Son testifies against father in Hawaii. A pastor accused of cyberstalking wife. Plus, Hailey's Law.

Summary

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Dateline: True Crime Weekly — April 2, 2026

Hosted by Blaine Alexander (NBC News)

Episode Theme:

A son’s emotional testimony against his father accused of attempted murder in Hawaii, a pastor facing cyberstalking charges after his wife’s death, a Dateline Roundup of major true crime headlines, and an in-depth conversation with the father behind Indiana’s proposed “Hailey’s Law” after the tragic kidnapping and death of his daughter.

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Hawaii Anesthesiologist Trial: Son Testifies Against Father

Segment Begins: [02:19]

Case Overview

• Defendant: Dr. Gerhardt Koenig, anesthesiologist
• Allegations: Attempted murder of his wife, Ariel, on Oahu’s Pali Puka Trail, March 24, 2025
• Key Witness This Week: Emil Koenig (Gerhardt's 19-year-old son from a previous marriage)

Key Discussion Points

• Last Week’s Testimony:
  Ariel testified her husband tried to push her off a cliff, attempted to inject her, and struck her with a rock, stopping only when hikers interrupted ([02:00]).

  “She lifted her bangs to show the head injury that she still had. And she was missing parts of her hair on her head. The prosecution also showed pictures... Bloody head, blood streaming down her face."
  — Mahilani Richardson, [04:47]

• Jurors Hear From Emil Koenig

  • Gerhardt allegedly called Emil after the incident, stating:

    "I'm not gonna make it back. I tried to kill Eri, but she got away."
    — Prosecutor quoting Dr. Koenig, [03:38]

  • Defense argues this was a suicide goodbye call, not a confession; Gerhardt was sorry and wished he was a better man ([03:53]).

Emil’s Testimony

• Demeanor:
  "He was very somber. He was serious, only looked at the prosecutor... very short, very concise, and not emotional.”
  — Mahilani Richardson, [07:30]

• Content of the Call:

  “He said that he would not be making it back to Maui... that Arie, my stepmom, had been cheating on him and that he tried to kill her.”
  — Emil Koenig, [07:49]

  • No mention of self-defense or Ariel attacking Gerhardt ([07:49]).
  • On FaceTime, Emil noticed blood on Gerhardt’s shirt, explicitly told it was Ariel’s blood ([08:22]).

• Second Call (1 hour later):
  Gerhardt said he wanted to jump off the cliff, repeated he would go before police caught him ([08:41]).

Cross-Examination by Defense

• Challenged Emil’s recollection, probed for inconsistencies in what was said versus what was assumed ([09:27]-[10:04]).
• Suggested possible bias due to Emil’s current living situation with Ariel and her family:

  “Over the last year since this incident, you have continued to live with Ariel, correct?” — Defense
  “Yes.” — Emil ([10:20])

• Attempted to show Emil’s close relationship with Ariel’s family could undermine impartiality ([10:42]).

Notable Quotes & Analysis

• “[Gerhardt] was on the computer late night, reading these forums about infidelity and divorce,” highlighting motive and state of mind ([06:14]).
• “The injuries... don’t answer that basic question, though. Again, who hit first?” — Blaine Alexander, [06:56]
• “Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you.” — Bo Busby (about a different case but resonates with the dangers of delay), [02:12]

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South Carolina Pastor Case: Accusations of Cyberstalking Deceased Wife

Segment Begins: [13:15]

Case Overview

• Subjects: JP Miller (pastor, defendant), Micah Miller (estranged wife, deceased)
• Timeline:
  • April 27, 2024: Micah’s death, ruled suicide
  • Prior: Suspicions in community and online regarding abuse

Fresh Developments

• JP Miller now faces federal charges:

  • Cyberstalking:
    • Unwanted/harassing texts, electronic communications
    • Posted and threatened to post nude photo without consent
    • Allegedly placed tracking devices on Micah’s car ([17:35])
  • False Statements:
    • Lied to police about who initiated contact; allegedly damaged her tires ([18:20])
  • Prosecutors allege a pattern from Nov 2022 - Apr 2024

• No Charges in Connection to Death:

  “This indictment does not lay the blame, any blame, in fact, on J.P. miller for Micah's death.”
  — Eric Richards, [19:06]

Context & Community

• Micah well-liked, deeply religious; relationship turned estranged, allegations of abuse emerged ([15:01], [15:37])
• Micah’s sister sworn affidavit:

  “If she ended up with a bullet in her head, it was not by her, but actually by JP.” ([16:12])

• JP was in a different state at time of death, had alibi ([16:17])

Legal Status

• JP pleads not guilty.
• Out on bond with ankle monitor. Pre-trial conference set for April 14, jury selection April 21 ([19:19])
• Potential sentence: Up to 5 years (cyberstalking), 2 years (false statements) ([19:43])

