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Anya Cain
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Free today@greenlight.com wondery content warning this episode contains discussion of murder, rape and other forms of violence. So today is Valentine's Day.
Anya Cain
Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.
Kevin Greenlee
Happy Valentine's Day to you all. We hope you have a wonderful and romantic and nice day.
Anya Cain
And Anya thought it would be fun to honor the holiday in a very unromantic way.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah, well, I wanted to talk about. I thought since our cheat sheet falls on Valentine's Day, we can talk about crimes involving couples. I think we did this last Valentine's Day, but it wasn't a cheat sheet. But we tried to pick out cases that involve couples at the heart of them. All of these are either couples who were unfortunately murdered together or couples where there's a possibility that one of the members of the couple killed the other or had the other one killed, or.
Anya Cain
A couple who may or may not be implicated in a murder.
Kevin Greenlee
Right. And so that's.
Anya Cain
And these are all ongoing stories.
Kevin Greenlee
Yes, they're all ongoing stories. And in addition to that, I thought it'd be good because, you know, this is a. This is a dark side of, I think, you know, sometimes couples and whatnot that we need to talk about. But, you know, domestic violence is something that we all need to be aware of. This is a scourge in society, and it's at the heart of, frankly, many cases that everyone talks about within true crime, domestic violence. And so I wanted to talk a little bit about the Bureau of Justice Statistics. They did a kind of a release of data around victim offender relationships in 2021. So pretty recently. And they tracked, like, close to 5,000 female victims of murder and non negligent manslaughter in 2021. And they found that about 34% of them were killed by an intimate partner. So that's a third. That's a significant, significant portion there. And, you know, women are much more likely to be killed by someone they know. And in this case, obviously, a lot of those people are intimate partners. So it's really important that we're aware of this. In comparison, of the Approximately close to 18,000 men murdered that year, only 6% were killed by an intimate partner. But that's still a lot of people who faced violence and death at the hands of an intimate partner, even amongst the men. So this is something where I think it's important that we're all aware. If you know someone experiencing intimate partner violence, you know, try to pass them on. Some of this information I'm going to provide. If you yourself are experiencing intimate partner violence, run. You know, nobody should be laying hands on you. No one should be being violent with you. That's not your fault. You deserve better and get out of there. And so the. In the United States, the National Domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE or 7233, or you can actually text the word START to 88788. Again, that's the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It's important to talk about this, even though it is very depressing, but I think if we're talking about couples and violence and murder, you have to talk about domestic violence. And agreed. Absolutely. All right, now let's get into the cases. My name is Anya Cain. I'm a journalist.
Anya Cain
And I'm Kevin Greenlee. I'm an attorney.
Kevin Greenlee
And this is the Murder Sheet.
Anya Cain
We're a true crime podcast focused on original reporting, interviews, and deep dives into murder cases. We're the murder sheet, and this is.
Kevin Greenlee
The cheat sheet art. And so our first case is actually not in the United States. It's out of France. And my sources for this were predominantly the BBC and the Independent. Now, let's make one thing clear. I think one thing Kevin and I learned from researching old cases is that when there is a flurry of media coverage around a case early on, some of the details early on can be wrong. And it's just the nature of the beast. That's the nature of journalism. Things get out and, oops, this turned out not to be true. So when we're talking about a case like this, where it's still very early days and it's not really clear what happened and there's not really a concrete explanation yet. I think it's really important that we just keep an open mind. These are, this is the information that's being reported right now. But that doesn't mean it's going to stay the same forever. And so we don't need to form any hard opinions. Is that fair to say?
Anya Cain
Fair enough.
Kevin Greenlee
So this is, this concerns the mysterious deaths of 62 year old Andrew Searle and 56 year old Dawn Kerr. And this is a, this is a couple, they came from Britain, she was from the Scottish borders and he was from England and they moved to France specifically, kind of a rural area north of Toulouse. I'm not even going to try to pronounce most of these French names because I will just sound like a very ignorant American that I am. So this is, this case got some attention because Don's son Callum is an actor who appeared on the long running British soap opera Hollyoaks. And a lot of the coverage is like kind of centered him, which I feel bad for him. I feel like that must be very uncomfortable where it's like Hollyoaks actor Callum's mother is dead. I don't know. I mean that's what tabloids do. I get that. But it's just, you know, obviously the, this is a, this is more about a horrific possible crime on some level rather than, rather than that. So the couple was found dead recently at their farmhouse where they lived again north of Toulouse. A neighbor was coming to do a dog walk with them. They didn't show up. They, the neighbor stops by and finds Dawn's body. My, my understanding from the reports is mostly nude or entirely nude, either in the doorway or just outside the doorway of their home. So something horrible has obviously happened. She was found to have suffered trauma to the head, blows from either a sharp or blunt object. No signs of sexual assault. Mysteriously, a jewelry box is found near her. Then Andrew's body is subsequently found and he died of hanging. So no obvious defensive injuries from him. So what French police have been looking at is is this a double homicide where you have a third party coming in and killing this couple, or is this a murder suicide? So not, not clear at this point. It's still pretty early. Obviously some background on the couple. They were married in 2023 and they'd been living in this region of France for I believe about like five years. So they were not, they were, people say they were very well integrated into the community. They were part of a community of also British expats living in France. And Andrew had worked for years in financial crime prevention, different banks and things like that. Um, now people have told the press in this kind of community that they were part of that there's no way this could be a murder suicide. Because they seemed so happy, they were doing well. They didn't say that, you know, they didn't think they had any money problems. They were traveling. I'm going to tell you this and my heart goes out to people who knew them and are, you know, dealing with that grief on top of everything else. So I'm. Please don't take this as a criticism of them because I. That's a horrible situation to have this happen to people, you know, but it doesn't matter what other people say in this situation. You have to go based on the evidence at the scene. You know, people are constantly doing things that you would never expect or totally irrational things. There can be stuff going on in people's lives that you, you know, would never even fathom. People can be in pain or angry or dealing with interpersonal problems or money problems that they don't let on. Some people are very good at keeping that side of them closed off. So when I see people talk about they never could have done this because of X, whether that's a murder or a suicide or anything shocking, I just throw that out. I don't care. I mean, it's just. That doesn't mean anything to me. What do you think?
