02-16-26 - Connecticut Cannibal Released From Prison Making Us Wonder If He's On A Registry And Has Truly Been Reformed - BO

Summary

Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Arizona

Episode: 02-16-26 – "Connecticut Cannibal Released From Prison: Should He Be On a Registry?"

Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

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Episode Overview

In this lively and provocative episode, the HMS crew discuss the recent news of Tyree Smith, a convicted cannibal from Connecticut, being conditionally released from a psychiatric facility after being found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2012. The hosts dig into the public's discomfort, the ethics of rehabilitation versus punishment, and whether cannibals should be registered like sex offenders. With their trademark dark humor, they question if true reformation is possible and how society should grapple with such extreme cases.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Cannibal’s Release (01:09–04:28)

• The hosts highlight the unsettling reality that Tyree Smith, who killed and consumed parts of a man, is now out of institutional care.
• John Holmberg: “How’d you like to be that guy’s neighbor?... Oh, my name is Tyree Smith... I cannibalized some people and now I’m better.” (01:17)
• Psychiatric experts unanimously agreed Tyree is “no longer a threat” but the hosts are skeptical.
• Key Insight: The crew compares the logic used for animals with a “taste for human flesh” to cannibal rehabilitation—questioning whether true reform is possible.

2. Comparing Cannibals to Animals (03:02–04:28)

• Holmberg: “If a mountain lion bites a kid, we have to kill it because it has a taste for human flesh, right?... Wouldn’t that hold true to a cannibal?” (03:00)
• They humorously compare muzzling a once-dangerous dog to monitoring an ex-cannibal, suggesting constant supervision or restriction is prudent.

3. Ethics of Release and Recidivism Concerns (04:28–08:06)

• The team wonders if this is the first time a cannibal has been “cured” and released as a supposed success story.
• They reference famous cases (e.g., a monkey attack, Jeffrey Dahmer) to emphasize public discomfort with attempted rehabilitation.
• Holmberg (paraphrasing a victim’s family): “How do we know he’s not gonna do this again? Which is everyone’s feeling of a cannibal.” (06:22)
• Memorable Moment: The panel jokes about a “test” for relapse: “Serve a sheepshead with the eye… see what he does.” (08:41)

4. Should Cannibals be Monitored Like Sex Offenders? (12:03–13:46)

• The show asks if cannibals should have to go door-to-door or be on a registry like sex offenders.
• “Do they have to go door to door?” “Yeah, they should, just like the sex offenders.” (12:27)
• Role-play: The hosts imagine a scenario where Tyree must introduce himself to the neighborhood, revealing his past (“No, I ate a guy, so I have to let you know that I ate someone once.”) (13:07)
• Dark Humor: Holmberg jokes that the only response would be to immediately put up a “For Sale” sign.

5. The American Consensus Against Cannibalism (13:54–16:28)

• Holmberg laments a seemingly lost cultural consensus: “Where’s the America I grew up in where we all agreed that cannibals needed to die?” (13:54)
• Entertaining hypothetical: Even people with radically opposing views (e.g., a Klansman and Malcolm X) would have agreed that cannibals can’t be accepted back. (15:41)
  • “You could get a Klansman and Malcolm X in a room and say, all right, let’s find something we all agree on... All cannibals need to die.” (15:41)
• They poke fun at the idea of “Cannibal Downs” – a community for released cannibals. (14:20)

