North Carolina mom allegedly poisons family. Singer D4vd arrested. Plus, sexual assault awareness.

Summary

Dateline NBC: True Crime Weekly

Episode Date: April 23, 2026
Host: Andrea Canning
Featured Segments: North Carolina Mom Poisoning Case, Singer D4vd’s Arrest, Alec Baldwin Court Update, Utah Mom Murder Trial, Sexual Assault Awareness Month

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Episode Overview

This week’s Dateline True Crime Weekly delivers a packed episode featuring:

• Explosive new developments in the case of a North Carolina mother accused of poisoning her family on Thanksgiving.
• The arrest of viral artist D4vd (David Anthony Burke), linked to the murder of a 14-year-old girl.
• Legal updates on Alec Baldwin’s “Rust” case.
• The dramatic trial of a Utah mom charged with orchestrating her son-in-law’s murder.
• An in-depth conversation with sexual assault survivor and advocate Donna Palumba, marking Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

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North Carolina Mom Poisoning Case

(Main Segment: 02:13 – 11:27)

Key Details

• Suspect: Gudrun Casper Leinenkugel, age 53 (born Linda Casper; changed name, admires German culture)
• Victims: Her daughter Leila Leviss (deceased, 32), Maya (survived, 28), Maya’s boyfriend Richard (survived)
• Incident: Thanksgiving 2025 dinner in Hendersonville, NC. Six adults present.
• Method: Wine allegedly laced with acetonitrile, which converts to cyanide in the body.

Discussion Points

• Discovery: Leila found dead the morning after dinner; Richard hospitalized with flu-like symptoms.
• Gudrun's Early Statements: She quickly suggested wine was the culprit and mentioned it may have been contaminated in a closet with chemicals like rat poison and cyanide.
  • “Gudrun also tells the doctor that this bottle was already open when she presented it at the party.” – Hailey Barber (07:11)
• Wine Details: Maya drank less due to a fly; Gudrun abstained (claims grape allergy).
• Toxicology Findings: Richard had five times the lethal dose of cyanide; Leila’s blood tested positive for acetonitrile.
• Previous Case: Gudrun now also charged with the 2007 death of Michael Schmidt (found to have same chemical; initial ruling of accidental death now re-examined).

Notable Quotes

• “This is really the first time we’re piecing this together from the perspective of the investigators and prosecutors.” – Hailey Barber (03:55)
• “From everyone we’ve spoken to, Gudrun had a very close relationship with her daughters, especially Leila.” – Hailey Barber (09:09)
• “A mother poisoning her own daughter? That is just something we at Dateline really almost never hear.” – Andrea Canning (08:52)

Family and Legal Developments

• Family members, including survivor Maya and Richard, continue to support Gudrun.
• Gudrun is being held without bond; next court date April 30th.

Timestamps

• Background on Gudrun: 04:08
• Thanksgiving Dinner Details: 05:07
• Discovery and Legal Moves: 06:04–06:40
• Forensics and Motive Discussion: 08:06–09:31
• Older Case (Michael Schmidt): 09:31–10:18
• Family Support: 10:35–10:56

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D4vd (David Anthony Burke) Murder Arrest

(Segment: 13:15 – 19:26)

Key Details

• Suspect: David Anthony Burke, stage name D4vd (pronounced “David”), 21-year-old singer (famous for TikTok hit "Romantic Homicide").
• Victim: Celeste Rivas Hernandez, 14 (from Lake Elsinore, CA).
• Incident: Celeste was last seen April 2025; found deceased in September 2025 in the trunk of D4vd’s Tesla.
• Charges: First-degree murder with special circumstances, continuous sexual abuse of a minor, mutilation of a body.
• Plea: Not guilty.

Discussion Points

• Career Background: “For a lot of younger people, David is a really big deal. He has a very big following.” – Andrew Blankstein (14:33)
• Victim’s Family: Reported her missing after going to a movie with Burke; “Never a runaway situation.” – Andrew Blankstein (15:11)
• Body Discovery: Tesla parked for weeks; body found after neighbors complained about the smell.
• Legal Process: A grand jury was convened; formal charges announced by LA DA Nathan Hockman.
• Defense Statement:
  “The actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that he was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.” (18:04)
• Family Statement: “Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. We love her very much. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste.” (19:02)

Timestamps

• Case Introduction & Career: 13:15–15:05
• Timeline and Investigation: 15:05–16:20
• Burke’s Reaction & Legal Steps: 16:20–17:32
• Charges & Defense: 17:32–18:26

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Legal Roundup

(Segment: 21:25 – 28:09)

