MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: Three's a Crowd (Podcast Exclusive)

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: MrBallen (John Allen, Ballen Studios)

Episode Overview

This episode of the MrBallen Podcast dives into the tragic story of Devin Guzman, a young woman ensnared in a complicated web of romantic relationships in the summer of 2000. What starts as a tale of stolen love and secret vows spirals into a murder mystery that stumps even seasoned detectives. Through step-by-step narrative and investigative deep-dives, MrBallen unveils the motives, evidence, and methodical policework that ultimately exposed the killers.
Theme: Love triangles, betrayal, LGBTQ+ relationships, and a real-life murder investigation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spiritual Wedding in St. Croix (03:08–06:50)

• Devin Guzman's Background: 18-years-old, with a new car, job, and independence.
• Love and Vows: On May 28, 2000, Devin and her girlfriend Michelle Hetzel pledge spiritual marriage on a sunlit beach in St. Croix, complete with exchanged rings.
• Complicated Lives Back Home: Both women are still entangled with other partners—Devin with Carrie Renner (who’s married yet separated from her husband), Michelle with her husband Brandon Bloss. Neither partner is aware of the secret commitment.
• Quote:

  "For Devon, getting married to Michelle in a tropical paradise was one thing, but dealing with the repercussions back home from this marriage was going to be something else entirely." (06:00)

2. Tension, Secrets, and Escalation (06:50–16:05)

• Back to Reality: Both Devin and Michelle procrastinate on ending their existing relationships.

• Volatile Relationships:

  • Devin and Carrie’s emotional and sometimes physically violent relationship.
  • Carrie’s self-harm threats before a breakup attempt, culminating in Devin’s cut hand.

• Night of the Disappearance:

  • June 14, after heavy drinking and arguing, Devin leaves Carrie's place, drops her off, then attempts to see Michelle.
  • Michelle’s husband refuses Devin entry, citing the presence of Carrie.
  • Devin leaves, disappears after midnight.

• The Search:

  • Michelle and Carrie both separately and then together begin searching for Devin, turning up at places she frequented.
  • They discover Devin’s car at Canal Park, where Carrie uses a spare key to enter and finds Devin’s body in the back seat.

• Quote:

  "So she pulled it out, unlocked the door, opened it up, and when she did, she screamed." (16:04)

3. The Investigation: Detectives Unpack the Web (17:46–30:45)

• Detective Golaszewski’s Role:
  • Notes the unusual staging of the crime scene—minimal blood, clean interior, knife in hand—and suspects a staged suicide.
  • Interviews all romantic parties involved.
    • Carrie is candid about the tangled relationships.
    • Michelle downplays her romantic involvement.
    • Michelle’s husband Brandon is seemingly clueless, believing Michelle had been on a business trip, not in St. Croix.
• Physical Evidence:
  • Crime scene teams find a washed car mat in Carrie’s shower (later determined unrelated) and luminol-positive bloodstains (confirmed as Devin’s) in her apartment, as well as possible blood evidence at Michelle and Brandon’s house.
• Complicating Factors:
  • Multiple plausible suspects with motive and opportunity.
  • Conflicting witness timelines and false/mistaken sightings.
• Quote:

  "In the first five minutes of his interview, he already had a list of four people... all romantically linked to the victim. The potential for jealous rivalries here was through the roof." (19:10)

4. Forensic Breakthroughs and the Trash Pull (30:45–41:00)

• Autopsy Details:
  • Gruesome wound suggests murder, not suicide; the body was moved post-mortem.
  • Corroborated timeline (midnight–3am time of death).
• Alibi Analysis:
  • Carrie lacks transportation to move the body; timeline conflicts support her innocence.
• ‘Trash Pull’ Evidence:
  • Detective Golaszewski stakes out a suspect’s house on trash day, collects the garbage for clues.
  • In the trash, a bandage is found bearing a distinctive bite mark that matches Devin’s dental impressions.
• Exhumation and Confirmation:
  • Police exhume Devin’s body, find bite mark evidence in her mouth and confirm it matches the bite on the bandage.
• Quote:

  "But then, right as he reached the end of the bag, he found something. This discovery would trigger the police to exhume Devin's body and look inside of her mouth. And once they did this, they had their killer." (41:00)

5. Resolution: The Killers and Their Fate (41:00–43:40)

• Case Reconstruction:
  • Michelle and Devin fight; Michelle, with Brandon's help, murders Devin in the backyard.
  • They stage the scene, placing a knife in Devin’s hand and relocating the body to Canal Park.
• Bandage with Bite Mark as Key Evidence:
  • Accomplice Brandon was bitten during the struggle—his bandaged wound thrown out in the trash.
• Trials and Aftermath:
  • Both Michelle and Brandon are arrested in August 2000, blame each other, but are convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole; they later divorce.
  • Carrie is exonerated and reconciles with her estranged husband.
• Quote:

  "The killer was Michelle, and her accomplice was her husband Brandon... On October 5, 2001, both Michelle and Brandon were convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. They later divorced." (42:10)

Memorable Quotes & Dramatic Moments

• On the love triangle's complexity:

  "He already had a list of four people... all romantically linked to the victim. The potential for jealous rivalries here was through the roof." — MrBallen (19:10)

• On the pivotal trash search:

  "This kind of curbside search is called a trash pull. So now Golasewski was betting on bags of trash to close this case." — MrBallen (40:20)

• On the solution's turning point:

  "The killer might have gotten away with it, except for the bite mark. They didn't even realize Devin had left during the fight ... those bandages, when they were discarded in their trash, well, police were able to actually see the bite mark on the bandage." (41:30)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Spiritual Wedding & Relationship Dynamics: 03:08–06:50
• Physical Violence & Night of Disappearance: 07:30–13:00
• Discovery of Body at Canal Park: 16:00
• Initial Detective Interviews: 17:46–24:30
• Crime Scene Discoveries: 26:00–30:30
• Forensics, Timeline, and Trash Pull: 35:00–41:00
• Reconstruction & Case Wrap-Up: 41:00–43:40

Final Takeaways

• The episode intricately follows the intersection of intense human relationships and methodical detective work.
• Through evocative storytelling, MrBallen highlights how a modern love triangle—complicated by deception and hidden truths—can yield unexpected tragedy.
• The case's resolution underscores the importance of thorough investigation and the sometimes overlooked but critical role of forensics—even old bandages in the trash.
• The tone is suspenseful, empathetic, and true-crime focused, with MrBallen’s flair for clarity, drama, and narrative pacing.

A gripping, tragic, and ultimately satisfying story of love, deception, and justice—MrBallen at his best.