True Crime Time For September 29, 2025 | Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, and Death Penalty Execution

Summary

---

Real Life Real Crime

True Crime Time for September 29, 2025

Hosts: Woody Overton & Cindy Overton
Theme: Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, and the Death Penalty

---

Overview

In this episode of "True Crime Time For," Woody and Cindy Overton take listeners through a riveting slate of recent true crime stories in the US, focusing on cases involving police misconduct, wrongful convictions, and the death penalty. The hosts mix detailed case analysis, candid opinions, grim humor, and heartfelt advocacy for justice reforms. Woody’s law enforcement background and Cindy’s empathetic reactions provide a unique, balanced dynamic as they confront both the best and worst facets of the criminal justice system.

---

Key Discussion Points & Cases

1. Pregnant Woman Hit-and-Run in Houston

[03:45-05:24]

• Story: A pregnant woman and her fiancé, while crossing legally at a crosswalk in Houston, are struck by a Land Rover whose driver flees the scene.
• Police Response: Authorities review camera footage but can’t identify the vehicle or driver; they appeal to the public for help.
• Woody’s Take: Comments on hitting victims so hard their shoes fly off—an observation from his years of law enforcement (“Normally when people get hit, the first thing they lose is their shoes.” - Woody, [05:24]).
• Cindy’s Reaction: Expresses disbelief and frustration at the driver's callousness.

---

2. Police Brutality Lawsuit Following Epileptic Seizure – North Carolina

[06:06–15:47]

• Details: Thomas Simmons sues NC State Trooper Sgt. Ashley Smith for excessive force and disability discrimination after Smith punched and dragged him during a seizure-induced crash.
  • Witnesses told the trooper that Simmons was having a seizure.
  • Despite knowing this, the trooper punched Simmons in the face, dragged him, and charged him with assaulting an officer.
  • Blood tests disproved drug use (no meth), and criminal charges were eventually dropped after Simmons refused to waive his right to sue.
• Legal Reflection: Woody highlights law enforcement training and the improper use of closed-fist punches (“They never teach you to punch more. Close fist. …But in my time, I don’t think anywhere in there you were taught to punch anybody in the face with a closed fist. Not saying I didn’t do it…” - Woody, [13:55]).
• Systemic Critique: The hosts discuss both the injustice done and policy on driving for those with seizure disorders.
• Memorable Quote: “You get hit hard enough to get knocked out of your shoes. Pretty much. Not gonna make it.” – Woody, [05:32]

---

3. High-Tech Murder – GPS Tracking Hitman, South Carolina

[18:15–20:07]

• Case Summary: A hitman, hired for murder, tracked his target for days using a GPS device, then killed him at point-blank range. Convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
• Open Questions: No info on who hired the hitman; Woody intrigued by the story, noting he’s used GPS in investigations (“Can’t say I’ve never done that.” - Woody, [19:08]) but obviously not for murder.
• Victim: A father-to-be, adding to the gravity of the crime.

---

4. Wrongful Conviction and $25 million Settlement – Maurice Hastings, California

[20:12–28:43]

• Background: Maurice Hastings spent 38 years in prison for rape and murder after being wrongfully convicted.
  • DNA evidence exonerated him in 2022.
  • The real perpetrator, Kenneth PacNet, had a history of violence and was posthumously identified.
  • Authorities ignored exculpatory evidence for decades; detectives allegedly fabricated evidence.
• Legal Aftermath: Largest state settlement for such a conviction ($25 million).
• Woody’s View: Outraged over police tunnel vision and fabricating evidence (“What happened in this case represents policing at its absolute worst…” - reading attorney statement, [27:00]).
• Cindy’s Response: Expresses disbelief, questions detectives’ motivations ([27:39]).
• Justice System Reflection: The case illustrates why robust appeals and checks on police power are crucial.

---

5. Extreme Overreaction – Threats Over Unplugged Laptop

[29:00–30:20]

• Incident: Man becomes enraged and threatens to kill a woman after she unplugs his laptop.
• Resolution: He’s arrested for threats/attempted assault.
• The Take: Brief commentary, mostly noting escalation and emotional disturbance.

---

6. Death Penalty in Alabama – Execution of Jeffrey Todd West

[30:37–45:45]

• Case: Jeffrey West executed via nitrogen gas for a 1997 murder during a robbery, despite forgiveness from the victim’s son, who opposed the execution.
• Execution Process: Described in detail, from mask adjustment to final moments and spiritual advisor’s presence.
• Final Statement: West’s written apology and appeal to faith, read posthumously (“I am sorry. I have apologized privately to the family… am humbled by the forgiveness her son Will has extended… I am at peace because I know where I’m going…” - Jeffrey West, [33:30]).
• Family’s Position: Victim’s son opposed capital punishment, wanted to meet West in person, reflecting deep personal forgiveness.
• Woody’s Perspective: Support for death penalty in cases of clear, heinous guilt; appreciation for lengthy appeals process to minimize wrongful executions ([40:30]).
• Systemic Cons: The show plays an audio montage highlighting concerns about wrongful executions, racial imbalance, and inefficacy of capital punishment ([37:18–40:30]).
  • “For every 8.3 people executed, one has been exonerated due to wrongful conviction…” – Death Penalty Advocate, [37:18]
  • “Research has never proven a clear link between [the death penalty and deterrence of crime]…” – Death Penalty Advocate, [38:05]
• Debate: Woody disputes the notion of grand conspiracies but agrees wrongful convictions must be addressed; Cindy underscores broader societal loss of trust in law enforcement.