Alec Baldwin “Rust” Shooting Update

• Case Recap: 2021, fatal on-set incident; Baldwin claimed accident.
• Latest News: Civil suit against Baldwin moves forward after judge allows trial.
• Trial Date: October 12 unless settled.
• Quote: “The defense team tried to get the lawsuit thrown out...there is no evidence that Baldwin had a duty…to ensure everyone’s safety on the set.” – Sue Simpson (23:48)

Utah Mom Murder Trial – Tracy Grist

• Case Recap: Grist accused of plotting to kill son-in-law Matt Restelli.
• Trial Update: Grist testified in her defense, denied plotting the killing.
• Notable Quote:
  Tracy Grist: “I suspect [my daughter] was intimidated by the government and by the evidence...she was making a deal saying what she needed to to have the least amount of time in jail as possible.” (26:38)
• Outcome: Found guilty on all charges; faces up to life in prison.

Timestamps

• Alec Baldwin Recap & Ruling: 21:31–24:12
• Utah Mom, Testimony & Verdict: 24:12–28:31

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Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Interview with Donna Palumba

(Segment: 29:02 – 35:11)

Guest

• Donna Palumba: Survivor featured in prior Dateline episode, founder of Jane Doe No More.

Key Points

• Personal Story: Assaulted in 1993 by a family friend; suffered doubting and mistreatment from investigators.
• Impact: “The re-victimization…is what really compelled me to do something.” (30:29)
• Advocacy Work: Jane Doe No More aims to reform how survivors are treated; programs include safety education from age 5.
• Child Sexual Abuse: “The majority of our survivors…are victims of child sexual abuse by someone they loved and trusted, which is just gut wrenching.” (31:27)
• Support Advice: Reporting is a personal choice; support is vital even if they choose not to report. (32:51)
• Evidence Handling: “You do not have to report that evening or that day…[evidence kit] will stay” for the survivor to decide later. (33:52)
• Documentation: “It is important to document, if you can, anything that you can cause, you know, memories lapse.” (34:53)

Notable Quotes

• “These crimes are difficult to talk about, but in order to prevent them, we have to be able to.” – Donna Palumba (02:07, 31:27)
• “We now have programs…but it begins with education and awareness. And it’s a challenge because these crimes are difficult to talk about.” – Donna Palumba (31:27)
• “There is a multitude of reasons why someone might not want to [press charges]. And that’s okay, too.” – Donna Palumba (34:31)

Timestamps

• Donna’s Story and Advocacy: 29:02–31:27
• Impact and Support Tips: 32:40–35:11

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Memorable Moments and Quotes

• “A mother poisoning her own daughter? That is just something we at Dateline really almost never hear.” – Andrea Canning (08:52)
• “For a lot of younger people, David is, is a really big deal. He has a very big following.” – Andrew Blankstein (14:33)
• “It was a popular true crime story and there was no movies out...True crime.” – Tracy Grist, on researching killer grandmothers (27:47–28:09)
• “The re-victimization, Andrea, is what really compelled me to do something.” – Donna Palumba (30:29)

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Segment Timestamps at a Glance

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|---------------| | North Carolina Mom Poisoning Overview | 02:13–11:27 | | D4vd (David Anthony Burke) Arrest | 13:15–19:26 | | Alec Baldwin Legal Roundup | 21:25–24:12 | | Utah Mom Murder Trial & Verdict | 24:12–28:31 | | Sexual Assault Awareness/D. Palumba | 29:02–35:11 |

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Closing

The episode offers a rapid but thorough journey through some of the country’s most compelling current legal cases and survivor stories. It dives into investigative details, shines light on underreported complexities (such as family support for accused killers), and above all, gives a voice to survivors seeking justice and change.

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For more information or resources referenced in this episode:

• Jane Doe No More: janedoenomore.org
• Sexual assault support: RAINN (rainn.org)
• For ad-free listening and bonus content: datelinepremium.com

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Transcript

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[Andrea Canning]

Visit gcu.

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Edu

[Carol Gable]

Good morning.

[Andrea Canning]

It's the start of another workday for the DATELINE team.

[Donna Palumba]

Let's jump in.

[Andrea Canning]

Our producers are catching up on breaking

[Andrew Blankstein]

crime news and the sentencing is this summary.

[Andrea Canning]

He wasn't able to talk about any of his time in jail or what the police asked him.

[Tracy Grist]

There's a lot of suspicion around the girlfriend.