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Dateline Roundup: Major True Crime Updates

Segment Begins: [22:17]

1. Gilgo Beach Serial Killer Case: Rex Heuerman

• Expectation that Heuerman will plead guilty (previously pleaded not guilty) ([23:00])
• Court date for possible plea: April 8
• Major question: Is plea change due to evolving strength of state’s DNA/digital evidence? ([23:17])
• “Certainly changes the trajectory of this decades long saga.” — Blaine Alexander, [23:48]

2. Mississippi Family Murder: The Spence Family

• Victim: Kirby Carpenter (girlfriend’s dad, Jeff Spence, convicted of murder)
• Key Timeline:
  • Arrests: Caitlyn Spence (girlfriend), Karen Spence (mother) took plea deals, testified against Jeff
  • Caitlyn:

    “She told jurors about a conversation that she had with her father where he basically confessed to killing Kirby.” ([25:52])

  • Jury returned guilty verdict in just two hours; Jeff Spence sentenced to life ([27:09])
  • Caitlyn received 20-year suspended sentence, five years of supervised probation ([27:19])

3. American Idol Contestant Accused of Murder

• Subject: Caleb Flynn (Season 12 of Idol, 2013)
• Wife, Ashley, found shot dead. Caleb called 911 pretending a break-in, later suspected of staging the scene ([28:12])
• Grand jury returned 11 charges in total, including aggravated murder and witness intimidation ([28:43])
• Trial set for April 28 ([29:23])

---

Hailey’s Law: A Father’s Mission After Tragedy

Segment Begins: [29:37]

Case Background

• Victim: Haley Busby (17), lured by 39-year-old Tyler Thomas via an online gaming platform, abducted, found dead in Ohio
• Father: Bo Busby, advocating legislative change

Key Discussion Points

• Problem: Police classified Haley as a runaway due to note left behind; delayed public alert ([32:37])

  “We have the Amber alerts, we have the silver alerts, but they're so outdated, and they don't reflect today's reality or risks... Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you.” — Bo Busby, [32:59]

• Hailey’s Law & The ‘Pink Alliance Alert’:

  • Would create a faster, risk-based alert for teens “missing under suspicious or high-risk circumstances,” not just ‘abductions’ ([33:51])
  • Emphasizes online grooming red flags and education for both kids and parents

• Advocacy Message:

  “Today, we have to become stronger advocates for our children...the companies and the platforms that want to be in our homes... I don't feel like they're doing their part... to ensure that they're being responsible and looking out for the safety and well being of those users.”
  — Bo Busby, [35:31]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He said that he would not be making it back to Maui... that Arie, my stepmom, had been cheating on him and that he tried to kill her.”
  — Emil Koenig, [07:49]
• “JP Miller allegedly engaged in various cyber stalking behaviors... posted a nude photo of her online without her consent and also threatened to do so various other times.”
  — Eric Richards, [17:35]
• “Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you.”
  — Bo Busby, [02:12]/[32:59]
• “If she ended up with a bullet in her head, it was not by her, but actually by JP.”
  — Quoting Micah’s sister’s affidavit, [16:12]
• “Certainly changes the trajectory of this decades long saga.”
  — Blaine Alexander on Gilgo Beach case, [23:48]
• “There are so many gaps... Our kids are just too accessible.”
  — Bo Busby, [35:31]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Hawaii attempted murder trial, son’s testimony: [02:19] – [11:17]
• South Carolina pastor cyberstalking case: [13:15] – [20:42]
• Dateline Roundup: Gilgo Beach, Spence murder conviction, Caleb Flynn case: [22:17] – [29:30]
• Hailey’s Law & Bo Busby interview: [29:37] – [36:12]

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Tone and Style

The episode is investigative and empathetic, with a focus on the human cost of crime, legal nuances, and both the drama and pain inherent to these cases. The interviews and roundtables are straightforward but laced with compassion and seriousness befitting true crime reportage.

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This summary provides a structured, detailed overview covering all critical stories, major legal developments, expert insights, and emotional testimony. It's ideal for both avid listeners and newcomers looking to stay informed on these unfolding true crime cases.

Transcript

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Rachel White]

Hopefully someone can hear me.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yeah.

[Defense Attorney]

Yeah.

[Blaine Alexander]

You're listening to the DATELINE story meeting.

[Rachel White]

Let's go ahead and jump in. I know it's a super busy day there.

[Blaine Alexander]

Our producers are catching up on breaking crime news. She was like, filing reports and reports and reports. She's starting to believe in her her

[Rachel White]

father's guilt, whether he takes the stand or not. Good chance he might.