---

7. Societal Debate: Race, Justice, and Reform

[42:24–45:46]

• Demographics: The overrepresentation of Black inmates on death row, discussed through experience (“If there’s a hundred inmates on the cell block, it’d be 98% African American.” – Woody, [45:06]).
• Systemic Reflection: Both hosts display empathy but assert: wrongful conviction demands justice, regardless of race.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Normally when people get hit, the first thing they lose is their shoes.”
  • Woody, [05:32]
• “They never teach you to punch more. Close fist. …But in my time… you were never taught to punch anybody in the face with a closed fist. Not saying I didn’t do it.”
  • Woody, [13:55]
• “What happened in this case represents policing at its absolute worst.”
  • Statement read by Woody (referring to Maurice Hastings' case), [27:00]
• “For every 8.3 people that are executed, one person on death row has been exonerated because of a wrongful conviction.”
  • Death penalty segment, [37:18]
• “If you’ve seen the shit that I’ve seen, evil is real.”
  • Woody, [42:08]
• Cindy: “I wouldn’t trust a word they would tell me unless I see… You know what I mean?”
  • Cindy, [42:54]
• “If they locked up [someone] incorrectly, I want them out. White, black, purple people eater or whatever.”
  • Woody, [45:34]

---

Episode Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:45] Houston pregnant woman hit-and-run
• [06:06] North Carolina police misconduct (epileptic seizure case)
• [18:15] South Carolina GPS hitman murder case
• [20:12] Maurice Hastings wrongful conviction
• [29:00] Emotional disturbance murder threat over unplugged laptop
• [30:37] Alabama execution and capital punishment debate
• [37:18] Audio segment: Death penalty critique and stats
• [42:24] Racial disparities and societal trust commentary

---

Summary & Tone

Woody and Cindy take listeners on a tense and emotional ride through recent and historic injustices, reckless violence, and the ongoing death penalty debate. Woody’s direct style often lands on gallows humor and hard truths, while Cindy displays deep emotional resonance, especially when discussing innocent people suffering under faulty justice. The episode’s overall tone balances dark reality with calls for reflection, ultimately pleading for fairness and humanity in criminal justice, regardless of personal opinions on punishment.

---

This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about true crime, police reform, or understanding America’s complex relationship with punishment and mercy.

Transcript

[Advertiser]

Ever feel like your WordPress site is moving in slow motion? Switch to Kinsta's managed hosting for WordPress and watch it fly. Host your site on Google Cloud's fastest servers with worldwide data centers so your pages load instantly. Need help? WordPress experts respond in under two minutes and will migrate to your site for free. Try it yourself. First month free at kinsta.com that's K-S-T.com Kinsta Simply Better hosting mint is still.

[Woody Everton]

$15 a month for premium wireless, and if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should 1. It's $15 a month.

[Cindy]

2.

[Woody Everton]

Seriously, it's $15 a month. 3. No big contracts. 4. I use it. 5. My mom uses it. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Cindy]

Payment of $45 for 3 month plan $15 per month equivalent required New customer offer first 3 months only, then full.

[Woody Everton]

Price plan options available.

[Cindy]

Extra cementmobile.com.

[Woody Everton]

Looking for excitement? Chumba Casino is here. Play anytime, play anywhere. Play on the train. Play at the store. Play at home. Play when you're bored. Play today for your chance to win and get daily bonuses when you log in. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play.

[Cindy]

Experience social gameplay like never before.

[Woody Everton]

Go to Chumba Casino right now to.

[Cindy]

Play hundreds of games, including online slots, Slingo and more.

[Advertiser]

Live the chumba [e-mail] Number just necessary.

[Woody Everton]

Vgw group void we're prohibited by law 21. Terms and conditions apply. Foreign hello everybody and welcome to episode of True Crime. Time for Monday, September 29th, 2025. And I'm Woody Overton.

[Cindy]

I'm Cindy Overton.

[Woody Everton]

September's almost over.

[Cindy]

Yes.

[Woody Everton]

But this means you're a day older. It's okay. Yeah, The I just can't believe this year's gone by so fast.

[Cindy]

Very, very fast.