[Andrea Canning]

Welcome to DATELINE True Crime Weekly. I'm Andrea Canning. It's April 23rd and here's what's on our docket. In Los Angeles, David, the TikTok star who rose to fame with his song Romantic Homicide is charged with first degree murder.

[Andrew Blankstein]

He's wearing a black hoodie. He's behind the glass partition. He's not showing a lot of emotion.

[Andrea Canning]

In DATELINE Roundup, actor Alec Baldwin is heading back to court in connection to the deadly shooting on the set of his movie Rust a few years ago. And the Utah mom on trial for masterminding the murder of her son in law takes the witness stand.

[Tracy Grist]

I took Katie's face in my hands and I said, Kevin Shotman.

[Andrea Canning]

Plus, it's Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We'll be talking to Donna Palumba, a survivor who has transformed her own traumatic experience into advocacy and support for others.

[Donna Palumba]

These crimes are difficult to talk about, but in order to prevent them, we have to be able to.

[Andrea Canning]

But before all that, we're heading to Henderson County, North Carolina, where we are learning more about the investigation into a woman accused of poisoning her own children. Children at their Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is usually a time for friends and family to gather, express gratitude and share a meal. But according to Prosecutors, last November, 53 year old Gudrun Casper Leinenkugel served up something diabolical to her guests, wine laced with poison. Gudrun's 32 year old daughter Leila died the next day. The boyfriend of her other daughter became violently ill and was hospitalized. He survived. Eight weeks later, Gudrun was charged with murder and attempted murder. But that wasn't all because prosecutors say this isn't the first time she has fatally poisoned someone. Investigators have remained tight lipped about the case, but DATELINE producers Carol Gable and Hailey Barber recently obtained newly unsealed search warrants which provide a first look at what led up to Gudrun's arrest. They are here now to get us up to speed on this complicated case and tell us what they've learned. Hey Haley and Carol, thank you for joining us.

[Carol Gable]

Hey. Hey. And we're glad you're on this story with us cuz this sure has a lot of twists and turns.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh my goodness, so many twists and turns. It's incredible. So let's talk about these search warrants. Early on in their investigation, detectives went to court and applied for the warrants so they could get access to various medical and cell phone records. In order for the judge to sign off, they had to submit a summary of their case. And. And that's what you got your hands on. Hailey and Carol, you've taken a peek and we are learning a lot more.

[Hailey Barber]

Yeah, that's right, Andrea. This is really the first time we're piecing this together from the perspective of the investigators and the prosecutors.

[Andrea Canning]

We're going to get into more details of those cases. But first, can you give us a little more background on Gudrun?

[Carol Gable]

She was actually born Linda Casper and she grew up in this tiny town in Wisconsin, but later changed her name to Gudrun Casper Leinenkugel. It's sort of a nod to her personal affinity for German culture. Eventually a romantic relationship took her to North Carolina in the Asheville area, specifically Hendersonville. She opened a restaurant, the Patton Public House, inspired by public houses in Germany, sort of comfort food, walls covered with beer taps.

[Hailey Barber]

The other thing that we know, Andrea, is that we believe Gudrun had four children or has now three children because 32 year old Lela Leviss obviously is the victim in this case and has passed away. And then Maya is another older daughter and she is 28 years old from what we understand. And there are two little kids and we don't know much about them.

[Andrea Canning]

Take us to this Thanksgiving dinner in 2025.

[Carol Gable]

Well, we know that there are six adults there, basically Gudrun's two older daughters, Leila and Maya, Maya's boyfriend Richard, and then also man named Jeff and then another man named Landon was also at this dinner.

[Hailey Barber]

According to these search warrants, everything seemed fine at this dinner. At first, Goodwin's daughters, as well as Richard went home around midnight. Maya says that Richard started feeling really ill. He has flu like symptoms. By 8am she is dialing 911 and saying he's got to get to the hospital. That morning, Goodrun calls Leila, her daughter, to check in on her, and she's not able to reach her. So she reaches out to the Jackson County Sheriff's office and requests a welfare check. She also hops in the car and goes to check on Leila. When she arrives at the scene, Leila is dead inside the residence.

[Andrea Canning]

So did Gudrun say why she reached out to Leila? Was this in response to Richard getting sick? Do we know?

[Hailey Barber]

Yeah, that's a good question. And the timeline's not super clear to us on all of that yet.

[Andrea Canning]

Hailey, according to these search warrants you obtained, Gudrun tells investigators responding to Leila's death that she thinks Leila might have fallen ill from wine Gudrun served at the dinner. It's so interesting that before anyone even knows what killed Leila, Gudrun was bringing up the wine. And then when talking with a doctor treating Richard at the hospital, she adds a new detail.

