and dumped in the woods. The Clackamas County District Attorney's office said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime while ensuring Blake will spend decades behind bars. Authorities have not released additional information about whether further charges could be pursued in connection with the case. For now, the sentencing closes a chapter in a case that began with a missing woman and ended with a life sentence and leaves a family mourning a loss that cannot be undone. While that case reached its legal conclusion in Oregon this week, another disturbing homicide case, this one involving an alleged exorcism and the death of a child, is now heading back into a California courtroom. A long running and disturbing Northern California case is back in court this week as a San Jose mother who was charged in the 2021 death of her three year old daughter during a so called church exorcism asked a judge to throw out her case. California's Racial Justice Act. The defendant, 29 year old Claudia Alyssa Hernandez, is scheduled to appear in Santa Clara county superior court on January 22, 2026 for a hearing on that motion. Her attorneys argue the case was tainted by bias because of her and her family's religious faith, ethnic identity and national origin, a claim prosecutors strongly dispute. The charges stem from events that unfolded on September 24, 2021, when Orelli Naomi Proctor, then three years old, died during an attempted exorcism inside a small Pentecostal church in downtown San Jose. Arelli's body was later found by firefighters inside the church and a Santa Clara county medical examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by asphyxia due to smothering and other injuries. According to prosecutors. Hernandez brought Areli to the CH along with her brother, 20 year old Renee Aaron Hernandez Santos, and her father, 60 year old Renee Trigeros Hernandez, because she believed her daughter was possessed by a demon. Court filings and police reports say. The three adults forcibly restrained the child and repeatedly tried to induce vomiting as part of the ritual, believing this would expel the supposed evil spirit, prosecutors have said. The ordeal lasted about 12 hours and resulted in injuries that ultimately caused Areli to stop breathing. Investigators say Areli continued to resist and fought for her life even as the adults held her down, according to court documents. CBS explicitly reports the DA filing stated that while Arelli was being restrained, she repeatedly told her mother, I love you. The girl's mother, uncle and grandfather were all later charged with felony assault on a child causing death, and they have remained in custody without bail as the case has moved through preliminary hearings. They have all pleaded not guilty. The motion, scheduled this month, is part of a broader defense strategy that seeks to use California's Racial justice act to argue that religious and cultural bias influence the police investigation and prosecution. Attorneys contend that law enforcement treated the family's faith practices unfairly and questioned them about mental health, repeatedly claims Prosecutors deny the district attorney's office is seeking a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison for each defendant if they are convicted at trial. Prosecutors and mental health experts alike have emphasized that regardless of religious belief, criminal liability applies when a child is harmed or killed and freedom freedom of religion does not protect violent acts. Legal analysts have also noted that the Racial justice act does not explicitly provide protection for religious belief alone. Defense attorneys, for their part, argue that their client's intent was rooted in faith and sincere belief, not criminal motive, a theme they're expected to expand on during next week's hearing as the case heads back to court on January 22. Authorities have not released additional details about whether the family has sought any psychological evaluations or whether the judge will take evidence regarding alleged bias under the Racial Justice Act. Coming up, a Houston homicide case where investigators say a tragic misunderstanding turned deadly on Christmas Day.
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New court documents are shedding light on why a Houston father says he fatally shot an innocent man on Christmas Day, detailing a case of mist identity. The suspect, 39 year old Jonathan Ross Mata, is charged with murder in the death of 25 year old Desmond Butler, a Houston man police say had no connection to the events that led to his death. The incident unfolded around 1am on December 25, 2025 in southwest Houston. According to investigators. The chain of events began earlier that day when Mata and his wife received a call from their 19 year old daughter who told them she'd been assaulted her boyfriend and needed help. Police say the parents believed their daughter was in danger and possibly being held against her will. Court records state that the family arranged to meet at a gas station along West Sam Houston Parkway, where they believed the boyfriend would bring their daughter. As they waited, Desmond Butler drove into the gas station with a female passenger. Police say Mata and his wife mistakenly believed Butler's vehicle matched the description of the boyfriend's car and assumed the young woman inside was their daughter. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows Mata's wife exiting their vehicle and attempting to open the passenger door of Butler's car. When Butler drove away, police say Mata followed in his own vehicle. According to court documents, Mata then fired multiple shots at Butler's car as it exited the parking lot. Butler was struck and his vehicle crashed nearby. He was transported to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Police confirmed that Butler was not involved in any kidnapping or assault and that Mata's daughter was not in Butler's vehicle after the shooting. Investigators say Mata briefly approached Butler's car after the crash and opened the door to look inside. He said he was looking for his kidnapped daughter, then apologized when he realized he got it wrong and said he would call 91 1, but court records indicate he never placed that call. According to authorities, Mata then left the scene without waiting for police. Houston police launched a homicide investigation, gathering surveillance footage, witness statements and vehicle information. The case quickly drew attention because of the circumstances surrounding the shooting occurring on Christmas Day and involving an innocent victim. Matah was accompanied by an attorney as he turned himself in to Houston police on January 14, 2026, nearly three weeks the shooting. He was taken into custody without incident and later formally charged with murder. Butler, the victim, was described by authorities as a working professional with no criminal ties to the family or the alleged assault. Mata remains in custody as the case moves through the court system. He's scheduled to make his next court appearance on February 25, 2026. Police have not released additional details about the status of Matah's daughter beyond confirming she was not har armed in connection with Butler. For Desmond Butler's family, the investigation centers on a life lost during what police say was a preventable tragedy, one that began with fear and ended with irreversible consequences. And as we head northeast to Tennessee, new court filings detail a child exploitation case that began with a discovery made by a suspect's wife. A Tennessee man is facing serious child exploitation charges after police say his wife discovered secret recordings of a teenage babysitter hidden on his Phone videos investigators say were made with concealed cameras inside the family's bathroom. Authorities arrested 42 year old Christopher Thomas Collins of Hickson, Tennessee on January 14, 2026, charging him with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, according to Hamilton county court records. The investigation began earlier this month after Collins wife made what police describe as a disturbing discovery while her husband was undergoing a medical procedure. According to an arrest affidavit. The woman told investigators she suspected Collins of being unfaithful and searched through his phone while he was unable to intervene. During that search, she reportedly found a hidden folder containing explicit video recordings of a teenage girl later identified as the family's babysitter. Police say the videos appear to have been recorded without the teen's knowledge or consent. Investigators say the recordings were made using hidden cameras placed inside the home's downstairs bathroom, positioned in areas that captured the shower and toilet. Court documents state that at least one video shows the teen appearing to notice a camera while undressing when confronted. Police say Collins initially told his wife the cameras had been installed to look for rats. According to investigators, Collins wife initially deleted the files but later recovered them from the phone's recently deleted folder. She then took screenshots of the videos and turned the phone over to police. Officers also recovered SD memory cards from the hidden cameras inside the bathroom. A subsequent forensic review revealed nine separate video files involving the teenage victim. Authorities have not disclosed the teen's exact age, citing privacy protections for minors. After reviewing the evidence, law enforcement located Collins and arrested him during a traffic stop. He was taken into custody and booked into the Hamilton County Jail on nine felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Court records indicate Collins had been a deacon at Abba's House Church in Dixon at the time of the alleged recordings. Following his arrest, church leadership confirmed Collins was removed from his position. Church officials say they contacted police after learning of the allegations during a counseling session involving Collins wife. At this stage, it's not clear whether Collins has entered a plea. Court documents do not indicate whether he's retained an attorney. Collins is scheduled to appear in Hamilton county court on January 20, 2026, where prosecutors are expected to formally present the charges and outline the next steps in the case. Police have emphasized that the use of hidden recording devices in private spaces, particularly bathrooms, is a serious crim offense under Tennessee law, and penalties can be severe when minors are involved.
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Lastly, let me tell you about what else is happening at Crime House today. Twisted Tales is exploring the real story of Centralia, Pennsylvania, a once thriving coal slowly destroyed by an underground mine fire that's been burning for decades. Ghost towns aren't abandoned because people vanish without warning. They're abandoned because something fundamental breaks. The job disappears, the ground turns dangerous, the air becomes toxic. What makes ghost towns unsettling isn't mystery in the supernatural sense, it's familiarity. These places were once normal. Kids went to school, people argued with neighbors. Futures were planned. Today, we're looking at five real ghost towns, all well documented, all abandoned for different reasons, and all still standing as reminders that human settlement is far more fragile than it seems. Number one Centralia, Pennsylvania, A town that burned from below Centralia began as a coal town in the 1800s, one of many communities built around anthracite mining in eastern Pennsylv. For decades, it functioned like any other working class town. Churches, schools, row houses, and generations of families tied to the mines beneath their feet. In 1962, a landfill fire was lit to clean up a dumping site near an abandoned coal pit. It was supposed to be routine. Instead, the fire ignited a coal seam beneath the town. Once underground coal catches fire, it's extraordinarily difficult to extinguish the fire spread slowly through interconnected seams beneath streets and homes. At first, officials believed the problem could be contained. Years passed. The fire continued to burn. Carbon monoxide seeped into basements. Sinkholes opened unexpectedly. In one infamous incident, a teenager nearly fell into a newly opened pit beneath a gas station. Residents fought bitterly over whether to leave. Some believe the government exaggerated the risk. In 1984, the federal government funded a relocation program. Families accepted buyouts. Homes were demolished. Streets were closed. By the early 2000s, Centralia was effectively empty. The fire is still burning and is expected to continue for decades, possibly centuries. Centralia is unsettling because it wasn't destroyed in a moment. It was hollowed out slowly, invisibly, from underneath. 