[Woody Everton]

The craziness. Crazy year. Y' all. Go listen to the new episode on Hashtag Just for Bradley and Hashtag Just for ao. We talk about some photographs and stuff that were found from a a hunting camera evidently that Bradley strays and stole out of the woods. But I don't think they intended to catch those pictures on there. And people are analyzing and saying the knife and the sound sounds like I'm being hurt and stuff like that. But go see what you think about it. And this week coming yeah, I'll continue calling you Tiff. So we're working there's no doubt about that. But this week coming I got something a little bit different out the box now. I'm going to play and it's. Yeah, I gotta run about Tommy first lawyer. Make sure it's legal because it's a lot. There's a lot of shade on a lot of people. Direct shade. I'm talking about like a serious high ranking people. So we'll see if we can. If it's legal first of all. And if it is, then I'm certainly going to play the out of it. Yeah, right. But anyway, it is Monday. Fun day. Weather's cooling off. Favorite time of the year for me. And it's beautiful outside. Let's get down. True crew kind of time stories. Okay, get us some.

[Cindy]

We're starting off in Houston.

[Woody Everton]

Each town.

[Cindy]

I don't have a date of the interaction when this happened, but it was recently. So there was a pregnant woman and her fiance crossing a road at a crosswalk in Houston. And they were legally crossing the road. They weren't jaywalking and things like that. And a Land Rover drove by and struck them. The woman. The force of the collision caused the woman to roll down the street. So did I mention that the woman was pregnant? No, I think I missed that. So, yes, she's a pregnant woman. And the driver fled the scene. After the crash, police began reviewing surveillance video and traffic camera footage. And there was a lot of people around at the time and of course they immediately recordings. So police reviewed that footage and they could not identify the Land Rover or its driver. So now they're appealing to the public for witnesses who may have seen the car before or after the collision. And so far no arrests or charges have been publicly announced. But the condition of the pregnant woman and her fiance also hasn't been fully confirmed in any reports as well. So essentially we're just. If you would live in Houston and.

[Woody Everton]

And it needs a Range Rover and just run over pregnant lady, right?

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

And normally it's kind of gory, but normally when people get hit, the first thing they lose is their shoes.

[Cindy]

Yeah, you've said that before.

[Woody Everton]

Yep. Always. You get hit hard enough to get knocked out of your shoes. Pretty much. Not gonna make it.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

Why not stop? I mean, maybe you're drunk or whatever, but you ran over someone and fuck them. They. They get what they deserve.

[Cindy]

Yeah. And it's. I mean the. It says that she's. You can. She's visibly pregnant. So, you know, I mean, I mean, I guess if you're going that fast. But he didn't stop. Geez Louise.

[Woody Everton]

I don't know. It's time for effed up professional. Everybody loves a good cop, everybody hates a bad one. And let you decide how effed up professional this is or isn't going to North Carolina got a state trooper. They got pretty cool looking units, black and and gray. Well, this one dude doesn't like North Carolina State Police too much. And he has sued them for allegedly punching and dragging him across concrete after suffering an epileptic seizure that caused him to crash his car. So Thomas Simmons says he suffers from epilepsy, is accusing Sergeant Ashley Smith with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol of disability based discrimination, using excessive force and a violation of the fourth Amendment and even falsely indicating he was driving impaired. Now Simmons was 44 years old when on May 25th of last year he was driving a car on Highway 33 in Greenville. And as part of his job it was delivering items to customers from Walmart. You know that well, right? They used to. But they still deliver some stuff here, don't they? Just not instantly in a couple hours. But according to the lawsuit, he says he began having an epileptic seizure. He lost consciousness and control, sideswiped another car and crashed into a utility pole. Now witness says oh calls 911 and Trooper Smith responded to the scene. When he got there, the witness told officer that the driver Simmons appeared to be having a seizure. And the Greenville police officers also responded to crash site. Now Smith is said to have made statements indicating he understood Simmons was suffering from a seizure, such as notify Greenville pd. I believe somebody advised that the subject's possibly having a seizure. He said on the radio. That's what a boss spent bystander told Smith he seized him. Now after Smith stepped out of his vehicle, the trooper replied with the same words he sees him per the lawsuit. And furthermore, according to Simmons, Smith requested the man's hospital records the next month. In his report, Smith wrote that when he found Simmons, he was slumped over and appeared to be suffering from what I originally thought was a seizure or medical condition based on what what witnesses on the scene were telling me and what I was observing from him.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