[Hailey Barber]

That's right. So after she leaves Lila's residence, she goes to the hospital. From what we understand, she brings up sort of this wine again. And she adds in that the wine was stored in an industrial closet where chemicals were possibly kept, including things like rat poison, cyanide that they used in their barn. And According to this, Dr. Goodrin said the kids play back there, quote, and may have got to it, unquote.

[Andrea Canning]

So is she trying to say that the younger children might have contaminated the wine?

[Sue Simpson]

Yeah.

[Hailey Barber]

It's unclear what theory she's offering here, but Gudrun also tells the doctor that this bottle was already open when she presented it at the party.

[Andrea Canning]

Gudrun said she served Leila and Richard the wine and also her other daughter, Maya. So why did Maya, if the wine was contaminated?

[Carol Gable]

Well, a fly apparently gets in her glass and it's, you know, she realizes this and spits a little bit out and that she also reported that the wine tasted off. So she didn't have as much as the other two. And also it's interesting, Good did not have any of the wine because she's allergic to grapes. So she had a BlackBerry wine wine beverage.

[Andrea Canning]

So law enforcement definitely zeroed in on the wine. Are they able to Test the wine.

[Hailey Barber]

Landon brings that bottle to investigators, and they do conduct testing. Investigators learned that Richard had five times the lethal dose of cyanide in his system.

[Tracy Grist]

Wow.

[Hailey Barber]

And one of the detectives talks to the medical examiner who does a toxicology test on Leila. And they report that Leila's blood sample pointed her to the chemical acetonitrile, which basically Andrea converts to cyanide in the body over a period of hours.

[Andrea Canning]

Did Gudrun have any of this chemical in her home, or did she have any use for it? Yes.

[Hailey Barber]

So during a police interview, Gudrun actually admits, apparently, that she did have some of these chemicals in her home, that she had bought this acetonitrile.

[Andrea Canning]

According to prosecutors, Gudrun took that chemical and intentionally spiked the wine before serving it to her Thanksgiving guests. Have they offered up any alleged motive? I mean, a mother poisoning her own daughter? That is just something we at Dateline really almost never hear.

[Hailey Barber]

Yeah, that's right, Andrea. And not only that, but from everyone we've spoken to, Gudrun had a very close relationship with her daughters, especially Leela.

[Andrea Canning]

And we should say Goodryn has entered a not guilty plea to all the charges against her. But there is a big twist in all of this. This is not the only murder that Gudrun has been charged with, Carol.

[Carol Gable]

No, it's not. Investigators learned that there was a man named Michael Schmidt. Goodrun had reported him Dead back in 2007, and she is now charged with his death.

[Andrea Canning]

Yes. She apparently lived inside the house, and he lived in a camper on the property.

[Hailey Barber]

That's right. And we believe he was actually the owner of the property at this time. And according to investigators in these new documents, they say that Goodrun was actually the last person who saw Michael alive. But the real twist here is apparently this same chemical, acetonitrile, was found in his system as well.

[Andrea Canning]

Oh, the plot thickens when you hear the same chemical, when there's still a

[Hailey Barber]

lot of, I would say, mysteries surrounding his death. At first, Michael's death was ruled accidental. There is a report that this acetonitrile was found in his system, but the cause was maybe accidentally huffing this substance, acetonitrile.

[Carol Gable]

And we are so early days. We really don't know hardly anything about the defense, except we know that many of her family members are still very supportive of her.

[Andrea Canning]

I think it's very important to say that Maya, as of the last that we saw her, was supporting her mother in all of this.

[Carol Gable]

Well, she is, and so is the boyfriend who had to be hospitalized. So I think that's a significant factor to keep in mind at this stage of the case.

[Andrea Canning]

Gudrun remains behind bars without bond. Do we know when she is due back in court? Haley?

[Hailey Barber]

Yeah, next week actually. So April 30th there's another hearing, so be interested to see what happens next.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, just tons of questions. Thank you, Hayley and Carol so much for bringing us this update.

[Hailey Barber]

Thanks for having us, Andrea.

[Carol Gable]

Thanks, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

Coming up, seven months after the body of a teenager was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to the singer David, he's arrested in the Hollywood Hills.

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[Andrea Canning]

Late last week, news broke of an arrest in the Hollywood Hills. Video showed armed police officers in tactical gear walking a man by the name of David Anthony Burke to a squad car. But you might know him by another name, David, but spelled D4V D. A singer with a multi million dollar recording contract, he went viral on TikTok a few years ago with his song Romantic Homicide.