[Blaine Alexander]

Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Blaine Alexander. It's April 2nd, and here's what's on our docket. In South Carolina, a pastor has been charged with cyberstalking his own wife.

[Eric Richards]

They say that he sent her unwanted and harassing text messages and had tracking devices on her car. So this is really intense.

[Blaine Alexander]

In Dateline Roundup, we've got a big update in the case of the alleged Gilgo beach serial killer. And new charges have been filed against a former American Idol contestant who's accused of murdering his wife.

[Rachel White]

He was hit with a waterfall of new charges, including aggravated murder and intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness.

[Blaine Alexander]

Plus, after an Indiana teen was allegedly kidnapped by a man she met playing video games online, her dad is now on a mission to change the law.

[Bo Busby]

Predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you.

[Blaine Alexander]

But before all of that, we're back in a Hawaii courtroom at the trial of an anesthesiologist accused of trying to murder his wife. A key prosecution wit has taken the stand. The anesthesiologist's Son. It's week three in the trial of Gerhardt Koenig. That's the anesthesiologist accused of attempting to kill his wife when they were hiking on the scenic Pali Puka Trail in Oahu on March 24, 2025. He has pleaded not guilty. Last week on the show, we talked about the disturbing testimony of Dr. Koenig's wife, Ariel, who told the jury how her husband pushed her towards the edge of a steep cliff, pulled out a syringe to try and inject her with a myster substance, and then hit her in the head with a rock multiple times, only stopping when two other hikers arrived at the scene.

[Rachel White]

I at some point hear a woman's voice say, we're here and we're calling 91 1.

[Prosecutor]

Okay, so after you hear that woman's voice, what happens?

[Rachel White]

Gerhardt just kind of froze and knelt

[Mahilani Richardson]

back away from me and I just

[Rachel White]

crawled away really slowly.

[Blaine Alexander]

But it's what Gerhardt Koenig did next that the prosecutor asked the jury to pay attention to this week. He alleges that after running off into the woods, Gerhardt called emil Koenig, his 19 year old son from a previous marriage, to confess.

[Prosecutor]

He says, I'm not gonna make it back. I tried to kill Eri, but she got away.

[Blaine Alexander]

Gerhardt's defense attorney says far from being a confession, the call was Gerhardt's goodbye to his son as he contemplated suicide.

[Defense Attorney]

He was calling him to tell him he was sorry. He was calling him to tell him that he wished he was a better man.

[Blaine Alexander]

On Tuesday, the jurors got to hear from Emile himself as he took the stand against his father.

[Prosecutor]

Can you start off by stating your name please? Emil Koenig. And who is Gerhard Koenig to you? My father.

[Blaine Alexander]

Here to bring us the latest from the courtroom is Hawaii News now anchor and reporter Mahilani Richardson. Welcome back, Mahilani.

[Mahilani Richardson]

Aloha, Blaine.

[Blaine Alexander]

Aloha. So good to see you. Thank you for being here with us to break this down. Now, last week you mentioned that this case was basically a he said, she said type of situation. The only two people who really know, of course, what happened at the top of that mountain are Geart and Ariel. Now, she says that he attacked her first, but Gehart's defense is basically saying that she hit him first. The state has since been calling a bunch of witnesses to support their version of events. But break down for us, what has the jury heard so far in this case?

[Mahilani Richardson]

We heard from Ariel Koenig herself. She lifted her bangs to show the head injury that she still had. And she was missing parts of her hair on her head. The prosecution also showed pictures of her from the incident. Bloody head, blood streaming down her face. And we also heard from an emergency room doctor who said the injury went down to her skull.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

If you could see down and through portions of this laceration, you could actually see the skull. I observed pieces of rock and material that were actually embedded in the laceration.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, my gosh. That's just incredibly graphic. I mean, just some really disturbing details in all of break down for us. How has the defense been handling these expert witnesses on the stand?

[Mahilani Richardson]

When it comes to the doctors, the experts who have looked at the case, the defense has been very, very pointed in questioning. The defense said that the injury, it looks bad, but it's not that bad. When we heard from that emergency room doctor, the doctor said that she did not have a traumatic brain injury and no internal bleeding.

[Defense Attorney]

And doctor, the CAT scan to the head indicated that there were no skull fractures, Correct? Correct. And no hemorrhaging was found either. Yes. I mean, correct.

[Blaine Alexander]

No internal hemorrhage. Now we know that Gerhard's laptop was turned over to the police. Walk us through that.

[Mahilani Richardson]

There was hours of testimony in terms of what Gerhard looked at on his computer after he believed that he had discovered that his wife had been cheating on him. And he was on the computer late night, reading these forms about infidelity and divorce. The detective. Detective also said that Gerhard sent an email to a woman named Andrea Miller. And Andrea Miller is the wife of Jeff Miller, the man who Ariel was allegedly having an affair with. And he wanted to talk to her on the phone. He offered his number. At this point, we don't know if Andrea Miller ever responded to his email.

