Real Life Real Crime: True Crime Time for September 25, 2025
Hosts: Woody Overton & Cindy (Cyndi) Overton
Episode theme: A roundup of recent true crime stories from the US and around the world, delivered with dark humor and candid commentary. The hosts cover a school ransomware attack, a gruesome zoo death, nursing home homicide, law enforcement corruption, and other head-turning criminal events.
Main Themes & Episode Overview
This episode of "True Crime Time For" mixes shocking, bizarre, and sometimes tragic criminal stories with the hosts’ signature banter. Woody and Cindy Overton move through incidents ranging from a cyberattack on a Texas school district and a zookeeper killed by lions, to murder cases, oddball crimes, and police corruption. The pair also interject personal anecdotes and gallows humor, providing exclusive insights and reactions. The episode is a snapshot of current headlines with their spin on justice, accountability, and the ever-present evils lurking in society.
Key Stories & Discussion Points
1. Uvalde, Texas School District Ransomware Attack
[03:36] Cindy:
- Mid-September, Uvalde CISD (site of the tragic Robb Elementary shooting in 2022) shut down all schools for four days due to a ransomware attack.
- Disabled: phone systems, HVAC, security cameras, visitor management, payroll, and campus management platforms.
- FBI and cyber experts investigating; no data breach confirmed yet.
- Community concerned about transparency, safety, and possible link to the resignation of the tech director.
Context:
Woody & Cyndi discuss heightened sensitivity in Uvalde due to previous tragedies and the need for new security policies.
"The attack disrupted critical infrastructure... you can't safely keep campuses open while everything's offline." — Cindy [04:00]
2. Gruesome Lion Attack at Bangkok Safari World
[07:53] Woody:
- Zookeeper steps into a lion enclosure, turns his back, and is mauled to death by multiple lions in full view of tourists.
- Lions flee only when officials arrive with guns -- "They were being lions. That's what lions do." [13:20]
- The deceased was the regular lion feeder.
- Discussion about Thailand’s growing captive lion population.
- Banter about opening a hypothetical "petting bar" with wild animals and weapons for comic relief. Notable Moment:
"They said the beast pounced... and feasted on human flesh. Onlookers could only sound their horns in a futile attempt to scare away the big lions." — Woody [09:00]
"In my world, he's doing it intentionally. Like he knows that they're going to come." – Cindy [15:25]
3. Double Homicide in Saline County, Arkansas
[17:11] Cindy:
- Denise Rhodes and Robin De Sort vanish days apart; one’s GMC Yukon is found near the other's property.
- Investigators find remains near Michael Robert Weser’s home; he is arrested (2x capital murder, arson).
- No public motive but clear evidence link.
"DNA testing later confirmed the remains... shifting the case from missing persons to double homicide." — Cindy [19:12]
4. Roommates, Drugs, and Murder at a Football Party—St. Louis, MO
[21:08] Woody:
- During a college football watch party, Marvin Bird (54) fatally shoots roommate Dwayne Thomas (58) after an argument over drugs and missing household items.
- Bird confesses "long buildup of frustration"; later tries to claim self-defense and accident; the incident caught on doorbell cam.
- Bird held without bond, possibly faces the death penalty.
"You didn't remember some dope? Man, you bring me a bag of weed and some shit paper, I'm going to kill you. ... There you have that." — Woody [22:00–24:38]
5. Nursing Home Murder in Brooklyn, NY
[25:13] Cindy:
- 95-year-old Galena Smirnova arrested for bludgeoning her 89-year-old roommate, Nina Krastov, to death at Seagate Rehab and Nursing Center.
- Smirnova found washing blood off herself in the bathroom, bloodied wheelchair pedals nearby.
- Krastov, a Holocaust survivor, is eulogized by family; Smirnova charged with 2nd-degree murder.
"I just can't imagine living that many years and being murdered in your nursing home... by your roommate." — Cindy [27:24]
6. School Shooting Threats in Duluth, MN
[28:14] Woody:
- 72-year-old man arrested after threatening to shoot windows at Laurel MacArthur Elementary. Police found multiple firearms at his residence.
"If you do this, you're going to jail... They are coming to your door." — Woody [28:53]
7. DUI... in a Barbie Jeep (British Columbia, Canada)
[30:04] Cindy:
- Casper Lincoln, caught driving a toy pink Barbie Jeep under the influence with a suspended license.