[Hailey Barber]

I killed you and I didn't even regret it.

[Andrea Canning]

Seven months ago, he was on a world tour to promote his new album when police made a frightening discovery in the trunk of his Tesla.

[Andrew Blankstein]

After investigators made entry into the car, they found what appears to be the remains of a human being.

[Andrea Canning]

The Remains belong to a 14 year old girl named Celeste Rivas. On Monday, Burke was charged with Celeste's murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Here to tell us more about the investigation, other charges Burke is facing, and what comes next is NBC News investigative reporter Andrew Blankstein. Andrew, thanks for being here.

[Andrew Blankstein]

Thanks for having me, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

So, Andrew, tell us a little more about David Anthony Burke. For people who don't know him. He's a new kind of artist who broke out on social media. Very successful. Right.

[Andrew Blankstein]

So for a lot of younger people, David is, is a really big deal. He has a very big following. And David's born in New York, raised in Houston, raised in a Christian family, grew up listening to gospel. In 2021, he starts making background music for Tiktoks and like you said, it goes viral with this hit romantic homicide. He opened for artist SZA. He releases his debut album Withered in 2025 and he played at well known music festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella.

[Andrea Canning]

So Andrew, his career was definitely on the rise. How does Celeste Rivas fit into the picture here?

[Andrew Blankstein]

She was from Lake Elsinore, this quiet town in Riverside County. We don't know how they met. He's 21 years old now. According to the prosecution, he was 18 years old. Celeste Rivas was 13 years old. Her family knew she was friends with them. Celeste's family reported her missing in April of 2024. They said she left to go see a movie with David and never a runaway situation. Then according to prosecution's timeline, she's alive until April 2025 when she's last seen by others. And then her body was found in September of 2020 five months later.

[Andrea Canning]

How was the body even discovered in the first place in David's Tesla?

[Andrew Blankstein]

So the Tesla has been parked in the Hollywood Hills just above Sunset Boulevard for a number of weeks and neighbors call and eventually the car is towed to a tow yard in mid city Los Angeles. There's an overpowering smell. Police are called to the tow yard and in the trunk they discover Celeste's body, but they don't know it's her. At that point, there's a coroner's investigation and eventually she's identified.

[Andrea Canning]

We mentioned that David was on tour when this discovery was made. How does he react to this? Because he's not immediately arrested, but it is his car, so that doesn't look great. What does he do?

[Andrew Blankstein]

Well, the tour continues for a little bit of time right after the discovery of the body. But as the tension to this case grows, so does the Pressure to kind of not continue that tour. So at that point, David's team said he was cooperating with the investigation. But an LAPD source told David NBC4 in November that that wasn't the case. During this period, investigators are canvassing for video. There's a grand jury that's convened where there's testimony taken from people in David's orbit. Obviously, grand jury's proceeding is secret, so we don't know kind of the full extent of it, but they're doing things, trying to figure out how she died and whether it was a criminal act.

[Andrea Canning]

David was arrested, as we said, last week, this is about one year after Celeste was last seen. On Monday, District Attorney Nathan Hockman announced the formal charges against him at a press conference.

[Andrew Blankstein]

These charges include the most serious charges that a DA's office can bring. That is first degree murder with special circumstances.

[Andrea Canning]

Break those charges down for us, Andrew.

[Andrew Blankstein]

Well, the first one, obviously, first degree murder is an intentional murder, premeditated act. The other counts, in addition to first degree murder, were continuous sexual abuse of a minor and also mutilation of a body in terms of the disposal of that body.

[Andrea Canning]

Andrew, what is the defense saying about these allegations?

[Andrew Blankstein]

At the time of David's arrest? And this was reiterated during the arraignment and plea, David Berk's attorneys issued a statement that said that when it came to their client, quote, the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and that he was not the cause of her death. We will vigorously defend David's innocence.

[Andrea Canning]

David appeared in court Monday. He entered that not guilty plea. What was his demeanor like?

[Andrew Blankstein]

So David appeared in Division 30 of the Criminal Courts building in downtown Los Angeles. He's wearing a black hoodie. He's behind the glass partition. He's not showing a lot of emotion. It's kind of a fairly quick hearing, but one of the things that comes out of it is his criminal defense attorneys go and say, we want a preliminary hearing where the prosecution has to put its evidence before a judge to see if they will go forward with the trial.

[Andrea Canning]

Members of Celeste's family attended David's arraignment, but didn't speak to the media. On Tuesday afternoon, they released a statement thanking the LAPD for their hard work. They said Celeste was a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance. We love her very much. We miss her deeply. All we want is justice for Celeste, Andrew. We will continue to follow this case. Thank you so much for bringing us what you know so far.