So Smith approached them his car and saw him convulsing inside his vehicle. That's his parenthesis leading him to break the front passenger side window and attempt to make contact with a man. He said, hey brother, you all right? Hey man, be still, brother, be still. However, when Smith backed away despite not noticing any drugs in the vehicle, he told on liquors. Looks like a drug problem. Y' all step Back this all in the lawsuit and people said it. And the lawsuit says that Simmons was incapacitated and moaning and crying unintelligibly. He said, hey, man, what's your name, brother? The trooper asked Smith asks again. Attempting to communicate with Simmons, he managed to get the door open and prompting Simmons to woozily rise to his feet. And Smith, the trooper apparently didn't like that. According to a lawsuit, he says, don't get out. Hey, I'm gonna hurt you, man. And and trooper repeats this several times as this threat to Simmons. And Simmons did not respond to his commands. And after the second time, Smith the trooper delivered. Here it comes. Right. Anytime you say deliver, it delivered a forceful closed fist strike directly to the plane of space. This is all on camera. I don't know, granny. Photos reportedly taken the scene show a trooper appearing to make contact with his fist to Simmons face. Simmons slumped to the ground and Smith began to drag the plane of his body by his leg across the pavement and gravel and away from his vehicle. He was then handcuffed as it was apparent he was bleeding from multiple places on his body. Now, Smith told the Greenville police officers that Simmons was on meth and that he had to use force against him. And one of them says, was he combative and the trooper punched him in the face? One cop asked one Greenfield PD asked the other one, was he combated? The other one said, the trooper punched him in the face.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

The victim was brought to nearby hospital. His car was totaled. And while in the hospital room, trooper came to see Simmons and told him he had punched him in the face. Simmons said he denied using any meth and reiterating that he had suffered a seizure. Now, Smith reportedly told the man that he would be charging him with assault on a government official, reckless driving and resisting an officer. Then, according to a written report the defendant prepared on June 10, he approached the medical staff and told them they were required by law to produce to him a copy of the plaintiff's blood test without a warrant. I don't think that's true. Medical staffers refused, but the trooper is said to have still later falsely suggested to State highway patrol officials that medical staff indicated the plaintiff had been impaired. Although the defendant did not file charges for being Simmons, Trooper didn't file charges for him for being impaired.

[Cindy]

Okay, Right.

[Woody Everton]

Anyway. Furthermore, according to the suit, they said the plaintiff's blood test disproved the defendant's suspicions. No meth in him. Simmons said he made repeated appearances in court over the next 11 months attempting to get the charges dismissed. Finally, A Pitt County Assist Assistant DA came to him with an offer. The state would dismiss all criminal charges against him if he would sign a waiver of all civil claims he might have against the defendant, Smith. I'm pretty sure that's not going to go well for you. So he refuses. And when his attorney told the state he intended to take the charges to trial, the state is said to have dismissed them unconditionally. Like, we was just fucking playing. We were trying to get away with stopping our boy from getting sued. But that wasn't the end of things for Simmons, nor could he just move on so easily. As he tells it, he says he continues to suffer significant physical and psychological injuries as a result of the defendant's unreasonable and unlawful actions and was reportedly diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. He's seeking damages against Smith in an order declaring the true procedure of. And excessive force against Simmons was unlawful. I mean, taking him into custody, I guess, right? Seizing his body and punch him in the face. You know, they teach you a lot of things and. And it's called defensive tactics. They never teach you to punch more. Close fist. I mean, you did Palm Hill strikes and different things like that, but I don't. In my time, there was never anywhere in there where you were taught to punch anybody in the face with a closed fist. Not saying I didn't do it. Yeah, because that. All that training, when somebody punched me in the face, it went out the window when we went Fifth City, right? You gonna punch me? I'm gonna punch you. Not. Not to be an asshole, but you.

[Cindy]

Punching me, you have to have the same force, right?

[Woody Everton]

I mean, but I mean, you know, I'd rather be tried by 12 and carried by 6. The. The course of North Carolina Highway Patrol has not commented on incident. My only question about it is this. What point do you. I mean, I. I get it. People have epilepsy. And I mean, I've dealt with it my entire career. But at what point if you know that you're susceptible to seizures and you're delivering for Walmart, do they take your driver's license?

[Cindy]

And this might not be factual information, but I know somebody who has seizures, is on seizure medicine, that his doctor wants to take him off of the seizure medicine, and he doesn't want to, because if he has another seizure, if he gets that one more, he gets his driver's license taken. He's basically. He can't work anymore. Like, he can't drive anymore.

[Woody Everton]

Wow, I hate that. I hate that people. I mean, I remember being in the base of training in the army and there was a guy he had transferred over from the Navy. That's the first time I was all anybody sees and that backs up but then they want you put some in their mouth and all that. Now they've proven that against but in the prison system I mean it happened all the time.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

Being on in uniform patrol and just fall out.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

I hate that man. And you know I don't know the D should have punched him in the face. Sounds like he was covering his ass but. But you know poor judgment. Going to get sued or is being sued. They're going to settle that and I don't know I don't know about the seizure part. I don't get it.

[Advertiser]

Ever feel like your WordPress site is moving in slow motion? Switch to Kinsta's managed hosting for WordPress and watch it fly. Host your site on Google cloud's fastest servers with worldwide data centers so your pages load instantly. Need help? WordPress experts respond in under two minutes and will migrate to your site for free. Try it yourself. First month free at kinsta.com that's K-I-N-S-T A.com Kinsta Simply Better Hosting.

[Cindy]

I don't understand how you just punch him and drag him across the concrete.

[Woody Everton]

You're already busted. Well you're already hyped up when you have to break a window out. I think I would explain the dragon across concrete. I'm getting away from a car to hit a utility pole because I think it might blow up.