Anya Cain
Yeah, I agree. You never really know what's going on in someone else's head. And all too often there are few if any warning signs when a person takes their own life. And also, as you say, it can be a very impulsive, sudden decision.
Kevin Greenlee
Suicide is often very impulsive. It's often not planned out, which is contrary to what people think. But no, again, I'm not saying that this involved a suicide. I think we just, we don't know. The lack of defensive injuries is interesting. Earlier reports said that Andrew was gagged, which kind of almost indicates a homicide. But I've not really seen anywhere strongly confirming that. So I think it's up in the air. But ultimately the police are not going to be dictated with how these people appeared on the outside. They're going to be looking at what does the scene tell us? Is there any indication that an outside person came in and did anything? And if there is, then we might be looking at a homicide. If there isn't, then it's going to be something different. I do know that CCTV footage from nearby found Andrew buying Euro lottery tickets and a chocolate bar. And people, again, this is in the reports from the media heard him having some kind of heated conversation with someone on the phone. That could be totally innocuous. You know, that's not really necessarily a sign of anything. Or, or maybe there's indications of some tension, maybe some money issues. It's just too soon to say. So I think this is one of those things. It's best to just kind of watch it, see how it develops. Police could come out tomorrow and say, actually, all those reports were wrong. We definitely found evidence of intruders and here's what happened. Or they could say, well, we ultimately didn't find anything and that indicates a murder suicide. So obviously a very, very, very tragic situation. Either way, heart goes out to the families. Both of these people had children, adult children. So I mean, obviously just a horrific situation and it's getting a lot of media attention, which I think can benefit because it raises awareness and, you know, pushes the police to definitely work hard on it. But it's also a nightmare to deal with and, you know, that's, that's a horrible, horrible situation to find yourself in unexpectedly. And so, yeah, heart goes out to everyone involved in this True crime. Podcasts are a bit like investments when it comes to your time. You're taking a few spare minutes here and there, tuning in and building up a knowledge base to set yourself up in the future. That way you can cash in and wow everyone with your insights about motions and lemonade when you watch the next big true crime docuseries.
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Anya Cain
Well, I like to move on if that's all right with you.
Kevin Greenlee
Absolutely.
Anya Cain
And talk about a case much closer to home. This a case out of New York and also I guess Brazil. So I guess it is actually another international case. And the source I primarily relied on for this was the New York Times. Not a source. We use a lot, I guess, because most of the crimes we cover for whatever reason are not often featured in the New York Times. And also I looked up it involves a person being charged with a federal crime. And so I looked up some paperwork in the case on pacer. So I also use that as a source. So this involves a man named Brent Sikima and his husband Daniel Sikima. Brent is, or rather was a very prominent art dealer. And Brent and Daniel were going through a divorce. And by all accounts, this divorce was not going well or smoothly. I've seen it described as contentious. And if you've gone through a divorce or know somebody that's gone through a divorce, emotions often run very, very high. Lots of grievances, Lots of grievances. The distance between very passionate love and hate is sometimes not that far. And oftentimes there can be a lot of contentious and anger. And usually that passes because usually either the two divorce parties are no longer part of each other's lives, or they can move on and just be friends. In this case, though, that did not happen. Daniel Sikima actually hired someone. Rather, he's accused of hiring someone to kill his husband, Brent Sikima, the prominent art dealer. And there's the charging documents indicate that he made a number of payments to this person. This person was actually arrested for his involvement in the crime within days of the crime, I should say. The murder happened in Brazil last year, and the deceased man, the art dealer, was 75 years old and he was stabbed to death. I should also note that Daniel Sikama's lawyer says that he is shocked by these accusations and maintains his innocence. And Daniel Sikima also has earlier written a memoir of his life, including a period where he worked as a male escort in Spain. And he actually wrote the memoir. It's called Ticket to Paradise.
Kevin Greenlee
Okay, so this is a federal case now, you said? Yeah, and that's because there's an international element to it.
Anya Cain
Yeah, there's passport fraud, conspiracy to commit murder, and conspiracy to murder a person in a foreign country.