[Andrew Blankstein]

Thanks. So much. Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

Up next, it's time for DATELINE Roundup. We've got an update on Alec Baldwin's latest legal troubles. And the Utah mom accused of murdering her son in law testifies in her own defense. Plus, it's Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I'm catching up with a familiar face from one of my DATELINE episodes, a survivor who's turned her own horrific experience into advocacy and is sharing what she believes needs to change.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

He was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected and utterly bizarre term. I'm Josh Mankiewicz and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from dateline.

[Andrea Canning]

Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now.

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Hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's special episode, I get together with Hollywood superstar and now business magnate Ryan Reynolds in front of a live audience to walk through his life and career. You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts.

[Andrea Canning]

Welcome back. Joining me for this week's roundup is DATELINE producer Sue Simpson. Thanks for being here, Sue.

[Sue Simpson]

Thanks for having me.

[Andrea Canning]

First, we're heading to Los Angeles, where there has been a big development in one of the very first cases we covered here on the podcast, the fatal shooting of cinematographer Helena Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust by actor and producer Alec Baldwin. Before we get to what's new, sue, just remind us of this big story,

[Sue Simpson]

such a big story. Back in 2021, Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for Rust. That's a Western he was producing and starring in, and he was pointing a prop gun at the cinematographer Helena Hutchins when it went off, killing her and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin claimed that it was an accident and he said he was following instructions when he pointed the gun at Hutchins and that he wasn't aware that the gun had a Live round in it.

[Andrea Canning]

Let's take a listen, Sue. Alec Baldwin talked to NBC News in the weeks after the incident.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

There are incidental accidents on film sets from time to time, but nothing like this. We were a very, very, you know, well oiled crew shooting a film together and then this horrible event happened.

[Andrea Canning]

So Baldwin and the movie's armorer were initially criminally charged in connection to the shooting. What happened with those charges?

[Sue Simpson]

Yes, that's right. The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was convicted at trial of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in the shooting. Baldwin was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case against him was thrown out in a very dramatic way on the third day of the trial after the judge determined that the prosecution hid evidence from the defense.

[Andrea Canning]

So that was nearly two years ago, if you can believe it. But now, because of a new ruling last week, Baldwin may have to defend himself at trial after all. But this time, sue, we're talking about civil court.

[Sue Simpson]

That's right, Andrea. So a gaffer on the set, Serge Svetnoy, filed a civil lawsuit against Alec Baldwin back in 2021 alleging that the bullet narrowly missed him and that he suffered emotional distress because of that. In his lawsuit, he blamed the shooting on the negligence of the armorer and producers. And that of course, includes Alec Baldwin.

[Andrea Canning]

How has Alec Baldwin's defense team responded to these claims? It seems Alec just can't shake what happened.

[Sue Simpson]

So true. The defense team tried to get the lawsuit thrown out, saying among other things that there is no evidence that Baldwin had a duty in his capacity as a producer to ensure everyone's safety on the set.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, so bad news for Alec Baldwin. The judge ruled against him and says that the lawsuit can go to trial. Do we know when that'll be?

[Sue Simpson]

Well, unless the settlement is reached, Andrea, the case is going to go to trial on October 12th.

[Andrea Canning]

Okay, we'll keep an eye on that. Next we are heading to a Utah courtroom for the latest on a case we told you about last week. This is the trial of Tracy Grist, who prosecutors say masterminded a plot to kill her son in law, Matt Restelli. It is week two of the trial and Tracey took the stand on Monday. Before we get to her testimony, sue, just remind everybody about the basics of this one.

[Sue Simpson]

So the victim was 42 year old Matt Restelli. He was married to Tracy's daughter Kate. Matt and Kate lived in California. Tracy lived in Utah. In July 2024, Kate and Matt's marriage was in trouble and Kate took her kids and she went to stay with her mom. Prosecutors say that's when Tracy the mom, came up with a plan to murder Matt. They say she got Kate to lure Matt to her home in Utah. And when Matt walked through the front door, Tracy's son Kevin shot him. And then they placed a knife in his hand to make it look like the shooting was in self defense. Investigators did not buy that story and they arrested all three of them, Tracy, Kevin and Kate. Kate pleaded guilty and she agreed to testify against her mom.

[Andrea Canning]

The prosecution sue wrapped Monday and then it was the defense's turn to put on its case. Tracy herself took the stand. And she's really the star witness in this. Absolutely.