[Blaine Alexander]

So Ariel told the jury last week about this emotional affair she was having with Miller. He lived in another state. And she says it never. Not physical, but it sounds like the prosecutor was using Gerhardt's digital footprint to show just how upset he was at the issues in their marriage, those ongoing problems. Still, the search histories, the injuries, don't answer that basic question, though. Again, who hit first? That's kind of what it sounds like this whole thing is coming down to. Right? So Emil took the stand on Tuesday. And I'm just curious, what was your impression of him? You've been following this case from the very start.

[Mahilani Richardson]

Emil is very young. He was very somber. He was serious, Only looked at the prosecutor. He didn't look around. His answers were very short, very concise, and not emotional.

[Blaine Alexander]

So one of the big things, of course, is that call he got from his dad. Let's listen to what he says about that call.

[Prosecutor]

What did the defendant tell you during that call? As close to word for word as you can remember, that he would not be making it back to Maui and to take good care of the younger kids. And that he had. That Arie, my stepmom, had been cheating on him and that he tried to kill her. Did the defendant say anything about self defense? No. Did the defendant say anything about Ariel attacking him? No.

[Blaine Alexander]

So this was a FaceTime. Emil could see his dad. What did Emile say that he noticed about his dad during that call?

[Mahilani Richardson]

Emile said that he noticed that there were blood splatters on his dad's shirt. And when he asked about it, he said that Gerhard told him that it was Ariel's blood.

[Blaine Alexander]

I mean, that had to have just been shocking for him to hear. But then, shortly after that first call, Gerhardt actually called Emile a second time. What was that all about?

[Mahilani Richardson]

This was about an hour after that first FaceTime call when Gerhard called again on FaceTime. He told Emile that he wanted to jump off the cliff.

[Prosecutor]

According to Emile, he said that he was just going to jump and said that a couple times. So after the defendant told you he was going to jump a couple times during the second call, how did you respond? Same way as before. Said not to. I don't know. You told the defendant not to jump. Right. How did this second call end with him saying. With the defendant saying, I'm going to go before the police catch me.

[Blaine Alexander]

Let's talk about the defense's strategy on cross. How did the defense approach cross examination?

[Mahilani Richardson]

The defense asked if Emil wrote down what his dad said, if there was any recordings, if there was any video of what the dad said you could see the defense was challenging his memory of what happened.

[Defense Attorney]

You remember telling the detective initially that your dad told you he tried to kill Ariel by pushing her off a cliff? You remember telling the detective that?

[Prosecutor]

Yes. Okay.

[Defense Attorney]

But later on, when a detective asked you about that, you clarified and you said the part about pushing her off the cliff was what you assumed he meant, not what he had actually said. Correct?

[Prosecutor]

Yes. Correct.

[Blaine Alexander]

Emma Halani. The defense also pressed Emil on his relationship with Ariel's side of the family versus Gerhardt's side of the family. So what exactly is the defense trying to do with this line of questioning?

[Mahilani Richardson]

Is trying to show some sort of bias by Emile.

[Defense Attorney]

Over the last year since this incident, you have continued to live with Ariel, correct?

[Prosecutor]

Yes.

[Defense Attorney]

You also would see Ariel's parents, Judy and Pete, regularly over the last year. Correct?

[Prosecutor]

Correct.

[Defense Attorney]

And you refer to them as your grandparents?

[Bo Busby]

Yes.

[Defense Attorney]

Yes. And you, they came with you to court today? Yes.

[Prosecutor]

Yes.

[Mahilani Richardson]

The defense is trying to show that Emile is very close to Ariel and her family was in high school. He chose to live with Gerhard, Ariel and his two half brothers in Kahului, Maui. They had been living together for about two years before this violent incident. He works on Maui and lives with Ariel and his two half brothers today after this incident.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's fascinating. There is a lot to watch in this case. Mahalani Richardson, we know that you will be all over it. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Mahilani Richardson]

Blaine Mahalanui, thank you.

[Blaine Alexander]

After we taped our conversation on Wednesday, the defense called Dr. Koenig to the stand. We'll bring you details on what he had to say in next week's episode. Coming up, nearly two years after a woman was found dead in a park, prosecutors have accused her pastor husband of cyber stalking her.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, only pay for what you [e-mail]

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Blaine Alexander]

For our next story, we are heading down to South Carolina where the sudden death of a pastor's 30 year old wife two years ago made national headlines and is back in the news. And just a warning for our listeners, this segment includes discussions of suicide, so please take care while listening. On April 27, 2024, Micah Miller left her Myrtle beach home, went to a pawn shop, purchased a gun, and crossed state lines to Lumber River State park in North Carolina. From there, she called 91 1. Tell me what happened. I'm about to kill myself and I just want my family to know where to find me.