6. Everyday Paranoia and Humor (14:20–18:44)

• Imagining living with or next to a released cannibal—jokes about checking for salt and pepper shakers in the halfway house, to setting up “mouse traps” and security measures.
• The group turns to friendly teasing of how Brady would accidentally befriend the cannibal and possibly get eaten:
  • “Brady would… you’d answer the door for the cannibal before he even knocked.” (17:33)
• Extended bit about inviting Tyree Smith to a barbecue.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Holmberg: “Once you get a taste of us, you’d think that’s pretty much the end of it.” (03:12)
• Holmberg: “If you eat somebody, you’re out.” (08:06)
• Holmberg (on the cannibal registry): “They should, just like the sex offenders... hand out pamphlets and stuff.” (12:30)
• Imaginary Dialogue:
  • Neighbor: “Were you a sex offender?”
  • Tyree: “No, I ate a guy, so I have to let you know.” (13:07)
• Holmberg: “Where’s the America I grew up in where we all agreed that cannibals needed to die?” (13:54)
• On unity: “You could get a Klansman and Malcolm X in a room … they would shake hands, like, that’s a deal [about cannibals].” (15:41)
• Brady teasing: “You’d answer the door for the cannibal before he even knocked.” (17:33)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|----------------| | Introduction to Cannibal Release | 01:09–02:46 | | Animal Comparison, Psychology | 03:02–04:28 | | Family/Victim Reaction and System Skepticism | 06:22–07:02 | | Should Cannibals be Registered? | 12:03–13:46 | | Cultural and Historical Perspective | 13:54–16:28 | | Humor on Living with a Cannibal | 14:20–18:44 |

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Tone & Style

The episode is heavy with dark humor and quick-fire banter, characteristic of HMS. The hosts oscillate between serious concern for public safety and outlandish, comedic scenarios about cannibal reformation and neighborhood life—underscored by skepticism and distrust of the “rehabilitation” narrative for extreme offenders.

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Summary Takeaway

If you’ve ever wondered how society should handle the rare but shocking case of a “rehabilitated” cannibal, the HMS crew will challenge your comfort zone—with plenty of provocative questions, satirical takes, and the underlying message that some lines, maybe, shouldn’t be crossed twice.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

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[D]

The best of Homburg's morning sickness. In other news, this headline right here. I think this needs to be put to a vote. Connecticut Cannibal released. Quote, it's comforting that he's no longer a threat. To who? How'd you like to be that guy's neighbor? Hi. Who are you? Oh, my name is Tyree Smith. Like, oh, hi, Tyree. How are you? You just moving into town? Yeah, I just got out. Oh, got out? What do you mean? I was in jail for a while. I cannibalized some people, and now I'm better. There's a. The lawyer says he's actually comforted with a bunch of psychiatric experts in Connecticut's Psychiatric Security Review Board unanimously agreed that Tyree is no longer a threat. Until he is. Was he a threat before the cannibalism? Did we know about it or did he just snap? He was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2012 and ordered to spend 60 years at the psychiatric hospital. Because in 2012, they're like, Ain't no fixing this guy for 60 years. He's nuts. He ate a guy. He will be. And they said the boards review, they will be released from the high security forensic hospital, housed full time at a community facility as conditional release. Now, this is a dude who peeled the eyes out of another person and started to eat him and then started to just chow down on a guy. Tyre Smith's story is not like, oops, I accidentally ate some person. He did it on purpose. And then they just decided to say, you know, 12, 13 years later, he's.

[E]

Not going to eat.

[D]

He's not going to eat anybody again. However, using logic against them, which I tend to do, if a mountain lion bites a kid, we have to kill it because it has a taste for human flesh, right?

[E]

Yeah, true. With a lot of animals.

[D]

Every animal that's in the woods where we wander into their area and they defend their home, we put them down because, well, they just. Humans just taste so damn good. Now that he's got a taste for it, he's going to do it again. So wouldn't that hold true to a cannibal? Once you get a taste of us, you'd think, you'd think that that's pretty much the end of it. And I don't know that him being out of, you know, like psychiatrists all day can say, yeah, sure, but wouldn't you rather like. My dog Yeardley is probably not gonna bite, but she's had triggers in the past where she'll. She seems like she might bite. She doesn't like men. She was abused by men as a puppy, had her leg torn off by a guy. And so she gets sketchy around guys, so I muzzle her. It's a, it's. She's probably better. And you could probably say that she wouldn't do it. I mean, psychiatrically I can evaluate her because I see her every day and say, this dog's not going to bite anybody. Again, she's been rehabilitated. But just in case she does get a hankering for a Mexican calf, I'm going to muzzle that. And that's the smart thing to do. Same thing for anybody who eats. Yeah, yeah. You ate a person. I mean, you're showing a lot of signs that that's behind you, but I'm going to go ahead and keep you locked up just in case in your brain the buffet opens again.

