MK True Crime – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Diddy’s Bad Behavior in Jail, Boyfriend Beheading Trial, Mom Impregnated by Teen Daughter's Date
Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Ashley Merchant
Panelists: Jona Spielberg and Mark Eiglarsch

Episode Overview

This episode dives into several jaw-dropping legal cases currently making headlines:

• Sean "Diddy" Combs' post-sentencing antics behind bars,
• A wild Nevada trial centering on the beheading of a boyfriend – with a messy family tangle and a former adult star on the stand, and
• The shocking story of a mother in Illinois who had a baby with her teenage daughter's 14-year-old friend.

The hosts, a panel of seasoned criminal defense attorneys, mix legal analysis, personal anecdotes, and dark humor as they dissect the facts, the justice system, and what's at stake for those involved.

1. Diddy’s Prison Behavior and Mounting Legal Troubles

[01:27 - 13:13]

Key Discussion Points:

• Diddy's Sentence & Current Status

  • Diddy is serving over four years for interstate prostitution, with a release date set for May 2028. There’s speculation about an early pardon, but he’s not helping his case with alleged infractions.
  • Ashley Merchant: “He is living the life that I personally want from my clients… you want humane conditions…But he’s got a prestigious work assignment. He is a chaplain’s assistant… he gets air conditioning, extra food, he can socialize more than the average prisoner.” [02:54]

• Behavioral Violations

  • Rumors claim Diddy was caught making “pruno” (prison wine), though his family denies this.
  • He got in trouble for a three-way phone call, which contravenes prison rules—leading to a 90-day loss of privileges.
  • Jona Spielberg: “The year was 1986…my father came in… ‘You are grounded until the leaves come back on the trees.’ …If I can do it…Diddy can do it behind bars.” [07:32]
  • Panelists discuss whether phone call rules are about safety or asserting institutional control, with some skepticism about Diddy's “ignorance” of the regulations.

• Celebrity Justice

  • The hosts debate if the punishment is excessive or fair, with concern for high-profile inmates being made examples of.
  • Ashley Merchant (on Diddy’s claim of not knowing phone rules): “…It’s kind of unbelievable that a billionaire music mogul doesn’t know that prison calls are restricted…” [09:24]

• New Civil Lawsuit

  • An additional civil suit is highlighted: producer Jonathan Hay accuses Diddy of sexual assault during music collaborations.
  • Jona Spielberg questions motives: “Everyone you’ve ever met or ever lubed up or partied with is going to come out of the woodwork…They create a fund and you sign up and then you get a check…targets people with money and that’s not fair.” [11:04]
  • Mark Eiglarsch counters: “He also could have been one of his many victims. …He did report this to law enforcement… That’s always questionable when these people just go running right to civil lawyers.” [12:00]

2. The ‘Boyfriend Beheading’ Nevada Trial

[14:36 - 28:54]

Key Discussion Points:

• Who is Devin Michaels?

  • Former adult film star (aliases: Nikki Fairchild, Tracy Travar) on trial for allegedly murdering and decapitating her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Willett.
  • The family tree is a soap opera: she had two kids with the victim but is married to his son, Devier—her former stepson.
  • Ashley summarizing the tangled relationships: “Devin has said… she married Devier out of convenience for insurance… At other times that they started dating and had a wonderful relationship… [Now] she was dating Jonathan Devere’s dad while she was having an affair with Devier. …Just gives me the hebies.” [15:42]

• Events Leading Up to the Murder

  • Willett was moving into the home with Michaels and Devier. Prosecutors allege Michaels killed Willett to preserve her home life.
  • Michaels confessed to striking Willett with a club during a massage but denied the decapitation, which remains unsolved as the head remains missing.

• Legal Maneuvering: Plea vs. Trial

  • Michaels pled guilty to second-degree murder but professed innocence at sentencing, prompting the judge to reject the plea and proceed to trial.
  • Memorable courtroom moment:
    • Devin Michaels in court: “I am so sorry, but I didn’t do this… I don’t know how to fix any of this anymore. I don’t.” [17:28]
    • Mark Eiglarsch’s legal advice: “Be careful what you wish for, because now she’s going to go to trial. …With all the evidence that they have, she’s going to wish that she took that 15 years.” [18:52]

• Trial Evidence & Testimony

  • Ashley Merchant: “They have her admission of hitting him over the head…then what, aliens came in and chopped his head off? …She’s going to wish that she took that deal.”
  • Defense argued her physical stature made the alleged power-saw decapitation impossible, countered by forensic testimony that a mechanical saw makes that irrelevant.
  • Forensic expert (paraphrased): “Mechanically powered saws do the work for you…So the energy transfer is coming from the saw…” [27:17]

• Is Devier (the husband/stepson) also guilty?

  • He testified, denying involvement and describing the strange family circumstances.
  • Jona Spielberg: “Guilty as hell.” [28:33]
  • Mark Eiglarsch: “It almost doesn’t matter because she’s the only one on trial. And even if the theory is they both did it, she played a role, she’s guilty…” [28:35]

3. Susan Lawrence: Netflix Doc Subject Still Causing Trouble

[31:07 - 34:48]

Key Discussion Points:

• Background:

  • Lawrence, the subject of “The Perfect Neighborhood,” is serving a long sentence for murdering a neighbor but cannot stop harassing the victim’s family—even from jail.
  • She’s countersuing for “slander, defamation, and libel.”