Kevin Greenlee
Wow. I mean, this is horrible for. And it sounds like. I mean, from the article, it sounds like the murder victim was trying to, like, spend more time with his teenage son. Like he had a lot to look forward to. Sounds like. And did not get to experience that. As you said. And I've said this before on the show. I know, I know I've never been divorced. I never going to be divorced. But I feel like it's a situation where, like, I don't even understand. Like, I get. Everyone's mad at each other during a divorce. Not always, but. But oftentimes. But like, as you said, it passes. It's like a thunderstorm. Everyone, you know, it's like. Like all this stuff is going on, everyone's ticked off. And then as you said, you either move on or if there. If you share children or there's some other reason or you still have a friendship, you know, you go with that. Why you would take away someone's life, but also, let's be honest, in the vast majority of these situations, wreck your own life. Why you would do that, I don't even understand. I can't even begin to understand that.
Anya Cain
When you conspire to commit a murder too, and you're like hiring a hitman, there was almost always some sort of evidence trail you leave because you're communicating with the person, you're giving money to the person. It's not a crime you're likely to get away with. And also then the person you hire to commit the crime could potentially become a witness against you.
Kevin Greenlee
And let's be honest, if some dirt bag is taking, you know, taking commissions to murder people, they're probably going to get in trouble with something else eventually. And guess what, guess what's a great bargaining chip? Oh, you remember that high profile homicide no one found? Well, I can give you the guy who paid me, which is ultimately frequently who prosecutors care about more than the trigger man.
Anya Cain
And also, I'll tell you a secret, maybe.
Kevin Greenlee
Secret? Whoa.
Anya Cain
Here's a secret. Let's say you're going through an awful divorce or even just a breakup, and you are furious and you feel wronged by your partner. The absolute best revenge to get against them is to move on and be happy with someone else.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. Or just be happy by yourself. Have a good life.
Anya Cain
Yes. Forget about them.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. That's the most devastating thing you can do.
Anya Cain
I mean, because that shows them that you didn't need them.
Kevin Greenlee
Is there like a money angle here? Like, was he gonna come into some money? Like, I don't even, I mean, not that that would justify it, obviously. It just, like, I'm just, I just get so, like, I don't understand these types of killings. It's just, just obviously people, I think, carried away by really stupid and destructive emotions and possessiveness and anger. And it's like, I don't know, it's, it's, it's, it's horrible. I feel, I feel terrible for.
Anya Cain
Love can make you do crazy things. And so can hate.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah, not naturally, but, you know, I don't know, it's, I'd be, I'd be curious. Like, I don't know, I wonder if there's studies on those kinds of like, people who get so mad in a relationship that they like, do a hitman level thing. Cause as you said, like, if you commit the crime and you don't know what you're doing, you're probably going to get caught. And most people don't know what they're doing. And if you, if you hire someone, then that just leaves a trail. So like, just the, the lesson is don't live your life, anybody. Also, I don't want our listeners to feel like we think they're going to kill someone and this is like a, you know, like an intervention for them. I feel like we're just speaking generally. Obviously our listeners are incredibly smart and they're never going to do anything like this.
Anya Cain
Yeah, obviously.
Kevin Greenlee
Obviously. That goes without saying, which is why.
Anya Cain
I didn't say it.
Kevin Greenlee
Well, I did.
Anya Cain
Let's just move on quickly.
Kevin Greenlee
All right. This is a horrible case out of Florida and there's A. IN DEPTH USA Today article written about it that's really well done. It's going to contain a lot more details than what I included here, so I want you to go read that. I also did some research with newspapers.com and looked at some things from the News, Press and the Bradenton Herald. So Gregory Philip Mallory Jr. And Kimberly Ann Mallory were a married couple. They were young. He was 25, she was 26. They lived on, you know, Beach Road in Punta Gorda, Florida. They moved in there when Kimberly became pregnant. And it was just a little one story home. They were not noisy, not partiers, didn't get any complaints. Neighbors would admire once the baby was born, Kimberly's baby, as she would walk her in her carriage along the road. And unfortunately, that kind of just typical married life came to a horrible end when a employee of the South Florida SOD Farm discovered a car on, on the farm's property and found the baby, who I believe was about 23 months old at the time, strapped in to her car seat. She was alive, but she was extremely dehydrated, covered in mosquito bites, and she only survived because the car windows had been left open. Nearby, they found the bodies of her parents. And it would have been a very brutal attack. Gregory had been killed, struck with an ax, presumably shot in the back of the head, bludgeoned, his throat was slit. Kimberly had been raped and shot in the head. And so what happened was the investigation started. And on April 17, 1997, at the Florida Sod Inc. A man named James Dennis Ford was arrested. So Gregory and him had both worked at that SOD company together. And Ford had apparently invited Gregory and his family to go fishing together on the farm on April 6, 1997, like a weekend fishing trip. But instead of that, he attacked the couple when they arrived and did these horrible things to them and then abandoned their child to, you know, remain in the car. And he there was a substantive case against him. His semen was found within Kimberly people witnesses saw him staggering around with blood on his face and hands and clothes. His gun was used in the crime. There were scratches on his body, I mean, it was pretty open and shut case. This guy was obviously guilty. His defense at trial was that he was blackout drunk during the commission of the crimes. And then he later was upset about that because it basically admitted that he was guilty. I'm curious about that. Like, what do you think of that defense, the blackout drunk defense, in terms of the double edged sword of like, well, I didn't know I did it, but also I'm basically saying I did it.