[E]

Would he be the first cannibal?

[D]

You know, that's a good question. I don't know. Is he the guy?

[E]

Most of the time, you know, then they say, we made a mistake, we need to Put him down.

[D]

Oh, yeah.

[E]

On the attack, you know, like they do with white dogs.

[D]

Yeah, I agree that you need to put all cannibals down. I don't think rehabilitating a cannibal, but.

[E]

This would be the good.

[D]

This might be the first time they're like, hey, we fixed it. Let him loose. I don't know that that's comforting. You know that monkey that ripped that guy's face off a few years ago? Remember that?

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

I think they kept him in like a cage forever after. I think he's still alive. But he's like, been in like they, they're analyzing. Like, he's like, you know that Matthew Broderick movie, Project X or whatever it was. I forget. What is it?

[A]

Something like that.

[D]

But they, they like stick probes in his brain to see, like, is he. That kept Caesar alive naturally. Gonna hate things. Yeah. Caesar from the. That's right. To make it so people understand Caesar. That's the one. Anyway, the family of the guy he ate, also not happy about this. And I think that would be like, that's true. I know the Goldmans were miserable that OJ Got freed. I can't imagine if my family member was eaten by a fella. And then 12 years later they're like, you know, at the very least, as a family are like, well, at least I'm comforted knowing that he'll be in jail for his whole life. No, he won't.

[E]

You said he was in for 60 years.

[D]

No, that was his sentence. He was in for 12. Actually, I thought maybe he was in for 11 and a half years. When now he's out. No, he'll be out.

[E]

Yeah, it seems a little like too soon in a way.

[D]

11 years.

[A]

President shanked in prison.

[D]

Yeah, the. Well, he was in A. Don't mention he's in a looney B. He didn't go to a real prison.

[A]

Okay, well, how did Dahmer get away with.

[D]

I don't know.

[A]

He got shanked.

[D]

He ate more than one, I guess. I guess that's the rule. If you just use.

[A]

If you get the family size. Okay.

[D]

If you go back for seconds. Ah, gotcha. This the lady, the sister in law of the person that he ate and that. Yeah, you heard me say that. She says, how do we know he's not gonna do this again? Which is everyone's feeling of a cannibal. How do you know he's done? She thinks he's learned in the system how to suppress his cannibalistic rage to look normal again.

[E]

And it wasn't like a drug, you know, induced deal.

[D]

What, that he was drugged up and ate a guy? Probably. I would assume there were drugs involved. But still, you let him out on his own devices.

[E]

That friend, that's gonna give him that mickey, right?

[D]

Somebody goes, hey, man, it's been good to see you. Where you been? I read a little bit about you in the paper, but I didn't get into detail. Yeah, I'm back, man. I'm back. How you doing? Tyree's back, everybody. Hey, man, you want to get an eight ball and start messing around? I should probably avoid that. Last time I had eight ball, I ate a man. I took eight ball the wrong way. I spelled it a T, E. I ate a man's ball. So, yeah, so the family is, like, not getting any justice on this one. But he. He hacked a stranger up with an ax, and then he ate some of his brain and definitely made a point to eat his eyeballs and then talked about eating those eyeballs. He's out now. Remember when Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens retired and then he took his helmet off and he had that crazy beard and that wacky hair, and everybody's like, ed Reed looks homeless and crazy. That's what this guy looks like now. Like, that's. He looks like when we all said Ed Reed was crazy. This is his. This is his sane photograph. Yeah. This is his sane picture. Yeah.

[A]

Skip the loony bin.

[D]

Yeah. Well, it's. You know, you're supposed to put cannibals down. In a world where I was president, if you eat somebody, you're out. You're out. And the one guy yesterday on the news was like, the goal of all people in an institution is rehabilitation. That should have a little asterisk next to it. Raping kids, harming puppies and stuff like that. Any molestation of any sort like that. And then, of course, cannibalism falls into that category of, you're not coming back to us.

[E]

They should test the first night he's home and serve a sheepshead with the eye. So, you know, they pluck it out. See what he does.