2. Bodie, California when the gold ran out. Okay. Bodie represents a different kind of abandonment. Economic collapse. In the late 1870s, gold discoveries transformed Bodie from an isolated outpost into one of the richest mining towns in the American West. Thousands of people arrived almost overnight. The town grew fast and hard, fueled by profit and optimism. At its peak, it had schools, hotels, saloons, churches, newspapers, a jail and electric lighting. Families lived there. Children grew up there. It was rough, violent and chaotic, but it worked. But Bode depended entirely on gold. As the richest veins were exhausted, mining became less profitable. Jobs disappeared. Wages dropped. Families left first, seeking stability elsewhere. Businesses followed. Fires destroyed parts of the town. But unlike earlier years, there was no incentive to rebuild. By the early 1900s, Bodie's population had collapsed. By the 1940s, it was effectively empty. Today, it's preserved in a state of arrested decay. Buildings remain furnished. Dishes sit on tables. Bottles line shelves. Bodhi is eerie because it doesn't feel ruined. It feels paused, like everyone left in a hurry and never came back. Number three Pripyat, Ukraine A city abandoned in a day. Pripyat is one of the youngest ghost towns in the world and the most sudden. Founded in 1970, Pripyat was built to house workers at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It was a planned Soviet city, modern and orderly, with apartment block, schools, hospitals, theaters, and parks. Nearly 50,000 people lived there, most of them young families. On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl plant exploded. At first, residents were told nothing. Radiation spread invisibly through the city. 36 hours later, authorities ordered an evacuation. Residents were told to bring documents and essential items and that they would return in a few days. They never did. The city was emptied in hours. Homes were left exactly as they were. Toys lay on floors. Food sat on tables. Laundry hung unfinished. Pripyat Was sealed inside what became the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Radiation made permanent habitation unsafe. Pripyat is unsettling because it shows how modern life can end instantly, not through decline or debate, but through a single technological failure. Number four. Kolmanskop, Namibia. A town swallowed by the desert. Kolmanskop was founded in the early 1900s after diamonds were discovered in the sands of what is now Namibia. Almost overnight, a German colonial mining town appeared in one of the harshest environments on earth. Despite the desert, Kolmanskop was luxurious. It had large houses, A hospital, a school, a ballroom, and even ice shipped in from Europe. Wealth insulated residents from the environment temporarily. But diamond fields shifted. Richer deposits were found closer to the coast. Maintaining a town deep in the desert Became impractical and expensive. As profits declined, residents began to leave. By the 1930s, Coleman's scop was in decline. By the 1950s, it was abandoned entirely without maintenance. The desert reclaimed it. Sand poured through windows and doors. Entire rooms filled until only rooftops remained visible. Floors disappeared beneath dunes. Colmanskop is haunting because it wasn't destroyed. It was simply overtaken. Number five. Hashima Island, Japan. A city that lost its purpose overnight. Hashima island, also known as Gunkenjima or Battleship island, Sits off the coast of Nagasaki. At its peak, it was one of the most densely populated places on earth. The island was developed for undersea coal mining. Concrete apartment blocks rose to house workers and their families. Schools, shops, and hospitals were built. Built. Thousands lived, packed tightly together on a tiny slab of rock. Everything on Hashima existed for one reason. Coal. When petroleum replaced coal as Japan's primary energy Source in the 1970s, the mine became obsolete almost overnight. There was no gradual decline. In 1974, Mitsubishi closed the mine and evacuated the island. Residents left en masse. Buildings were locked. The island was abandoned in a matter of weeks. Today, Hashima's concrete structures stand battered by waves and typhoons. Nature corrodes steel and concrete relentlessly. Hashima is unsettling because it shows how quickly modern infrastructure becomes meaningless Once its purpose disappears. These five towns were abandoned for different reasons. Fire, economics, nuclear catastrophe, geography, and technological change. But they all reveal the same truth. Towns exist only as long as their supporting systems hold. These places weren't abandoned because people forgot them. They were abandoned because the world changed in ways that made staying impossible. If you want more stories about places shaped and undone by forces beyond human control, Consider subscribing. Because sometimes the most unsettling ruins aren't ancient. They're recent enough to recognize. For the in depth story behind the catastrophe at Centralia, Pennsylvania. Head over to our Crime House feed for the latest episode of Twisted Tales. You've been listening to crime house 247 bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Rich. Be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. 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 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.