[Cindy]

Okay.

[Woody Everton]

And so I'm trying. I'm basically saving his life and like I did that dude in Mississippi and he was seasoned big time.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

They had been in a. The driver was dead AF and the passenger was all the way laid back in the sea and the eyes rolling his head and the car was on fire.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

And people were just standing there. I'm like we got to get. It was a big D team and we got. We got to get him out and you're in standing broken glass and all that and I just drug his ass basically skull drug him out of the fucking car. As far as I know he lived there but the driver died.

[Cindy]

Well would you like use.

[Woody Everton]

I mean, I mean I wouldn't have to punch him in the face would.

[Cindy]

Punching and I mean I would think the slap would be enough to catch someone's attention to get to be able to pull versus a full on punch.

[Woody Everton]

I don't know I don't think that's a proper way to get Someone's attention. You know what I mean? Yeah, I never. I mean, look, later on when you're not paying attention, I'm gonna slap the.

[Cindy]

Out of you know that I always pay attention to you. It's later on when you're not paying.

[Woody Everton]

Attention to me that's gonna slap the fuck out of you. All right. You go give them another story.

[Cindy]

Going to South Carolina.

[Woody Everton]

South Carolina. We was just in North Carolina.

[Cindy]

I know. We don't. I don't again have a lot about this.

[Woody Everton]

That's okay. Tell them what you got.

[Cindy]

It was a man who was convicted for murdering a father to be in a cold, premeditated attack after tracking him by gps. But the convicted man was actually a hitman. And he used the technology for days to stalk his target before executing the the shot in point blank range. Prosecutors said, like I just said, that the killer was a hired gun and he planted a GPS device on the victim's car to monitor his movements and learn about his routes.

[Woody Everton]

Can't say I've never done that.

[Cindy]

And after we haven't killed him.

[Woody Everton]

But that's true. Swim hasn't done that. Not to stalk an ex for work.

[Cindy]

Right. After following the victim's patterns for several days, the killer waited for a moment when the victim was vulnerable. And then he struck.

[Woody Everton]

Yeah.

[Cindy]

Court filings revealed that the killer again used GPS data to track his attack and ensuring he would have the element of surprise. The key evidence, which was the surveillance video, witness statements. And forensic links. And forensic links between the killer and the crime scene were all shown in court. Court. And the court handed down a life in prison for the hitman's role in the murder. But there's no discussion of who hired the hitman, you know?

[Woody Everton]

Yeah. Well, I don't know.

[Cindy]

And he was a father to be.

[Woody Everton]

Interesting. Yeah, interesting. Now you know how pro death penalty I am. When it's deserved. Right? And it is the law, which we looking at the states and all that. And those states have the right to make those laws and make the ultimate punishment. But you. What lifers don't know is I am just as passionate about a wrongfully convicted person being free. All right, I'm about to tell you about a up story. We're going to Southern California, and this dude has been in prison for 40 years. 40 years, y'. All. Maurice Hasting. Well, 38 years. He's 70 now. He spent 38 years in prison before being found innocent by a California superior court. In 2023, he was in the process of suing two Inglewood Police detectives and the state of an LA County District Attorneys employed before the city settled for this amount of money. But let me tell you what happened. The. Well, I'll just go. I'll go in order, but. So the law firm representing him in the suit, Neufill, Shenk, Brunston, Hoffman and Freudenberger, said the settlement was the largest in the state history for wrongful conviction. And they said no amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me. As said. But this settlement is a welcome into a very long road and I look forward to moving on my life. Now, here's where it gets good, if you're a crime fan or bad. So the Inglewood mayor, James T. Butts Jr. He agrees. He said the money couldn't compensate for all those lost years, all the missed opportunities and all the times with your family. He said, we definitely wish the gentleman the best going forward in his life. Hastings was arrested in 1983. I was, I was a young buck, 13 years old, for the carjacking, rape and murder of Roberto Wittemore and the attempted murder of her husband, Billy Wittemer Marr, and his friend George Penson. Now, the. The Innocent Project. I don't always agree with them, but sometimes I do. Sometimes I think they take cases like the Menendez brothers just because it's high profile or Scott Peterson, but you know that I've been approached by the Innocence Project to work on cases, right? So, but the, sometimes, I mean, they get it right. And the, the effort to exonerate him was led by, in part by the Los Angeles Innocence Project and the California Forensic Science Institute at Cal State. Now, biological evidence collected from Roberta Wittemyer had been preserved but never tested, despite hastings asking the LA County DA's office as far back as 2000. According to the Instance Project, Hastings wrote in 2000 that the evidence gathered for sexual assault Kit will conclusively show that I was not the person involved with the deceased at the time of the crime. That that evidence was eventually tested in June of 2022. Okay, 22 years later.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

And guess what? Aces was freed that October because the DNA. And they had it.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