[D]

Scott Haynes suggests. Look, every time he gets a little urge, just give him a McRib. We're pretty sure he's gonna get the. That tastes pretty close.

[F]

You hear the words you say sometimes.

[B]

I mean, who talks like that?

[D]

98 KUPD.

[B]

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[G]

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[D]

Cannibals aren't gonna ever eat anyone again. John the Enabler died a few years ago when Porkopolis closed. That's true. That's probably I say we open up Porkopolis. Give him a delicious option. And then of course another memory of Taurasi said I remember when Taurasi got her all time points leader like when she became the all time scorer in the wnba. I had to read it off my CVS receipt ticket. It was on the top of it to say congratulations Diana. Of course that memory is hard to shake when the receipts at fries and stuff remind you of the accomplishments of that players are not knowing much about anyway. What are you going to do? But they still can go mind finger Caitlyn Clark at games. And I guess that's that's the only positive left with the WNBA Is the lesbians can go there and image some of those girls through their brains. I just mind scissored. Alicia Thomas. I don't know if her name. I don't know if there is one of those or not. I'm assuming, probably. And if your neighbor's a cannibal. Move, by the way, also, that's if you're in an apartment building and the new guy comes.

[E]

I haven't said anything for years. You know what? You know what?

[D]

He seems all right. Except that the second the neighbors and. And you also, if you work, if you have to report in the neighborhood as a person who's done sex crimes, minors and stuff like that, or you're a sex offender, you gotta rap on my door and go, hi, I'm new in the neighborhood and I have to let everybody know I'm here. Same with the cannibal. Although I don't need you knocking on my door to do that.

[A]

Do they have to go door to door?

[D]

Yeah, they should. They should just like the sex offenders.

[A]

Like, hand out pamphlets and stuff.

[D]

Give a thing. It says here it's me. I live over on this. This is my house. And wrap on the middle. What are you in for? No, no. That's why you have to. He would have to tell you. You don't ask. He's just. Someday you think he's selling magazines. That's the only reason a guy that looks like him's knocking on my door in the middle of the summer. Like, oh, Christ, no, I'm not interested. I don't need any of that. No, I'm not selling magazines. I have to tell you something. My name's Tyre. I live over here now. And I just got out of jail. Like, oh, geez. Were you a sex offender?

[C]

Great.

[D]

We got this in the. Oh, no, no, I never had sex with any. That's disgusting. Okay.

[A]

What man do you think I am?

[D]

Tyree, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. No, I ate a guy, so I have to let you know that I ate someone once.

[E]

Well, I did time for it. I didn't do. I'm still innocent.

[D]

Were you starving and in a plane crash. I can understand that. No, I was just bored. And I cracked his skull open as a stranger. I didn't even know him. I cracked his skull open. I ate his brains and his eyeballs. But I'm better now. Oh, well, welcome to the neighborhood, Tyree. And then you just hear that fence post being that hole being dug for your real estate sign. Call Doug Hopkins 1-800. Get the out of there.

[F]

Call Doug Hopkins. 1-800-sell- now.

[D]

I'll buy your house unless there's a cannibal next door.

[A]

Hopkins is just handy to five grand now. I'm not doing it.

[D]

It's $5,000. Good. Buy a security system. You got a cannibal living nearby? You get what happened? What happened to us all together. Every one of us with, except for that little fringe group of weirdos that we all wanted to kill? People like this? Where's the America I grew up in where we all agreed that cannibals needed to die? Where is that America?

[E]

Soon there's gonna be a section in Phoenix where the cannibals live.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, that's Cannibal Downs over there. You don't want to go in there where they house all the cannibals. And how about the poor pricks that just are getting out of jail for, you know, involuntary manslaughter. They got into a bar fight, cracked a guy and his head hit the pool table and he died. And he's in that halfway house. And now his new roommate is the old Can I be shaking all night long? Look like Michael J. Fox in that be tyree. Do you mind turning the lights on? I'd put mouse traps all between his bed and mine. Any creaky floor noise, I'm shooting into the air.