[Rachel White]

Let me make sure I got the exact location where you're at.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay, just one minute. Then Micah hung up the phone. Police were dispatched to the park where a kayaker alerted them to a body floating in the river. It was Micah. Micah's death made headlines after suspicions circulated online that her estranged husband, a well known pastor named John Paul or JP Miller, abused her and may have even been responsible for her death. JP Miller has denied any abuse or involvement in Micah's death and a medical examiner officially ruled it a suicide. But now, almost two years later, JP Miller is facing criminal charges in connection to his wife, not for anything to do with her death, but for how prosecutors say he treated her when she was still alive. Miller has pleaded not guilty to charges of cyber stalking and lying to investigators. Those are the charges against him and he's set to face trial this month. So joining us now to break it all down is reporter Eric Richards, who has been covering this case for the NBC affiliate WMBF in Myrtle Beach. Eric, thank you so much for joining us.

[Eric Richards]

Very nice to be with you today.

[Blaine Alexander]

So, Eric, just give us some background. Tell us about Micah and J.P. miller.

[Eric Richards]

Well, I can tell you that Micah really was well loved and in her community, in her family, she was very deeply rooted in her faith. J.P. miller, the pastor at Solid Rock Church, that was his church then in Myrtle beach, and that is where he actually met Micah. They were friends since like 2009. She was a teenager when they met. He was 30 years old at the time. They became a couple, though, and actually married in 2017.

[Blaine Alexander]

So what was the state of their relationship leading up to Micah's death? Can you kind of pull back the curtain for us a little bit?

[Eric Richards]

Well, yeah, I can tell you that they were actually estranged at the time of Micah's death. And her former attorney, Regina Ward says that she had actually filed for legal separation twice from JP the second time was on April 15, less than two weeks before her death. And her sister, Sierra Francis, actually alleged that JP had been abusive towards Micah. Sierra said that Micah told her on many occasions that if she ended up with a bullet in her head, it was not by her, but actually by jp.

[Blaine Alexander]

Wow. And Ciara said this in a sworn affidavit. This is just such a chilling thing to hear.

[Eric Richards]

You know, Micah had actually filed a police report the month before her death saying that she feared for her life. But the medical examiner said that there was no concern for foul play, that this was consistent with suicide. All this on top of JP Miller, who was actually in a different state at the time that Micah died. He was down here in South Carolina, allegedly with a woman that he was romantically involved with. This according to the Robson County Sheriff's Office.

[Blaine Alexander]

And of course, Micah died in North Carolina, so across the border from each other.

[Eric Richards]

Correct.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay. Well, in the months after Micah's death, the FBI did get involved in the case when local authorities asked for their assistance. But then three months ago, December of 2025, there was some big news. JP Miller was indicted on federal charges of cyber stalking and making false statements. To investigators, it's a very interesting charge. Right. We think of stalking as something that a potential victim gets from somebody they don't know. But in this case, the alleged cyber stalking is being husband to his own wife.

[Eric Richards]

Exactly. You know, and when you read the indictment, it sounds more like a domestic violence incident than your typical stranger danger or stalking situation.

[Blaine Alexander]

What exactly are prosecutors alleging that JP did to Micah, and when are they alleging it happened?

[Eric Richards]

Yeah, well, they're saying that this really started in November of 2022 until her death in April of 2024, with JP Miller allegedly engaging in various cyber stalking behaviors. They say that he sent her unwanted and harassing text messages and other electronic communications. Prosecutors also say JP had posted a nude photo of her online without her consent and also threatened to do so various other times. They say that JP had tracking devices on her car, in fact, that could surveil her with the end goal really, of harassing and intimidating her. So this is really intense.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's the cyber stalking charge. Break down the false statement charge.

[Eric Richards]

The false statements surround events on March 11th of 2024. On that day, Micah had actually contacted the police and said that she believed that somebody had deflated her tires and that she felt that she was being followed and contacted unwillingly by JP now, prosecutors say that JP falsely claimed that Micah called him more than he actually called her that day, when in fact, it was the other way around. And they say that JP Also told police that did not damage Micah's tires, when in fact they said that he did using a deflating device.

[Blaine Alexander]

Wow. Okay. And so I'm, I'm really struck by this. There are these new charges that come about two years after Micah's death, but it doesn't sound like there are any charges actually relating to her death.

[Eric Richards]

This indictment does not lay the blame, any blame, in fact, on J.P. miller for Micah's death.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, in January, J.P. miller pleaded not guilty to both of the federal charges against him. So, Eric, tell us what's next for J.P. miller here.