[Sue Simpson]

Andrea, you know what a big deal it is for the defendant to take the stand. So Tracy denied plotting the killing or even being in the room when Matt was shot. Tracy says her son in law came barging into the house uninvited.

[Tracy Grist]

I didn't hear the doorbell, I didn't hear a knock and I didn't expect him to walk into the house. Within a few short period of few moments, I heard gun gunfire.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

And then what happened?

[Tracy Grist]

I went to the foot of the stairs and that's where I saw Matt laying down where he had fallen down. And I saw Kevin and I said, kevin, what happened? What happened?

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

What did Kevin say?

[Tracy Grist]

He said he had a knife.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So when you went upstairs, what did you do?

[Tracy Grist]

I said I took Katie's face in my hands and I said Kevin Shotman.

[Sue Simpson]

The defense attorney also asked Tracy why she thinks her daughter Kate decided to testify against her. Tracy accused the prosecutors of intimidating her daughter.

[Tracy Grist]

I suspect she was intimidated by the government and by the evidence, which I don't blame her for being intimidated because it sounds like there was a lot. But I believe that she was making a deal saying what she needed to to have the least amount of time in jail as possible or prison as possible.

[Andrea Canning]

So the defense also pushed back on something that stood out to us here at dateline, Internet searches that Tracy allegedly made. About dateline's coverage of the Donna Adelson our listeners probably remember she's the Florida grandmother convicted of masterminding a plot to murder her former son in law, FSU law professor Dan Markell. Now in court at Tracy's trial, the prosecution implied that she might have been inspired by Donna Adelson.

[Sue Simpson]

Yeah, it's wild. The defense addressed this with Tracy on the stand saying that she was an avid true crime fan and so was her other daughter, Tara Lynn. And so it was normal for her to read about high profile stories like the Adelsons.

[Tracy Grist]

It was a popular true crime story and there was no movies out.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Okay.

[Andrew Blankstein]

And you listened to a podcast about it?

[Tracy Grist]

Yeah, listen to podcasts. And then I would go down a rabbit hole and look at things, look at a picture of a person that's being talked about.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

So is this a hobby of yours?

[Tracy Grist]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

True crime.

[Tracy Grist]

Yes.

[Andrea Canning]

How did the prosecutor, sue, handle Tracy? On cross examination, the prosecutor pressed Tracy

[Sue Simpson]

on a few inconsistencies in her testimony, but she stuck to her version, the story.

[Andrea Canning]

All right, thank you for the update, Sue.

[Sue Simpson]

Thanks, Andrew.

[Andrea Canning]

After we taped this conversation Tuesday, the jury came back with a verdict. Tracy Grist was found guilty on all charges.

[Tracy Grist]

We, the jury empaneled in the above entitled cause, find a defendant asked to count one murder as charged in the information.

[Andrea Canning]

Guilty jury for a person she faces up to life in prison. In September 1993, Donna Palumbo was sexually assaulted by a masked intruder inside her home while her husband was out of town and her young children slept just rooms away.

[Donna Palumba]

He flipped me onto my stomach and put the gun in my back, and he said, if you call the pigs, I'm going to come back and kill you.

[Andrea Canning]

The intruder fled, and Donna ran to a neighbor's house for help. The beginning of a long, difficult path toward justice. I covered Donna's story for the Dateline episode Evil Paid a Visit. She told me how she was questioned and doubted by investigators in the aftermath of that assault, a second trauma that nearly derailed the case, and how, years later, investigators identified her attacker as a family friend, someone she and her husband knew and trusted.

[Donna Palumba]

It was unbelievable.

[Andrea Canning]

Donna is one of millions of sexual assault survivors. According to the cdc, nearly half of women and more than one in six men experience sexual violence in their lifetime. April is Sexual assault awareness Month, the time to support survivors and push for change. It is work Donna now does every day through her organization, Jane Doe no More. And she joins us now to talk about that work. Donna, it's so good to see you again.

[Donna Palumba]

Great to see you, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah, thank you for being here. So, Donna, when you look back on everything that you have personally been through, how did those experiences shape the decision to eventually speak out and share your story publicly? Because I know in the beginning you were anonymous. You didn't want to share your name.

[Donna Palumba]

That's right. I was Jane Doe. And honestly, I thought I had done everything right. The night of the crime, I went to the hospital. I had a sex crimes kit done. I was treated for injuries, told officers that Were there everything that I could possibly remember about the crime? And I was well on my way to healing, actually trying to keep. Keep it all together for my family and young children. And I was re victimized, I was threatened with arrest and I, yeah, I was. The re victimization, Andrea, is what really compelled me to do something.