[G]

I have to go to the bathroom, man.

[D]

Well, I'm not taking any chances. You ate a guy once.

[E]

You notice there's salt and pepper shakers all over your cell?

[D]

Yeah, he just cracks them out of there.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

I gotta get my bag of belongings. What's that? Salt? Is that Frank's Red Hot? What do you do? Oh, I put that on everything. Everything? Oh, no.

[A]

Montreal steak.

[D]

Seasoning and everything else. I got this from the Kansas City Steak. You can order it online, but this is the best seasoning I've ever had.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

Maybe we should. Maybe we should get some steak sometime. Yeah, I like meat. Okay. What are you doing? I'm just rehabbing in between. I'm in a halfway house here. I was in a fight a few years ago, and I. They let me loose, but I got to kind of wait it out here. What are you.

[E]

What are you.

[D]

You're the cannibal. I know you. No, thanks. Cannibal. The America I knew and loved wanted to kill all cannibals. It was just a. It was. Sure, sure. I mean, even back when people were fighting on integration of races and civil rights, you could get a Klansman and Malcolm X. In a room and say, all right, let's find something we all agree on. And I would start with the cannibals all need to die. I'm like, oh, yeah, Malcolm. They would shake hands like, that's a deal. There was no question about it.

[A]

We good?

[D]

Yeah. Malcolm would be like, I agree by enemy's necessary kill all cannibals. And the Klansmen were like that, right? I'm like, all right. They would finally have a place to building block. High fiving. Yeah, high fiving.

[G]

How about your robe?

[D]

You got your black hand all over my white robe. You got your white robe on my black wig like a Reese's Cup. But they agreed wholeheartedly. The cannibals needed to die. And now it's divided somehow. There's a group of people that are like, no, he's got. He's been rehabilitated. I don't believe that anyway. It doesn't make sense to me. The world doesn't make any sense at all. No, he's got apartment hunt, too. He's got to go out and what's he looking for? You know, parks, neighborhoods, a lot of people. You know, friendly neighbors, nice kitchen. Yeah. Would you be friendly or, I mean, Brady, you.

[G]

Brady would.

[D]

Holy mother. You get so fast. You would get eaten.

[E]

The biggest mistake I made was going.

[D]

Over there eating an apple right in his mouth.

[G]

Hang on a second.

[E]

Tie my shoe.

[F]

I'll just keep the apple in my mouth.

[E]

Oh.

[D]

You'D answer the door for the cannibal before he even knocked. Because you'd see him in that weird screen door that only you have. Except for in bad neighborhoods where they put up security doors. Yours isn't that bad. You had that screen door to watch for new friends.

[F]

Ooh, a new colored friend.

[D]

Yay.

[F]

This is Gilbert at its finest. Hi, my name's Brady. Want to come in and eat something?

[D]

You have no idea, man. Yes, I do. God damn, you are adorable. Can you oink for me a couple of times?

[F]

Oh, sure.

[D]

He's running around on all fours for a bit. Tyree, look at me. Hold on. My pro. My PO's outside. He's watching. You got to put your clothes back on. Stop boinking for me. I was having the time of my life.

[F]

Tyree, come over tomorrow, new friend.

[D]

You would get all those seasoning. He'd open your want a drink, Tyree? Sure.

[F]

Run over there and go over there. Got tons of stuff.

[D]

You got a lot of rubs in the cupboard. Oh, man, your fridge is just filled with rubs and sauces. Look at that barbecue. God damn.

[F]

You want to barbecue something?

[D]

Yes, I do.

[F]

You're my bestest new friend.

[D]

Yep. You'd be eating Brady. Would be Brady. Have that guy back on cannibalism and 48 hours. There's something I gotta tell you first.

[F]

Let's watch a show together. Jack Reacha. You like Jack Reacher, right?

[E]

Boy, that's a big pit we dug there.

[D]

Yeah.

[F]

That felt like £250 of turkeys.

[D]

Yeah. One turkey. What? You got pretty eyes. He's like the big bad wolf, for Christ's sake. Anyway, he's free. So enjoy that.

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[D]

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