[Eric Richards]

J.P. is still out on bond and he has to wear an ankle monitor. After several delays, last week there was finally a date set for his final pre trial conference. That will happen actually on April 14th with jury selection scheduled on April 21st.

[Blaine Alexander]

And if there is a conviction on these charges, what sort of sentence could these charges bring?

[Eric Richards]

Well, J.P. you know, if convicted, faces up to five years in prison for the cyber stalking charge and up to two years for making those false statements.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay. And before we go, we'd like to share some information with everyone who's listening. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or you can visit the website 988lifeline.org and if you need resources on domestic violence or if you're in an unsafe situation, a good place to go is the National Toxic Violence Hotline. That number is 800-799-safe 800-799-7233. Or you can text the word begin B E g I n to 88788 or go to the hotline.org and of course, we'll put that number and all of that information in our episode description. Eric Richards from wmbf, thank you so much for joining us to break this down and for all of your great reporting on this. We know that you'll continue to stay on top of it.

[Eric Richards]

Thank you and yes, we will.

[Blaine Alexander]

Up next, it's time for DATELINE roundup. The alleged Gilgo beach serial killer may not be heading to trial after all. We've got the latest and new charges in the case of a former American Idol contestant accused of murder. Plus, after an Indiana teenager is allegedly kidnapped and abused by a man she met online, her dad wants lawmakers to do more to protect children.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

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[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, only pay for what you [e-mail]

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty.

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[Blaine Alexander]

Welcome back. Joining me for this week's roundup is DATELINE producer Rachel White. Hi, Rachel.

[Rachel White]

Hi, Blaine.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, first we're off to Long Island, New York, where there is a stunning development in the case against Rex Heuerman, the man accused of murdering seven women and dumping their bodies in or near Gilgo beach dating back to 1993. Rachel, this trial is certainly one of the most highly anticipated trials of the year. Tell us the latest on this case.

[Rachel White]

So Hman's trial was scheduled for September 2026. And you know, he was arrested in 2023, had maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. But according to two sources close to the case who spoke with WNBC's Greg Sergel, he's now expected to plead guilty.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh wow. That is a very big change. Do we know exactly when he's expected to change this plea?

[Rachel White]

Court records show that he's expected back in Court on April 8th. So that's when we think he could plea.

[Blaine Alexander]

So of course now the big question is why might he be changing his plea? Why now?

[Rachel White]

I mean, that is the big question. Hman and his attorneys have yet to release a statement. You know, we've watched the state build a sprawling case against Hman with DNA evidence, cell phone and digital evidence. We've also seen the defense challenge the state's evidence, planning to present their case, and ultimately lost those arguments. So did that impact Herman's decision to change his plea? We don't know. But either way, this is a huge development. Certainly changes the trajectory of this decades long saga.

[Blaine Alexander]

Absolutely. And calling it a saga is very accurate. We will certainly be watching this on April 8th. So there's more to come there. Next, we've got a verdict out of the state of Mississippi in the murder trial of Jeff Spence. That's the man accused of murdering his daughter's boyfriend, entrepreneur and precious metals dealer, Kirby Carpenter. This happened back in 2022. Rachel, this is a case I know that you've been following very closely. Just give us a quick reminder about this one.

[Rachel White]

Sure. So back in 2022, Kirby Carpenter was found shot dead outside his home. A year went by without any arrests. But then on the anniversary of Kirby's death, there was news of not one, but three arrests. Kirby's girlfriend Caitlyn Spence and her parents, Jeff and Karen Spence were all arrested.

[Blaine Alexander]

Just break down what was the investigators theory of this crime.

[Rachel White]

So they alleged that the family conspired to kill Kirby, but that Jeff Spence was the one who fired the fatal shot shots. And as for why prosecutors believed it was all about money and greed for Jeff Spence. Kirby was in the precious metals trade. He often carried gold, silver and lots of cash on him. And their theory was that Jeff Spence wanted to take that from him.

[Blaine Alexander]

So Rachel, as we talked about last week, Kirby's girlfriend and her family members initially pleaded not guilty to these charges. But before their trial got underway, Caitlyn, his girlfriend and her mother Karen changed their pleas. Just walk us through what we know about all of that.

[Rachel White]

That Karen Spence took an Alford plea to being an accessory to grand larceny. She got 10 year suspended sentence and is out on probation. Caitlyn pleaded guilty to being accessory after the fact to capital murder and agreed to testify against her dad at his trial with her sentencing set for after his trial took place.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay, Rachel. So her dad, Jeffrey Spence did go to trial back in 2025. During that trial, the jury deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. So last week, his second trial began. And as we mentioned, the star witness in this first trial was his daughter Caitlyn. Did we hear her testify again in the second trial as well?