• Notable Moment:

  • Susan Lawrence, from jail: “We all have bad days. Just get over it and move on… I wouldn’t want somebody to retain anger against me…We all have bad days.” [32:17]
  • Jona Spielberg’s reaction: “When I have a bad day, maybe it’s because my tire went flat—I didn’t off somebody…Don’t talk to me about bad days and act like…it was just another Tuesday when I killed your mother. It’s very offensive to me.” [33:10]

• Civil Suit Against Lawrence & Property Owner

  • Panel examines if there’s any point in suing someone in prison, ultimately noting it’s about holding the property owner (with deeper pockets) accountable for foreseeable danger.

4. Illinois Mom Impregnated by Teen’s Friend

[36:17 - 41:48]

Key Discussion Points:

• Overview:

  • Robin Polston, 43, chaperoned her daughter’s junior high dance and subsequently slept with her daughter’s 14-year-old date, resulting in pregnancy—a case confirmed by DNA.
  • She now faces incarceration and charges for criminal sexual assault and two counts of child pornography.
  • Legal banter ensues:
    • Mark Eiglarsch (recurring): “Objection. Gross. Is that a legal objection?” [36:42]
    • Ashley Merchant: “Everything about this is gross.” [36:47]
    • Mark Eiglarsch: “No, this is one where you…put on knee pads and you beg the prosecutor for a reasonable outcome. It’s mitigation. Please.” [38:31]

• Can a Woman Face the Same Penalties as a Man?

  • The hosts discuss whether punishment should be equal regardless of gender:
    • Ashley Merchant: “It always bothers me when a man can be charged with rape and a woman can’t…I think all of our laws … tend to be a little bit paternalistic.”
    • Jona Spielberg: “Should this woman get the same penalty as a man? I say yes…Ask the mother of this young boy, because we don’t know yet ten years down the road…what happens because of this instance.” [41:00]

• Social and Family Fallout:

  • The devastation to the daughter, having her mother sleep with her date, and the subsequent media firestorm.

5. Listener Q&A: Elder Law and Cognitive Decline

[44:39 - 46:47]

• Listener asks about whether to hire an elder law attorney for a family member with cognitive impairment.
  • Jona Spielberg: “It might be a little premature…At the beginning phases…try to look for treatment or long-term care…another alternative might be to apply for guardianship over this person…” [45:00]
  • Ashley Merchant: “There’s no harm in [consulting a lawyer]…You can get some answers, you can open a line of communication…” [46:15]

6. Closing Arguments

[46:53 - End]

• Mark Eiglarsch – The Power of Action

  • “There is a huge difference between saying you’re going to do something and actually doing it…We wind up ‘shoulding’ all over ourselves. The shift happens when we say ‘I must’…” [46:53]

• Jona Spielberg – Why Kim Kardashian Shouldn’t Be a Lawyer

  • Humorous, impassioned rant questioning the legitimacy of Kim K’s journey through the law, contrasting celebrity shortcuts with the grind and dedication actual lawyers endure.
  • “Our profession is not a vanity project…It takes real grit, long hours, unwashed ponytails…the fortitude to kick ass during cross exam even when you gotta pee real bad…” [48:46]
  • “You did a great job for Alice Marie Johnson…Why not just do more of that, and while you’re at it, change the name of your underwear line to Legal Bikini Briefs or ‘Hung Like a Jury Jock Strap Collection’…” [52:09]

• Ashley Merchant – The Alford Plea

  • Brief explainer on the legal mechanism allowing defendants to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence (“Alford plea”), inspired by the earlier beheading trial analysis.
  • Highlights its role in cases where clients dispute the facts but want to avoid trial risks.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jona Spielberg [03:52], on Diddy: “I do think Diddy is a dirtbag. With that said, I actually believe that…the length of his sentence, you guys, is a little excessive, for starters.”
• Ashley Merchant [05:07], on jail food: “Why is every jail in this country, Mark, is baloney sandwiches? Yes. Is that what it is in Miam? They don’t get like Cuban sandwiches?”
• Mark Eiglarsch [13:00], on civil lawsuits: “Jona may be 100% right. She also may be completely wrong … She has no firsthand knowledge.”
• Ashley Merchant [21:20], prosecution’s “great evidence” joke: “He had, of course, one of the greatest pieces of evidence ever. Her head.”
  Jona Spielberg: “Oh no, sorry.”
  (Laughter, then clarification that the key is the confession)
• Ashley Merchant [36:42], on Illinois case: “Objection. Gross. Is that a legal objection?”
  Mark Eiglarsch: “…Just note my ongoing objection so I don’t interrupt. It’s an ongoing gross objection.”
• Jona Spielberg [41:00]: “You are a broken person if you find children sexually interesting in any way, you are broke.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Diddy in Jail & Call Controversy: 01:27 – 13:13
• Beheading Trial & Plea Drama: 14:36 – 28:54
• ‘Perfect Neighborhood’ Case/Countersuit: 31:07 – 34:48
• Mom/Teen Pregnancy Case: 36:17 – 41:48
• Listener Mailbag on Elder Law: 44:39 – 46:47
• Closing Arguments: 46:53 – End

Tone & Style

The panel’s tone is sharp, witty, and often irreverent—even when describing deeply disturbing crimes. They balance moments of levity with clear-eyed legal analysis and compassion for victims, sometimes veering into dark humor but always returning to the gravity of the criminal justice subjects at hand.

For more jaw-dropping analysis and true crime debate, tune into future episodes of MK True Crime.