Came back to a serial rapist, Kenneth Pack PacNet, who died in 2020. And a PacNet carjacked Roberto Wittemire on June 19, 1983. According to court documents, Roberta Wittemire had been running errands when she stopped at the Boys Market on Crenshaw Boulevard. Pacnett, forced her to perform oral sex and then shot her in the head. With a revolver. He drove around in the victim's Cadillac El Dorado for a day with her body in the trunk. This is according to court documents.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

Roberto Wittemyer's husband and friend Pinson looked for her near where she disappeared and saw PacNet driving around in her vehicle. But this other motherfucker went to prison for that. All right, I'm going to tell you. So they haul ass after the car, like, what you doing my lady's car? Right. And then they called up the pack net and said, where's Roberta? And. And then they followed him. When they were not satisfied with his answer, PacNet eventually fired three shots at them like motherfuckers, leave me alone. I'm still driving you old lady's stolen caddy. And would one of the shots hidden Billy Woodmire in the head.

[Cindy]

So he's gone.

[Woody Everton]

Right. He was rushed to the hospital, but he survived.

[Cindy]

Okay.

[Woody Everton]

Now, despite the evidence at the time pointing the PacNet, which included numerous witness accounts, Inwood detectives Grant Price and Russell Eenhardt pinned Hastings as a suspect. Hastings had used a calling card number. Remember when they had those y' all this way back when, before cell phones, you want to call long distance, you put money on a card. But Hastings had used a calling card number that belonged to Roberta Whittemyer and was in her. Was. I guess the card was in her wallet at the time of slain. The number had been given to him by an acquaintance. Price and Earnhardt also created composite descriptions of a suspect who resembled hastings and not PacNet, though Billy Woodmire and Pinson gave details that pointed to PacNet. I mean, they saw him in the car. He shot at us. Right. And her dead bodies in the car. But anyway, Detectives were also alleged to have fabricated evidence against Hastings, including false testimony from witnesses, court documents for the state. They said what happened in this case represents policing at its absolute worst. And Hastings attorney Katie McCarthy said price not only calls hasting wrongful conviction, but also allowed the true perpetrator to remain free to terrorize other victims. That got away with it, bra. Sitting in prison for 38 years, being accused of a rape murder. And I'm surprised they. They didn't give him the death penalty.

[Cindy]

I know.

[Woody Everton]

And. But you. The. The one thing that would have happened, though, had they given the death penalty, they would have tested that a long time ago.

[Cindy]

Right.

[Woody Everton]

In an appeals process. So it's kind of a catch 22, right? The. The. Yeah. A lot of people have been exonerated from death. Right. And you know what? I'M happy for every one of them.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

You didn't do it. I don't want you there.

[Cindy]

Ex.

[Woody Everton]

You the that did this may or give you a oral sex and then shot her in the head. Put her body in the trunk. Just using her. Driving her Caddy, rolling down Crenshaw Boulevard for a couple days. You don't deserve to breathe.

[Cindy]

I wonder why the detectives had it out for him.

[Woody Everton]

I don't know.

[Cindy]

Because it seems like there was clear evidence to prove.

[Woody Everton]

I don't know. I think probably I, you know, it's a lawsuit, right? So. But even though it's been settled, I don't think it's an issue. I don't ever think it's an almost never an issue of they have it really out for one specific person. I think they get on that person and then they don't get off of them. Then they get tunnel vision, you know what I mean? I mean, I don't know how the. You don't go after the guy that was actually driving a car and shot the husband in the head and the body was in the car and everything else. That's. You know what that is. It's time for effed up professional Nationals. But I'm glad that dude is free. 25 million. That's not even a million a year.

[Cindy]

Yeah, I.

[Woody Everton]

That I want 20. I. I wouldn't do. I wouldn't take 25 million for 28 years. I mean, I'll be dead in 28 years.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

He didn't disagree.

[Cindy]

You won't be dead in 28 years.

[Woody Everton]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be dead. That would be 66, 76, 80. I'll be in my mid-80s. All right, what do you have, my lady?

[Cindy]

Okay, I have another.

[Woody Everton]

That was a good one. Thank you, Leah. I hadn't heard of that one.

[Cindy]

So we have a man that's sitting down, and he became enraged when a woman just walked up to him and unplugged his laptop while he was jamming out to music. And the man claims emotional disturbance over the interruption.

[Woody Everton]

Okay.

[Cindy]

He threatened to kill her, telling her, look what you made me do. And police were called to the scene, but I have, again, no idea where the scene is. No idea where this is. They investigated and they arrested the man on charges including threats of violence or attempted assault. The woman, in her statement to investigators, described her fear and shock at how things escalated so quickly from unplugging a device to threatening her life. So no further details have emerged so far about this incident, and that is.

[Woody Everton]

Well, there you have it, right? Flying down the line, the following up on my last story, where the dude got exonerated, I rightfully say, we're going out to Alabama.

[Cindy]

Okay?