[Rachel White]

We did. And just like during his first trial, she told jurors about a conversation that she had with her father where he basically confessed to killing Kirby.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay, let's listen to a little bit of that.

[Prosecutor]

Then later, by a waterfall, your dad apparently implies that he killed Kirby. Right?

[Blaine Alexander]

Right.

[Rachel White]

Yes.

[Prosecutor]

You entered a plea of guilty to accessory after the fact.

[Rachel White]

Yes.

[Prosecutor]

And what was the basis for your pleading to that?

[Rachel White]

For the, for the knowledge that I had after of my conversation with my

[Prosecutor]

father based on that information? Did you make, Did you consider that information to be your dad admitting to you to killing Kirby Carpenter.

[Blaine Alexander]

Yes. Well, last Friday, this case made its way into the hands of a jury. Rachel, you were right there. You were at the courthouse, and the jury came back pretty quickly.

[Rachel White]

Yes. So they got the case around lunchtime, and they were back with a verdict about two hours later.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, wow, that's very quick. Let's take a listen.

[Bo Busby]

Jeffrey Dean Spence, guilty of first three murder.

[Rachel White]

After this verdict was delivered, the judge went directly to sentencing Jeff Spence, and he received a mandatory life sentence.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay, and, Rachel, what about Caitlin? What happened with her sentencing?

[Rachel White]

On Monday, Caitlin Spence was sentenced to 20 years suspended. So she won't be serving any more time behind bars. She'll just be under supervised probation for the next five years.

[Blaine Alexander]

Was this an unexpected sentence for her?

[Rachel White]

It was not. So the prosecutors recommended that the judge stick to the terms of their agreement, saying Caitlyn did testify and it did lead to a conviction. So that's what the judge did.

[Blaine Alexander]

And finally, we are off to Ohio, where a former American Idol contestant is back in court this week. Back in February, Caleb Flynn was arrested after his wife Ashley was found shot dead in the couple's home. Rachel, just give us a quick reminder about this case case.

[Rachel White]

Sure. So Caleb Flynn was a contestant on season 12 of American Idol, which aired back in 2013. In his interview for the show, he talked about how much he loved his wife.

[Prosecutor]

I love my wife more than anything.

[Bo Busby]

She is very, very pretty.

[Defense Attorney]

Just.

[Bo Busby]

I love her.

[Rachel White]

Caleb Flynn made headlines in February 2026 when he was charged with his wife's murder. And according to authorities, on the night of February 16, Caleb called 911 to report an intruder, saying that someone broke into his house and wife in the head. But after processing the scene, investigators concluded that Caleb had staged the scene and was responsible for killing his wife.

[Blaine Alexander]

Oh, Rachel, since we last talked about this case, he was hit with several more charges, right?

[Rachel White]

Yeah. So originally, he was arrested and charged with Ashley's murder, felony assault, and tampering with evidence. He pleaded not guilty. But then, following a grand jury indictment on March 18, he was hit with a waterfall of new charges, including aggravated murder and intimidation of an attorney, victim, or witness. As for who Flynn is accused of intimidating, the indictment doesn't say, but it did say that this happened between February 16th through February 18th. So the days surrounding his wife's death, now he faces a total of 11 charges, and he has yet to enter a plea for the new charges.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay, and. And this week, he had a pretrial hearing. Right. So what happened there?

[Rachel White]

Well, we learned that his court Date has been set, so it's April 28th. That trial is expected to last two weeks.

[Blaine Alexander]

Okay. And I know that we will continue to follow that one as well. Rachel, thank you so much.

[Rachel White]

Thank you for having me.

[Blaine Alexander]

For our final story, I wanted to talk to a dad who's heading to the Indiana State House this week to lobby for new legislation that he believes could help protect children. He's speaking out after suffering a truly unthinkable loss. The alleged kidnapping and death of his own daughter. This dad's name is Bo Busby. On January 5, 2026, Bo said goodnight to his 17 year old daughter, Hannah Haley. And the next morning when he woke up, she had vanished. Police say a missing 17 year old

[Commercial Narrator]

is now considered to be an endangered missing juvenile.

[Blaine Alexander]

Within days, investigators figured out Haley had been communicating for more than a year with a man that she'd met through an online gaming platform. That man's name, investigators say is 39 year old Tyler Thomas. Authorities say Thomas picked Haley up from her Indiana home on the night she disappeared and took her to Ohio. Nearly four weeks later, Thomas led investigators to her remains. Tyler Thomas has been federally charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and with traveling across state lines with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He has not been charged with Haley's death. His attorney told NBC affiliate WTHR that he plans to fight those charges. Since Haley's death, her father Beau, has set out to change the law in Indiana to close what he sees as gaps in the current alert system for missing teens and to set up safeguards to protect kids from people they meet online. Beau joins us now to talk more about it. Beau, first, thank you so much for joining us today. I am. I don't have enough words to say how sorry I am for your loss. And I really, really appreciate you speaking with us today.

