MK True Crime Podcast Summary

Episode: Secret Grand Jury Hears D4vd Case, Brian Walshe’s Disturbing Searches, and “Truly Evil” Murder
Host: Matt Murphy
Guests: Mark Geragos, Phil Holloway
Date: December 5, 2025

Overview

This episode dives into three chilling and complex true crime cases:

1. The secret grand jury investigating the D4vd (David) Tesla trunk homicide in Los Angeles
2. The trial of Brian Walshe for the murder of his wife, focusing on damning Google search evidence
3. The “truly evil” murder of a pregnant Michigan woman, allegedly at the hands of her own parents

The panel—former prosecutor Matt Murphy, veteran defense attorney Mark Geragos, and defense attorney/former police officer Phil Holloway—breaks down the latest developments, legal maneuvers, and broader implications in each case.

1. Secret Grand Jury in the D4vd Case (Celeste Rivas Hernandez Homicide)

Main Theme:
A rare investigative grand jury is hearing evidence about the murder of a teenage girl found in the trunk of pop singer D4vd’s Tesla. Unusual secrecy, agency conflict, and media tension swirl around the investigation.

Key Discussion Points

• Coroner-Police Conflict:

  • Geragos (02:58): “...it’s obvious to any sentient being who practices law in Los Angeles county that the LAPD and the coroner are at odds... This has had all the earmarks from day one of them at loggerheads.”
  • The ME (medical examiner) and LAPD/DA have issued competing press statements.
  • Uncommon legal maneuvers to gag the coroner and suppress public information.

• Grand Jury’s Purpose:

  • Geragos (03:50): “[Using a grand jury is] highly, highly unusual. I don't know what's going on at the LAPD, but I will tell you that this is not business as usual.”
  • California rarely engages investigative grand juries outside high-profile or secretive cases.

• Possible Motives and Theories:

  • Phil Holloway (05:41): “Is [the coroner] saying, I believe this was a homicide and the police are investigating it, not as a homicide, or is it the other way around?”
  • Speculation that police may want to quietly dispose of the case if the evidence doesn’t support charges:
    • “Prosecutors can use a grand jury for their own purposes... If the grand jury says, look, we’re not going to recommend charges, then... it’s not on us.” (06:10)

• Online "Sleuths" and Evidence Breadcrumbs:

  • Citizen investigators have traced digital evidence, including suspicious social media posts and location data.
  • Unusual speculation about the victim’s condition—possible decapitation or freezing—based on leaked forensic info.

Notable Quotes

• Geragos (07:27):
  “LAPD had shut down... they normally leak like a sieve. In this case, they were not leaking. Then... they basically were saying something...we’re not even sure a crime was committed, which...maybe the working hypothesis was she OD’d.”
• Matt Murphy (10:10):
  “I've never even heard of a coroner trying to comment during the pen and even investigation.”

Timestamps

• 01:04 — Introduction of D4vd case
• 02:58 — Grand jury procedure discussion
• 04:53 — Coroner statement
• 05:41–10:10 — Analyst debate on secrecy, investigative process

2. Brian Walshe’s Disturbing Google Searches and No-Body Murder Trial

Main Theme:
Brian Walshe is on trial in Massachusetts, accused of killing his wife. The prosecution’s case is built around damning Google searches and digital forensic evidence—despite the absence of a body.

Key Discussion Points

• Google Search Forensics:

  • Courtroom readout of Walshe’s post-midnight Google queries—“Can you be charged with murder without a body?” and “Best ways to dispose of body parts after a murder.”
    • Murphy (15:20): “It’s like there’s that old adage that you haven’t invented a machine that can read your mind yet—but we kind of have in Google...”
    • Holloway (16:55): “You’re googling about whether or not you can use your wife’s credit card and she’s missing. ...These Google searches...point to one thing, and that is consciousness of guilt.”

• Defense Strategies:

  • The defense pled guilty to evidence tampering/body disposal, not murder; argued “sudden unexplained death” and panic led to cover-up.
    • Geragos (21:42): “Exceedingly rare to plead guilty in Massachusetts to a first degree murder for a variety of reasons.”
    • Murphy (22:27): “What really struck me...when you have an affair like this, you’ve just got a good argument for a voluntary manslaughter.”

• Jury Psychology & Case Law:

  • Voluntary vs. first-degree murder explained.
  • Cases where admitting parts of the act but denying intent can be effective (rarely in such fact-heavy cases).

• Defense’s Cross-examination:

  • Attempt to suggest searches could have benign explanations, mocked by panel as implausible.
    • Holloway (25:53): “I don’t think my cross would have suggested he’s trying to find an appropriate cemetery at 4 o’clock in the morning during this kind of Google search.”

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Geragos (15:46): “You know the defense lawyer, you’re praying these searches were after the finger of suspicion was pointed at your client. Praying.”
• Matt Murphy (24:11):
  “One of the Google searches...my favorite: ‘Six ways to dispose of a body. Murder, murder, murder.’ Kind of tough to stick with that opening statement when you got Google searches like that.”

Timestamps

• 14:37 — Walshe case intro
• 15:09–16:33 — Google search evidence
• 16:55–28:02 — Attorney analysis; defense strategy; humor and skepticism
• 25:17 — SOT2: Defense cross-exam on “innocent” Google searches

3. “Truly Evil” Pregnancy Homicide & Familicide in Michigan

Main Theme:
Rebecca Park, a pregnant woman, was murdered and her baby cut from her womb. Her biological mother and stepfather stand accused in a shocking family homicide.