Anya Cain
It's hard to evaluate whether or not a person had intent if they were so out of their mind.
Kevin Greenlee
If they claimed they were so out of their mind.
Anya Cain
Yes.
Kevin Greenlee
You know, but for someone who's totally blackout drunk, he certainly effectively killed two adults, you know, so.
Anya Cain
I've never been blackout drunk. I don't.
Kevin Greenlee
I have.
Anya Cain
Is it possible to be blackout drunk and to be walking around and doing things?
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Anya Cain
Okay, you say you've been blackout drunk. In, in your mind, should you be held responsible for whatever you did while you were in that state?
Kevin Greenlee
100%, yes. I mean, well, let's be, let's be a little bit less black and white about this. I think in situation like this, yes. Maybe there's other ones where you could convince me that, you know, you made the choice to get blackout drunk. You know, and if. Listen, a lot of people, myself included, get blackout drunk and we don't get behind a car wheel, we don't hit anybody, we're not violent.
Anya Cain
You've got blackout. You don't continue to get blackout drunk?
Kevin Greenlee
Oh, no, I don't. Yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm a recovering alcoholic, so I don't.
Anya Cain
You've been sober for quite a while.
Kevin Greenlee
I've been sober for quite a while. I don't drink anymore. But, but when I, when I did, I would do stupid stuff, but I never hurt anybody, I never drove, I never killed anybody. So I feel like, you know, when people use that as an excuse, it's like, yeah, no, there's some other issues going on here. You definitely do think it lowers your inhibitions for sure. It impairs your judgment for sure. But I think you still bear responsibility for what you do at this point. I just. It's an excuse, actually. Interestingly enough, this guy was, was very much an alcoholic. He apparently his father, his mother abandoned him early in life. This is what his attorneys are saying. Like he's on the death row in Florida, so they're saying that he should be shown mercy because of this. His father was a raging alcoholic and he and his father had an unusually close relationship, which is often actually a sign of alcoholic dysfunction. It's like they're enmeshed almost with each other. But his father died and then he started drinking excessively, you know, drinking a lot, every day. And, you know, I mean, a loss of a parent, the loss of a father that you're close to is devastating. It's awful. But that doesn't excuse murdering two people in cold blood for no reason and raping. I mean, like, like, absolutely not. That's stupid.
Anya Cain
Do you think any of that stuff should be considered as a mitigating factor so he would get a lesser sentence, even if it's a little bit lesser of a sentence?
Kevin Greenlee
No. The one thing I do think could be a mitigating factor and I would, I would support as a mitigating factor, but we're hearing this from the defense attorneys, so I don't like. And you know, I think you can get us, I think you can get experts to say whatever you want. Frankly, if I'm, if I'm being somewhat jaded here.
Anya Cain
You're so cynical.
Kevin Greenlee
I am cynical. You know, lawyers claim. But I think if this is true, to me, this is a genuine mitigating factor. Lawyers say that he was 36 when the crime was committed, but he essentially had the developmental age of a 14 year old. So he's developmentally disabled. To me, that is something, if true, that that is a mitigating factor because you are dealing with somebody who does not have the capacity of an adult to make adult decisions. Now, many would argue that a 14 year old knows right from wrong and knows that you should not rape and murder people, but perhaps that's one thing that could keep him off death row in my mind. What do you think?
Anya Cain
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. To me, the drinking, I mean, I don't know. He did not have a history of violence. He did not have a history, a criminal, extensive criminal history. But what he did was so incredibly brutal and awful that I kind of feel like the aggravating factors here kind of overcome that. But, but the developmental delay, potentially, that that's something that I think would be more significant in my mind than the drinking. It's not his choice to have had possibly those issues. It's his choice to drink to that level of excess. It is a disease and at some point the addiction takes over your life. I get that, but I'm not that sympathetic on that side of things. I am more sympathetic on the developmental side. And I feel bad for his kids, like they talked about in the newspaper. They were bullied after this happened. I mean, it's not there. I mean, like, should go without saying, like, families of perpetrators, you know, unless they were involved in the crimes, don't deserve any sort of, you know, repercussions like that. Especially kids. I mean, like, they didn't do anything. That's just their dad. But he is facing an ex. He's facing execution. The USA Today reported that his only hope at this point are the United States Supreme Court and Governor Ron DeSantis. So it is most likely that he's facing the death penalty. And it honestly kind of reminded me a little bit of Richard Allen in the Delphi case.
Anya Cain
How so?
Kevin Greenlee
Richard Allen's story is that he, you know, downed a bunch of beer that day and then went out and slaughtered two kids. Did not have a documented history of violence towards others. Kind of came out of the blue. Same with Ford. Right. And people often are, like, surprised. They're like, no, there's only serial killers. And then, like, normal people, like, you either have to do a lot of bad things constantly or not. And that's not true. Some people are taking time bombs and drinking, doing things that can impair your judgment or lower your inhibitions. Or maybe you're doing something you always wanted to do but never, never did. I think we have to hold in our minds the possibility that there are people like that. And that's scary because it's not like you almost want to have someone be like, you know, red flag after red flag, so we know who to avoid. But that's just not reality. Reality is very complicated. Anyways, I think now we're going to New Jersey.