[Woody Everton]

Alabama stepped to the plate again this week. Oh, Alabama took another one. Sent another one. Maybe he went to heaven. Maybe he went to hell. I don't know. But the state of Alabama executed Jeffrey Todd west, who was 50 years old, on Thursday for the 1997 murder of Margaret Parrish Barry. Now, Thursday's execution carried out despite, naturally, a public campaign from Barry's son. Well, that's not, you know, in this victim's son saying, don't do it, but whatever. The. The execution was carried out despite Barry's son trying to stop it. And. But it marks the fourth time that the state put someone to death this year and the third time in 2025 that Alabama used nitrogen gas as the method of execution. That's where to suck up all the oxygen, y', all, and you don't breathe anymore, right? So prior to his execution, west was given the opportunity to make a final statement, but he declined. His attorney, though, released a prepared statement to the media after he was put to death. And this is what Mr. West had to say. He said, I am sorry. I have apologized privately to the family of Margaret Parrish Barry and am humbled by the forgiveness her son Will has extended. I was baptized into the Catholic Church earlier this year and confirmed yesterday. I am at peace because I know where I'm going and look Forward to seeing Ms. Barry when I get there. That's. That's fucked up, but, all right, I'm continuing. I urge everyone, especially young people, to find God. Spend a few moments to consider the two possibilities. This was all a fluke or. There is a creator and a reason for everything. Your choice will determine where you spend eternity. God bless you all. Well, let me tell you a little bit more about the execution and why he got executed. So you're thinking at this point, hey, you know, what if he found God? I didn't know he was lost, but if he found God, went to heaven, great. If he's trying to pull the wolves over his eyes when they sucked all that oxygen out of the room, he. He didn't get it. So, y' all know, media gets to go in, have so many witnesses, etc. And the media who witnessed the execution said that the staff for the Alabama Department of Corrections adjusted the mask shortly before the start of the execution. His spiritual advisor then walked over to Wes and prayed. Wes responded with a thumbs up. Sign. Now after the execution began, which means they pumping that gas in the ring, West's lips turned slightly pale and shook his head a couple times and clenched his fist. His eyes also rolled to the back of his head and he began to salivate. Wes took several deep breaths followed by more shallow breaths and witnesses also heard him gasping for breath before there was no more movement. Wes was pronounced dead at 6:22pm Okay y', all, before I continue because I got a lot more to say on this. That sounds kind of harsh, right? No, I mean that right, because I.

[Cindy]

Have an idea of what he did. You know what I mean? That seems very peaceful to me.

[Woody Everton]

Under exactly I believe they she get exactly what they gave but so Barry's son, the victim's son will oppose the execution and said he wanted to meet in person with Wes. So her son urged the governor k. Ivy to exercise her authority and halt the execution. But ivy refused on September 11 letter citing security concerns and denying the meeting with Wes. Now Alabama law imposes death as punishment for the most egregious forms of murder and there was no question of Mr. West's guilt. But by the jury in this case or any court over the last three decades, that's where the other dude would have got off, right? They would test everything, ivy said in a statement Thursday evening. As I expressed in the letter to one of Ms. Barry's sons, it is my solemn duty as governor to carry out these laws. Tonight the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served and I pray for healing for all the so here we go. In a statement following execution, Will Barry expressed condolences to the west family and more of a man than me, but said from what we understand he acted out of character that night. People he grew up with said he was a good person who got off track. We pray that he gains peace when he meets his maker. Now here's what happened out of character he got A jury convicted Wes capital murder in 1999 in accordance with the court documents, Wes and his girlfriend entered a convenience store in March of 1997 in Etowah county to rob the establishment Barry was working when Wes entered the store with a firearm and killed barry. He stole $250 from the store. He said. I believe that in seeking to execute Mr. West the state of Alabama is playing God. This is what the signs the victim son said. I don't want to anyone to exact revenge in my name, but whether I'm not doing your name son nor my mother's, he said. I believe life without the possibility of parole is just punishment. I believe there is an ending to the story where Mr. West and I find comfort in each other and the healing power and forgiveness. That's great love, right? So guess what? In the end, after he went through a bunch of his pills, west did not file any recent appeals in court to stop his execution. He was like I'm done. He said. The lawyer said our Office has represented Mr. West for many years. And in that time we came to know a man who despite his grave mistakes, came to understand the magnitude of his actions and the pain he caused. He sought forgiveness both privately and publicly. His remorse was sincere and and and I'll end it with this show. The we'll play the an audio clip for you.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

An era of the death penalty America has executed more than 1500 people. But a staggering number of those on death row have done nothing wrong. Since the mid-1970s for every 8.3 people that are executed, one person on death row has been exonerated because of a wrongful conviction. Some had DNA proved their innocence. Others had revelation agents that crooked police officers forced a false confession.

[Woody Everton]

Man, this a big mistake.

[Cindy]

I never even shot a gun in my life.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

More than half of these exonerees are black. Every new execution risks a deadly mistake. Backers of the death penalty claim it deters crime.