[Bo Busby]

Thank you.

[Blaine Alexander]

Before we dive into our conversation, Beau, I just want you to tell me about Haley. I want to know more about your little girl. Tell me about her.

[Bo Busby]

Sure. So, yeah, Haley was a. A very kind and loving smart girl. Such a special child with one of the sweetest spirits. Such a special girl to so many.

[Blaine Alexander]

I could only imagine. Well, I mean, I think that what you're about to describe is something that lives in the fear of every parent. So if you could just walk me through what happened. How did you realize she was missing and what happened after that?

[Bo Busby]

Sure. You know, it's a good day on that Monday night, followed a lot of our normal family, I'll say, daily routines, traditions. We usually end the Night with her, tucking in her little sister before bed. And then before we go to bed, stop. Stop by her room, tell her good night one more time. Nothing really stood out the next morning. Morning, we realized that she wasn't home. We knew something was very wrong. We immediately reached out to law enforcement and then started working hard and diligently to find her and bring her home.

[Blaine Alexander]

So, Bo, you reported Haley missing right away, but initially the police classified her as a runaway because she had left a note telling you not to come looking for her. So what that meant then is that an alert didn't go out right away, notifying the public, public that she was missing. And police then waited a day before issuing a press release. I know that you've said that you believe this cost you valuable time in

[Bo Busby]

Indiana, and I think this applies across most states. We have the Amber alerts, we have the silver alerts, but they're so outdated, and they don't reflect today's reality or risks. Because she wasn't physically abducted, you know, because that's sort of the. The laws that we're still working under, you know, physically taken, you know, you get. You get the. The runaway category assigned. And predators depend on that delayed response to take your child further away from you.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, you're now pushing for what's being called Haley's law in the state of Indiana, and it includes what's called a pink alliance alert. Explain that to me. What is that and how would that work?

[Bo Busby]

So it's looking at risk. What are these things that we see in today's world where we know these are high risk situations and applying those to our response? It's not just looking at, well, this kid decided to leave the house. It's. Well, what. What else are we saying? We know how these predators, these experts online, you know, their tactics, and so let's look for those. And if we start to see some of those, maybe you'll get some type of public notification within 24, 48 hours. It needs to be more timely.

[Blaine Alexander]

I know that a big part of Haley's law, and I think this is so important, is helping prevent situations like this before they happen. Let's talk about the education piece.

[Bo Busby]

Know in Indiana, we have our education requirements, we have cyber bullying, we have trafficking, but we don't talk about predators or we don't talk about groomers. That's nowhere in the law. Grooming is so often that first contact point, that first interaction. It makes sense that we start there and teach our kids, you know, what to look for and how to respond and our parents as well. So that's what we're trying to do there with the required education.

[Blaine Alexander]

Well, Boma, I just want to end with this. Is there anything that you want to say to parents who are listening about warning signs, red flags that you wish you'd watched for or something that you would like parents to know?

[Bo Busby]

Today, we have to become stronger advocates for our children, children and their safety because there are so many gaps. You know, Haley wasn't like the stereotypical gamer. I mean, she wasn't in a room all day with her doors closed. You know, just gaming. Our kids are just too accessible. And the, the companies and the platforms that, you know, want to be in our homes, I don't feel like they're doing their part of it to ensure that they're being responsible and looking out for the safety and well being of those users that are using their platforms.

[Blaine Alexander]

Absolutely. Bo, thank you.

[Bo Busby]

Thank you.

[Blaine Alexander]

That's it for this episode of dateline. True Crime Weekly. To get ad free listening for all of our podcasts, just subscribe to DATELINE Premium. And we've got some very exciting news. Dateline's Missing in America podcast has been nominated for a Webby Award in the crime and justice podcast category. So we can't win without you. Please go online and vote for dateline. We've included the voting link in our episode description. And coming up this Friday, I have a brand new episode that I've been working on for the past few months. It is truly an unbelievable story that's been on dateline's radar and mine from the very beginning. It's about a murder plot involving an affair, a fetish website and a live in au pair. And we have exclusive footage from her very first police interrogation. He was going to do something.

[Rachel White]

Then I shot him also. I did.

[Blaine Alexander]

You can watch Temptation this Friday at 98 Central on NBC or you can stream it starting Saturday on Peacock. I hope you'll join us. Thanks as always 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. Thanks, everybody.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Hey, everyone, Check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson]

Anyways, Only pay for what you [e-mail].

[Liberty Mutual Co-Spokesperson]

liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.