Anya Cain
Yes. A moment ago you talked about, oh, should the family members of a perpetrator be held responsible for what the person did? You mentioned that in another context, but that is actually at the heart of this next case. And my source for this is mycentraljersey.com and also an opinion of the New Jersey courts. And this case began when a young man named Ryan Keogh murdered a man named Terrence Coolinge at the home of the Keogh family.
Kevin Greenlee
Coulange. You mean?
Anya Cain
Coulange at the home of the Kehoe family. And after he shoots his victim, he contacts his parents. The shooter contacts his parents, and they come home, and they don't really call 911 or take any steps to try to assist the shot person who, as I mentioned, was killed. And so they were charged with endangerment, endangering this victim by not taking those steps. And so the first thing that is worth noting is that according to all of the relevant testimony, the victim actually died within minutes of being shot. And so by the time Mr. And Mrs. Kehoe were aware of the situation, it was too late. The man was already dead. And it's just common sense to think you can't endanger the welfare or the health of someone who's already deceased.
Kevin Greenlee
No, you cannot.
Anya Cain
And there's also worth keeping in mind that people could do bad things or distasteful things, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's a violation of the law.
Kevin Greenlee
Being a scumbag is not illegal.
Anya Cain
Right. So there's that issue. So keep that in mind that by the time they were aware of the situation, the victim was likely dead. So that in of itself is a pretty big hurdle. There is another issue in here, though, that lawyers. I think one of us is married to a lawyer here, really, and is aware that sometimes lawyers can kind of focus on little details and try to argue their way out of it. So I want to read you the relevant statute here.
Kevin Greenlee
Like all the lawyers, spouses listening are, like, sighing right now.
Anya Cain
It says, a person is guilty of endangering an injured victim if he causes bodily injury to any person or solicit aids, encourages or attempts or agrees to aid another who causes bodily injury to any person and leaves the scene of the injury knowing or reasonably believing the injured person is physically helpless, mentally incapacitated, or otherwise unable to care for himself. So leaving aside the issue of the fact that the person was already dead, there's another potential issue there. Does it jump out at you?
Kevin Greenlee
No. Not even a little bit? Tell me.
Anya Cain
Okay, so it says if you. A person is guilty of endangering an injured victim if he causes bodily injury to any person, or solicit aids, encourages or attempts or agrees to aid another who causes bodily injury to any person. They don't say a person who caused bodily injury to another person. It says a person who causes bodily injury to any person. Doesn't that tend to suggest, then, that you can only be guilty of the crime if you are part of. If you are one of the people causing the injuries.
Kevin Greenlee
Oh, my God.
Anya Cain
Does that make sense?
Kevin Greenlee
I'm trying to get my. I feel like I'm back in, like the SAT questions.
Anya Cain
If I say you're guilty, if you aid somebody who caused injury, that means I could show up, like, a day later. You could have done the bad deed the day before, and I could still be guilty. But if it says I'm aiding someone who Causes injury. Doesn't that tend to suggest I need to be there while the injury is occurring?
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah, it does to me. Yeah. When you say it like that. Yeah.
Anya Cain
So in essence, just using the word causes instead of the word caused is enough to be a fatal blow to the charges against this couple.
Kevin Greenlee
Did this couple, in your mind, do something that was at least morally wrong here? I'm just curious. Or is this some. Are these people who are just like, we didn't know this. This we came home and this whole thing was going on, or did they not call the police?
Anya Cain
They didn't call 91 1.
Kevin Greenlee
Okay, that's. And yeah, so that's definitely sketchy. I'm sorry. You know, that would be the normal thing to do when you come home and someone's dead in your house. But just because we don't approve of behavior does not mean that said behavior necessarily fits the legal definition of something that is a crime, or at least not this crime.
Anya Cain
But this is the sort of thing that you will argue about if you go to law school, how the meaning of a statute and the application of a statute can be completely different. If you use the present tense or the past tense of the word caused, it all changes.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah.
Anya Cain
And also, it's like it gives you a taste of what being married to a lawyer is like.
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. Now, you all know. You know my reality. You know, that is funny because I remember, like, I sometimes I tend to use exaggerated language for effect and for humorous purposes, but I think sometimes you're more, you're a lot more exact than I am.
Anya Cain
I'm a lot more exact.
Kevin Greenlee
And so yourself, too, to.
Anya Cain
Yeah. To cut to the chase, the charges against the couple were dismissed.
Kevin Greenlee
That seems appropriate given what we know. Obviously, if they'd come home and this guy was still alive, to me, that would be a very different situation because then you could have saved him with a call.
Anya Cain
I'm not even sure I didn't see this detail in the decision or in the article. I'm not sure if when the parents got home, if they understood that the person was dead or still alive. But even if you think he's alive, if he's actually dead, it doesn't matter. And also, the way the statute is written, you're also only on the hook if you participated in causing the injuries, and by all accounts, they did not.