[Andrea Canning]

So because of all those things that went wrong, you took that experience, the worst of your life and you turned it into action with your foundation, Jane Doe no more. What was your vision for the organization and what kind of impact are you making today after all these years? Because this is Jane Doe no more has been around for a while now.

[Donna Palumba]

We will be 20 years old next year, in 2027. So mind blowing. But initially we started out to improve the way society responds to victims, survivors of sexual crimes, because of the way I was treated, because these crimes are so stigmatized and they expect a victim who's been traumatized to act a certain way, which is impossible to predict. And so, you know, we have grown from there. We now have programs, but it begins with education and awareness. And it's a challeng because these crimes are difficult to talk about. A lot of people don't want to even discuss them. But in order to prevent them, we have to be able to, in age appropriate language, start very early on. And even in, you know, we have a program called safety for me for boys and girls ages 5 to 11. I mean, it's sad to say, but the majority of our survivors on our survivor speak team are victims of child sexual abuse by someone they loved and trusted, which is just gut wrenching. But it's a fact. You know, people think these types of crimes, it's a stranger in an alley or, you know, it involves physical force and it's not true.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. So what should someone do if they are a victim and they're listening right now, or they have a friend or a family member and they haven't reported anything yet? Where do they start?

[Donna Palumba]

Well, it really is a personal choice and we always wanna put that forward because some people, some victims will choose not to report for whatever reason. But they can also find support in other ways. We actually have a closed Facebook group called jdnm, the acronym for Jane don't know more survivors. It's Grown to almost 600, I think survivors now, men and women who just go there, there's no judgment. And if someone discloses to you, we just say to be there for them in that moment, to ask them what you can do for them and let them share what they want. To and if they choose to report, to be there for them and to look into ways that you can continue to help them.

[Andrea Canning]

And Donna, if this is happening in the moment, in the future to someone and it's just happened, obviously calling the police is really important. But are there any tips or anything that people can be armed with now in case this happens later, of things they should be doing or asking, getting?

[Donna Palumba]

I think the first thing to do is get to a place of safety. And then I would strongly urge to call 911 and to go to the hospital to have evidence collected, because even if you choose not to report, you're overwhelmed in that moment. You do not have to report that evening or that day. You can have the sex crimes kit done and it will stay and they have to hold. It depends on which state you're in. They'll hold it so that during that time period you will be able to get to a point where you can make an educated decision if you want to press charges. If you don't, there's a multitude of reasons why someone might not want to. And that's okay, too.

[Andrea Canning]

Yeah. And I've noticed a lot in these cases when they come forward later, it seems to be really important. When victims say, I kept a diary. I wrote this in my diary. Or I told a friend or I told a family member. And then there's like that. It helps with corroboration that it's not just you saying, oh, this happened, but I didn't do anything.

[Donna Palumba]

Absolutely. I remember doing just that. It is important to document, if you can, anything that you can cause, you know, memories lapse. And it's important.

[Andrea Canning]

Donna, wow. Thank you so much for these tips. You're such an inspiration to all kinds of people going through this. We appreciate it.

[Donna Palumba]

Oh, we appreciate you. Thank you so much, Andrea.

[Andrea Canning]

That's it for this episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly. To get ad free listening for all our podcasts, subscribe to Dateline Premium. Coming up on Dateline this Friday, I've got a brand new episode and it's a case we've talked about a lot here on Dateline True Crime Weekly, the story of Corey Richins, the Utah mom who wrote a book about grief only to be charged with her husband's murder. I went to Utah and talked to the people at the center of the case, including Corey's brother, who is speaking out publicly for the first time since the trial.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

My mother said Corey did a good job that she just didn't break down there. And I said, well, it's not a matter of breaking down. I said it's just shock.

[Andrea Canning]

Watch Book of Lies this Friday at 9, 8 Central on NBC. Or you can stream it starting Saturday on Peacock. I hope you'll join us. Thanks for listening. Dateline True Crime Weekly is produced by Carson Cummins, Caroline Casey and Keani Reed. Our associate producers are Ellery Gladstone Groth and Aria Young. Our senior producer is Liz Brown Kurloff. Production and fact checking help by Audrey Abrahams. Veronica Mazeka is our digital producer. Rick Kwan is our sound designer. Original Music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.

[Donna Palumba]

Bye, everyone. Foreign.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers.

[Andrew Blankstein]

Cheers.

[Sue Simpson]

Cheers.

[Podcast Host / Interviewer]

I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own glass Half Full.

[Xfinity Announcer]

Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melton From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.