Key Discussion Points

• Brutality & Motive:

  • Phil Holloway (34:05): “This is just evil incarnate. ...They are accused of literally tearing this baby from the womb of their own biological daughter.”
  • Motive speculation: inability to have children may have motivated the crime.

• Family Dysfunction & Addiction:

  • Multiple suspects, family members charged with various offenses, including tampering, covering up, prior sex offenses, and methamphetamine distribution.
    • Matt Murphy (36:38): “Every man in this...has been charged with sex crimes. ...This is a rough group of people.”

• Methamphetamine Ties:

  • The role of meth in bizarre, violent, and depraved family crimes analyzed through experience and anecdotes.
    • Geragos (37:56): “Dolphin porn. ...I then asked to approach. ...Your honor, I’m ineffective as a matter of law. I didn’t object... I don’t know what happened.”

Notable Quotes

• Phil Holloway (35:41):
  “If they’re guilty...this is the kind of thing that is truly evil.”
• Matt Murphy (39:17):
  “You know, people make unbelievably bizarre decisions when they're using substances like that.”

Timestamps

• 33:01 — Case intro
• 33:57 — Motive and family dysfunction
• 36:38–39:17 — Meth-fueled criminality stories

4. Texas A&M Student’s Death Ruled Suicide—Mother’s Grief and Disbelief

Main Theme:
A 19-year-old Texas A&M student’s fatal fall is ruled suicide, but her bereaved mother insists foul play.

Key Discussion Points

• Law Enforcement & Psychological Autopsy:

  • Holloway (41:46): “...Law enforcement has come out now and issued...information... [about] suicidal ideation and ...a deleted suicide note.”
  • Use of digital forensics (phone, notes app) to corroborate suicide.

• Parental Grief vs. Evidence:

  • Matt Murphy (43:57): Shares a personal story where initial homicide charging was overturned by later toxicology revealing suicide, and the agony of telling the victim’s mother.
  • Geragos (45:08): “When a coroner rules suicide, often the parents can’t accept it. ...one of the toughest things in the world.”

Notable Moment

• Mother’s Interview (43:01):
  “He told me that they said she jumped, and then he told me that the friends said that they didn't know her whereabouts... the detective just overlooked it.”

Timestamps

• 40:24 — Suicide ruling
• 41:02 — Parental doubts; digital evidence
• 43:01 — Mother’s perspective
• 45:52–46:31 — Prosecutor shares experience with mistaken suicide/homicide call

5. Legal Mailbag & Closing Arguments

Mailbag: No-Body Cases and What If a Body Is Later Found?

• Vivian’s Question (49:24): “In your experience prosecuting no body murders, has a body ever been found after a person was convicted?... What steps are taken legally if that does happen?”
  • Matt Murphy (49:51): Outlines how new evidence could open appellate review or habeas petitions: “If the prosecution theory is...shot or stabbed and they discover bones...that could be...brought up on a habeas petition...”

Closing Arguments

• Phil Holloway (52:11):

  • Offers gratitude to the show's 40,000+ supporters, encourages subscribing, and reflects on the growth of the MK True Crime family.

• Matt Murphy (54:20):

  • Discusses the media’s impact on public perception, the importance of law enforcement integrity, and keeping an open mind:
    • “Sometimes the system actually works. Takes a lot of integrity to do that.”

• Mark Geragos (57:08):

  • Highlights the gravity of prosecutorial power and the strength of presidential pardons, referring to the recent pre-trial pardon of Tim Leiwek:
    • “There are only two things that you can't appeal in the criminal law. And the pardon is one and the not guilty is the other... the pardon power, as I just indicated, is absolute and absolutely used appropriately here, in my opinion.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mark Geragos (02:32): “Imagine... they’re showing your porn history and calling your wife's lover [in your murder trial]. I mean, at that point, wouldn’t you just put a gun in your mouth?”
• Phil Holloway (16:55): “These Google searches, in my opinion, prove without any doubt that he...killed her. ...Malice can be developed in an instant.”
• Matt Murphy (24:11): “Six ways to dispose of a body. Murder, murder, murder. ...Kind of tough to stick with that opening statement when you got Google searches like that.”
• Matt Murphy (45:52): “I actually had to make that phone call to her mom because I charged murder... had to break the news... her daughter actually had suicided out of depression.”
• Mark Geragos (57:08): “You can beat the rap, but not the ride.... the pardon power… is absolute.”

Flow & Tone

The episode is brisk, conversational, and candid—mixing sharp legal analysis with gallows humor and empathy for victims’ families. The hosts engage in good-natured ribbing (“two against one today”), blend war stories from the courtroom, and frequently break the fourth wall to explain legal concepts to lay listeners. Dedicated to truth, transparency, and the complexity of human behavior, the show always returns to the human cost of crime and justice.

Key Timestamps Index

• 01:04 — Case docket overview
• 02:58–10:10 — D4vd grand jury, LAPD-ME discord analysis
• 14:37–30:12 — Brian Walshe trial, Google searches, legal strategies
• 33:01–39:17 — Michigan pregnancy murder, family dysfunction
• 40:24–46:31 — Texas A&M suicide, family denial, prosecutor anecdote
• 49:24–51:15 — Mailbag: No-body cases
• 52:11+ — Closing arguments

(Ad breaks, promos, and non-content sections omitted per instruction.)