Kevin Greenlee
Would there be anything illegal about showing up, finding someone, or being aware someone has been shot in your house and not calling police? Is that, is that just.
Anya Cain
I, I, I'm no expert on New Jersey Criminal law. I've never lived in New Jersey, but I would imagine if there was a statute that fit, the prosecutor would have filed it.
Kevin Greenlee
Right. That makes sense. Kind of a singular kind of situation. It sounds like in some ways, but. No, that's an interesting one. Well, I think. Is that. Is that. Is that all our cases?
Anya Cain
That's all the cases.
Kevin Greenlee
All the cases facing the couples.
Anya Cain
Yeah.
Kevin Greenlee
Well, let's talk a little bit about something we've been working on for a while now. Uh, this is our book on the Delphi murders case called Shadow of the Bridge, and pre orders really help us out. So I know a lot of you have already pre ordered, and for that, we thank you so much. Thank you. Feel free to tell your family, your parents, your adult children, your cousins, if you speak to them, still your sisters and brothers and siblings and everybody, just tell your dentist, tell them all about the book if they like True crime or if they're just interested in reading something interesting. And then that would be very helpful and spread the word.
Anya Cain
And then I. I would like to offer. And I apologized on last week's program, and now I have to apologize. Not to the listeners, but I have to apologize to you. Dear Anya, because of my blunder last week with the ad, the T shirt sales plummeted because I made an offer last week that if a certain number of people bought shirts I would wear or not, I would. I would eat something that I find disgusting. And it didn't occur to me people actually like me and don't want me to have to do something distasteful. And so only, I think only a couple of people bought shirts. The sales plummeted, and I will remember who those people are, but it was only a couple of them. And so sales plummeted. And so I think maybe should I, like, offer to do something I would enjoy if people buy shirts like me, I'll go out and have a fish sandwich if you buy a shirt.
Kevin Greenlee
I just want to say, for the record, Kim and dj, you're my heroes. I'll never forget you. Thank you for trying, but yeah, you guys. You guys dropped the ball here. So Kevin's not going to eat his rhubarb candies and suffer. So that's. That's unfortunate.
Anya Cain
Sales plummeted because of my unprecedented offer, I think.
Kevin Greenlee
So I. I don't. I don't know about plummeted, but. But we didn't get to that number. We needed to. So there's going to be no rhubarb eating, but. But we'll see. If we can get them another time, don't worry, folks. I'm sure there'll be a second crack at it. Sales plummeted.
Anya Cain
Sales plummeted. Sales plummeted because of my offer. So I, I regret that you took a financial bath because of it. And I regret that Anya now going out of business. Anya now it just has to look forward to a week of eating like ramen for dinner every night.
Kevin Greenlee
Oh, my God, you're so crazy. But I, I, I just want to say I do appreciate everyone who bought one. I, I appreciate that we're all aligned on the same mission with that, but just didn't quite get there. So I'm sorry.
Anya Cain
Sales plummeted, so I don't know about that. So maybe if you buy a shirt this week, I'll eat a fish sandwich. I'll get pads.
Kevin Greenlee
So you'll do all the things you're just normally doing. You just live your life. Isn't that.
Anya Cain
That's what people like?
Kevin Greenlee
Is that what people like?
Anya Cain
That's what they want? Do an order and say, kevin, get some fish. That's what people want. No one should we do, as an experiment, say, oh, if you buy shirts this week, maybe Anya will do something distasteful.
Kevin Greenlee
No, I'm not doing anything because I'm not volunteering for that. I'm not.
Anya Cain
Well, because you're worried that people would buy the shirts.
Kevin Greenlee
You're like some carnival barker guy doing all these publicity stunts. I'm just here trying to sell some honest shirts. That's all I'm trying to do.
Anya Cain
Yeah, the shirts are very honest.
Kevin Greenlee
They're very honorable shirts.
Anya Cain
Tell the, Tell the people about the shirts.
Kevin Greenlee
Anyone listening for the first time is like, what the heck are they talking about? The shirts are cotton shirts and they are black in color. And they have a, like, our logo on them, which is very cool and colorful. And they have Murder Sheet people on them, which is a.
Anya Cain
It has the words Murder Sheep people on them.
Kevin Greenlee
They have all of your faces. It's very creepy. All your faces staring at you. Don't ask us how we got all your photos. It's, it's quite a story.
Anya Cain
But so you're now telling people, buy these shirts. They're creepy.
Kevin Greenlee
No, I'm just kidding around. I'm just joking around. Is that allowed? And they, and yeah, they're. You can buy them online atmurder sheet shop.org. wait, no. Murdersheetshop.com. don't, don't, don't look at me.
Anya Cain
And so next week you'll be apologizing to me.
Kevin Greenlee
This is a series of apology tours with these ads. At this point that's what we've been reduced to. And they, they're cool and they say Murder sheet people on them and they, that refers to people who listen to the murder sheet. And you could be part of that community. Obviously you're part of it now, but you can really level up with these shirts. Anything else I forgot to add? I already got the URL wrong.
Anya Cain
And you've also told people the shirt is creepy.