- Stopped at ~3 mph, failed breathalyzer, cited for prohibited driving.
- Lincoln complains it was "harmless fun" and plans to fight the ticket.
"He said he was too lazy to walk... using hand signals. ... The police pulled him over in their unmarked cruiser." — Cindy [31:37]
8. Infanticide & Parental Neglect in Elmore County, Alabama
[32:58] Woody:
- Christopher Matthews, 40, receives 20 years for starving his 2-month-old son to death, claiming as father he "had no duty to do so".
- Wife also convicted. The case is described as "one of the hardest" prosecutors ever saw.
- Judge laments inability to give a harsher sentence due to outdated law.
"This withered child's body was nothing but a dirty skin-covered skeleton. ... Evil is real." — Woody, quoting DA [36:32–37:08] "Honestly, prison is too good for what they deserve. Sick to her stomach." — Woody, quoting Judge Baxley [37:11]
9. Pedophile Manual Discovered in UK Prisoner’s Cell
[40:38] Woody:
- Lee Glover, imprisoned for child sex abuse images, caught with "detailed notes" (essentially a pedophile manual) hidden in his cell; gets seven more months in prison.
- Defense claims it was a therapeutic exercise.
- Judge dismisses mitigation, predicting Glover will reoffend:
"Y'all be looking out for Mr. Glover because he is going to rape another baby. Absolutely guaranteed." — Woody [46:39]
10. Corrupt Cop in Detroit Steals Cash—Caught on Body Camera
[46:47] Woody:
- Detroit officer suspended after being caught on his own body cam stealing $600 from a purse during a drug stop.
- Other officers not implicated; investigation ongoing.
"The theft was ‘obvious’... and appeared on the officer's own body camera." — Woody [48:20] "I'm just happy this dumbass's camera actually worked." — Woody, paraphrasing a police commissioner [49:34]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the zoo mauling:
"If he was the person in charge of feeding them, damn sure not gonna get out and turn my back on because like Pavlov's condition, they did. Hey, when homeboy shows up, he's bringing some meat." — Woody [12:00] -
On dark nursing home realities:
"Should be going on in nursing homes. I work a lot of cases there. And they have more sex in nursing homes than they do in whorehouses." — Woody [28:01] -
On prison justice and recidivism:
"You knew and you now know that you shouldn't have had those notes in the setting you were existing in." — Judge, quoting Woody, about offender in UK prison [45:59] -
On the depravity of child neglect:
"Evil is real. Honestly, prison is too good for what they deserve." — Woody [36:32] -
On the Detroit cop bust:
"Four years on the streets protecting Detroit... she's not going to report $600 cash because it's dope money. Yeah, jokes on you." — Woody [48:47]
Tonal Highlights
- Woody and Cindy lean heavily on black humor and blunt, sometimes shocking, Southern delivery to make moral points and underscore the absurdity and horror of crime.
- Frequent playful bickering and storytelling detours (tarantulas in Texas, football party advice, etc.).
- They transition between yuks and genuine outrage, especially on child abuse and corruption topics.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:36] Uvalde school ransomware & transparency issues
- [07:53] Bangkok zoo keeper mauled by lions—“beast mode” story
- [17:11] Arkansas double homicide of two women
- [21:08] St. Louis roommates, drug dispute murder during football party
- [25:13] Brooklyn nursing home murder (elderly roommate kills Holocaust survivor)
- [28:14] Duluth, MN—elderly school shooting threat
- [30:04] British Columbia DUI in Barbie Jeep
- [32:58] Alabama parents starve infant to death—sentencing and outrage
- [40:38] UK prisoner’s pedophile manual
- [46:47] Detroit police officer steals from suspect on body cam
Takeaway
Episode mood: A rollercoaster of real-life grimness, darkly comedic relief, and exasperation at human evil and stupidity.
For listeners: Get a broad, raw, and often graphic (sometimes hilarious) snapshot of contemporary crime headlines with unfiltered personal perspective from law enforcement veterans.
“It’s real life real crime. It’s real. And evil really does exist. ... You don’t hear about that one in the national news, do you? No, you hear about it on Real Life Real Crime, True Crime Time For.” — Woody [39:04]