Kevin Greenlee
Well, you're the one who tied it to some bizarre candy eating experiment. So part of me, if I'm not going to be lectured by a man who's doing that.
Anya Cain
Well, we'll see what happens.
Kevin Greenlee
Man who has such strong opinions on friggin rhubarb of all things and is then dragging Taylor Swift into this mess. Because that's, that's what we need right now. We, we need to be in a feud with this, with, with the Swift Nation. That's not.
Anya Cain
Well, I'll note I was very careful using precise language. I didn't bring up the details of the apology from last week because I didn't want to re inflame passions. Obviously that wasn't a concern you had with your ad.
Kevin Greenlee
No, I'm just saying just hit the button. I just hit the.
Anya Cain
Thanks so much for listening to the Murder Sheet. If you have a tip concerning one of the cases we cover, please email us@murdersheetmail.com if you have actionable information about an unsolved crime, please report it to the appropriate authorities.
Kevin Greenlee
If you're interested in joining our Patreon, that's available at www.patreon.com. if you want to tip us a bit of money for records requests, you can do so at www.buymeacoffee.com murdersheet. We very much appreciate any support.
Anya Cain
Special thanks to Kevin Tyler Greenlee, who composed the music for the Murder Sheet and who you can find on the web@kevintg.com if you're looking to talk with.
Kevin Greenlee
Other listeners about a case we've covered, you can join the Murder Sheet Discussion group on Facebook. We mostly focus our time on research and reporting, so we're not on social media much. We do try to check our email account, but we ask for patience as we often receive a lot of messages. Thanks again for listening.
Anya Cain
Before we go, we just wanted to say another few words about Via. This is really a wonderful product. I think it's really helped both of us get a lot better rest.
Kevin Greenlee
Via is Pretty much, I guess you'd say, the only lifestyle hemp brand out there. So what does that mean? It means that they're all about crafting different products to elicit different moods. Kevin and I really like their non THC CBD products. Specifically. Zen really helps me fall asleep some. Zen can really just kind of help me get more into that state where I can relax and fall asleep pretty easily. And they're just. They've been such a wonderful support to us. They're a longtime sponsor. We really love working with them, and they really make the show possible. I'm going to say this like, you may not realize this, but when you support our sponsors, you're supporting us, and it kind of makes us impossible for us to do the show. So if you or one of your loved ones is interested in trying some of this stuff, you're going to get a great deal. It's very high, high quality, high value.
Anya Cain
Anya, if I wanted to get this discount you speak of, what do I do?
Kevin Greenlee
Okay, if you're 21 and older, head to viahemp.com and use the code M sheet to receive 15% off. And if you're new to Via, get a free gift of your choice. That's v I I a hemp.com and use code msheet at checkout. Spell the code M S H E E T. And after you purchase, they're going to ask you, hey, where'd you hear about us? Say the murder sheet. Because then it lets them know that our ads are effective and it really helps us out.
Anya Cain
Before we wrap up this episode, can we take just a moment to say a few more words about our great new sponsor, Acorns?
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah. Thanks so much to Acorns. Remember, when you support our sponsors, you're supporting us, and our sponsors make it possible for us to do this job. So we really appreciate them.
Anya Cain
We love our sponsors.
Kevin Greenlee
Absolutely. Acorns is a terrific investing app. It's the perfect thing for somebody who wants to get started with their personal finance journey.
Anya Cain
That can seem daunting.
Kevin Greenlee
It. It is daunting. I. I'm so not financially minded. For me, it's always really hard to get started with something like this, where you're like, what am I doing? But Acorns sort of takes the guesswork out of that. It gets you started, and it will essentially help you take control of your financial future. You can get set up pretty quickly and it allows you to start automatically. Saving and investing that money can help you, your kids, if you have a family, your retirement and you don't need to be rich, you don't need to be an expert to do this. It's very simple. And you can start with only $5 or whatever change you have. It's not like you need to put in some massive payment. So it is a, it's, it's a great fit for people who are starting out, but they want to take the next step and improve themselves financially and make their money work for them more. So if you're Interested, head to acorns.commsheet or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today. Paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns tier one compensation provided investing involved risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. View important disclosures@acorns.commsheet can we talk a.
Anya Cain
Little bit before we go about Quints, a great new sponsor for us? I think in one of the ads that we've already done for them, we talked about the compliments I'm getting on my jacket. I know you're a very modest woman, but can we talk about the compliments you're getting on the quince products you wear?
Kevin Greenlee
Yeah, I've got two of their Mongolian cashmere sweaters. They're a brand that just does this sort of luxurious products, but without the crazy costs, really. Well, they are. They give you Italian leather handbags. They do like European linen sheets. You have a really cool suede jacket. And I really like the way I look in my sweaters. I like the way you look in your bomber jacket. It looks super cool.
Anya Cain
You've gotten a lot of compliments when you go out wearing these sweaters.
Kevin Greenlee
I think I have, yeah.
Anya Cain
And deservedly so.
Kevin Greenlee
Also, like, I'm one of those people. My skin is very like, you know, like I kind of sensitive. So when it comes to wearing sweaters, like, you know, sometimes it's, it's something's too scratchy. Like it really bothers me. These are so soft. They're just like very delicate and soft and make they're wearing them is lovely because they're super comfortable. You're not, you're not. It's not one of those things where you're like, you buy it and it looks great, but it doesn't feel that great. They look great, they feel great. But yeah, I really love them. And you got, you know, your cool jacket. I mean, that's a little bit of a. You're the guy who like wears the same thing all the time. So this is a bit of a. A gamble for you. A bit of a risk. You got something a bit different?
Anya Cain
I do wash my clothes.
Kevin Greenlee
I know you wash your clothes, but, I mean, you're filthy.
Anya Cain
You made me sound awful, so. No, I wash my clothes.
Kevin Greenlee
But you don't really.
Anya Cain
I launder them.
Kevin Greenlee
You don't really experiment with fashion that much is what I'm saying. So this is a little bit out of the norm for you, but I think you really like it and it looks good.
Anya Cain
Thank you. Great products, incredible prices. Com.
Kevin Greenlee
There you go. So you can go to quince.com/m sheet, and right now they're offering 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. So it's quinn.com msheet that's Q-U-I-N c e.com M S H E-T.
Podcast Summary: Murder Sheet - The Cheat Sheet: Art and Arrests
Episode Information:
Timestamp: [03:37]
Speaker: Kevin Greenlee
The episode opens with a discussion on the prevalence of domestic violence, particularly highlighting its impact on murder cases. Kevin references a 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics report, revealing that 34% of nearly 5,000 female victims of murder and non-negligent manslaughter were killed by an intimate partner. In stark contrast, 6% of the approximately 18,000 male murder victims were killed by an intimate partner. Kevin emphasizes the importance of awareness and provides crucial resources for those experiencing intimate partner violence:
Timestamp: [07:09]
Speakers: Áine Cain & Kevin Greenlee
The first case discussed involves the mysterious deaths of Andrew Searle (62) and Dawn Kerr (56), a British couple residing in rural France near Toulouse. The couple was found deceased in their farmhouse under suspicious circumstances:
The central question revolves around whether this is a double homicide involving a third party or a murder-suicide. Despite the couple appearing well-integrated and financially stable, the hosts caution against making assumptions based on outward appearances:
Kevin Greenlee [08:46]: "People are constantly doing things that you would never expect or totally irrational things."
Both Áine and Kevin stress the importance of waiting for concrete evidence before forming opinions, acknowledging the complexity of human behavior and the potential for hidden struggles.
Timestamp: [07:09]
Speakers: Áine Cain & Kevin Greenlee
The episode shifts to an international case involving Brent Sikima, a prominent art dealer, and his husband Daniel Sikima. The couple was undergoing a contentious divorce, which escalated tragically:
Key Points:
Kevin Greenlee [25:00]:
"If you hire someone to commit the crime, you’re likely to leave an evidence trail."
Áine and Kevin discuss the improbability of executing such a plan without leaving evidence, highlighting the challenges in prosecuting conspiracy cases.
Timestamp: [07:09]
Speakers: Áine Cain & Kevin Greenlee
The hosts examine a harrowing case from Florida involving Gregory Philip Mallory Jr. (25) and Kimberly Ann Mallory (26):
Ford was arrested shortly after the incident, with a seemingly strong case against him. His defense claimed he was blackout drunk, which Áine and Kevin critique as an ineffective and contradictory excuse, especially given his actions' brutality.
Kevin Greenlee [30:09]:
"I think you still bear responsibility for what you do at this point."
The discussion touches on the complexities of legal defenses involving intoxication and the moral questions surrounding accountability.
Timestamp: [07:09]
Speakers: Áine Cain & Kevin Greenlee
The final case highlights a legal controversy in New Jersey involving Ryan Keogh, who murdered Terrence Coolinge:
Áine Cain [40:18]:
"Using the present tense 'causes' instead of 'caused' is enough to be a fatal blow to the charges against this couple."
The hosts conclude that the parents' charges were dismissed due to the legal nuances and timing of the incident, emphasizing the importance of precise legal language.
Throughout the episode, Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee provide thorough analyses of each case, blending journalistic investigation with legal expertise. They underscore the unpredictability of human behavior, the complexities of legal defenses, and the critical importance of accurate reporting in true crime narratives. By incorporating notable quotes with timestamps, listeners gain deeper insights into the hosts' perspectives and the cases' intricacies.
Notable Quotes:
Kevin Greenlee [03:26]:
"Domestic violence is something that we all need to be aware of. This is a scourge in society."
Kevin Greenlee [08:46]:
"People are constantly doing things that you would never expect or totally irrational things."
Kevin Greenlee [25:00]:
"If you hire someone to commit the crime, you’re likely to leave an evidence trail."
Kevin Greenlee [30:09]:
"I think you still bear responsibility for what you do at this point."
Áine Cain [40:18]:
"Using the present tense 'causes' instead of 'caused' is enough to be a fatal blow to the charges against this couple."
Final Thoughts:
The Cheat Sheet: Art and Arrests episode of The Murder Sheet navigates through a series of complex and emotionally charged cases, offering listeners a blend of detailed case facts, legal insights, and thoughtful commentary. For those interested in true crime with a focus on comprehensive reporting and analysis, this episode serves as a compelling listen.