[Woody Everton]

Expand the death penalty. That's how we'll protect to America.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

But that's just not true. Research has never proven a clear link between the two. And continuing this flawed ineffective policy costs a fortune. Before California paused executions in 2019.

[Woody Everton]

AD for four seconds. I don't know how long this thing is.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

Spent more than 180 million extra dollars each year on the death penalty. Worst of all, capital punishment is deeply irredeemably racist.

[Woody Everton]

Six females.

[Cindy]

Six.

[Woody Everton]

Six males, 11 whites and one African American person, a janitor.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

So you didn't think it was going to be a fair trial?

[Woody Everton]

Maybe.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

Or you worried about how they looked at you?

[Woody Everton]

They looked to me and they were would had a chance right then and then I would have been hanged or executed.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

A disproportionate number of death row inmates of black you are 17 times more likely to get the death penalty if you kill a white person compared to someone who is black. The vast majority of executions occur in the U.S. south, the states of the former Confederacy. Many civil rights activists call the death penalty by another name leave legal lynching.

[Woody Everton]

I don't know that from day to day prosecutors or even police or judges wake up with the idea that we're going to lock up a lot of black people. I don't think that happens. But I do think that it has been so much a part of the country's historical agenda that now it has become essentially institutionalized.

[Death Penalty Advocate]

This isn't just a part of history. There are about 2,500 people on death row right now. After a 17 year pause, Donald Trump restarted federal executions and 13 people were killed during the second half of 2020. That's the most people put to death under one president in the last 120 years. But there is hope. Executions have been slowing since 1999. Public support for abolishing the death penalty is nearing its highest, highest level in 50 years. The Biden administration has agreed to pause federal executions, at least for now. But this awful unfair punishment won't end itself. We all have a part to play. That's why the Independent is partnered with the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice.

[Woody Everton]

We're stopping on that. The obviously that's a, you know, a view from the opposite side of the aisle. And I want to reiterate the fact that everybody knows I support the death penalty, but I do not mind the appeals process. If it takes 40 years for everybody, all the DNA to be tested and cost millions and millions of dollars and whatever, make sure they're guilty. Right. If they are guilty, execute them. They're not freedom. And thank God. I don't know what the actual number is. Obviously this guy's saying it's a Southern and racist thing and whatever that. I'm sure there are more black people executed. I don't know, I don't know those numbers. But I don't think that it's a grand conspiracy, you know, against, against, against anybody else or it's a southern thing versus a whatever thing. And but the deal being is when you rape, murder, kidnap, torture, dude, it's, it's not your regular drive by, it's bad, you know, robbery, whatever. This lady in Alabama, you know, had young kids at the time, obviously going to work for minimum wage in a gas station and they killed her for 250.

[Cindy]

Right.

[Woody Everton]

Yeah. And which is probably one of the least extreme cases. The aggravating circumstance would be the armed robbery. And they killed her and moved, but she just wanted to go to work.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

Make food for her babies. But anyway, it is what it is. The death penalty is there and you don't like about it out. But if you've seen the shit that I've seen, evil is real.

[Cindy]

I think the big problem for society is they haven't one seen what you've seen. And two, they lose or have lost faith in. And cops doing, you know, I understand that. Are they, I can tell you. And you know this. If something happened to you, I would be next to that cop. I would be the Morgan baggot. Like, I, I would, I wouldn't trust a word they would tell me unless I say. You know what I mean?

[Woody Everton]

Like, I, I, I get it and I understand, totally get it. And I understand the, I mean, Carter, I'm, I'm the one that's on the microphone. Everybody bashing the cops now. And, and not all cops are bad. Most are very good. And it's not like I don't believe there's any maybe one out of a million is their conspiracy to go, hey, let's go set this dude up for the death penalty.

[Cindy]

Right. I, I 150 agree with you. But sometimes it's like, do they get it wrong?

[Woody Everton]

Yes, I agree. I agree with that. And I also agree that that's. You don't hear me bitching about the appeals process. No, let it.

[Cindy]

Or bitching about that guy getting out after three years of being this guy.

[Woody Everton]

Saying it' Southern thing and it's a racist thing and it's whatever, whatever. Whatever. I play his part too. Yeah. I mean everybody's going to look at it different and do whatever. But if it was your family member, you listen to me right now, let's say it's your, your husband and they take him and they kidnap him and put him in the house for four days and they anally rape him and orally rape. Or your kid. They ain't rape him and orally rape him and take him out and put him on his knees, make him dig a hole in the ground and shoot him in the back of the head. They deserve. If that was your family member.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

You tell me in your heart that the person that you love most in this world, that they did all these egregious, horrible things and then. And the, the maximum penalty under law, which is the reason they made the laws for cases like that.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

You don't think that that would apply for you? That you wouldn't be pissed off and want it? I don't know. I'm not trying to sway. But I don't care. I don't care what they believe. That's what Woody Everton believes. And we got all deep on.

[Cindy]

Well, I just think also the demographics of it. I mean it looks like if you look at statistics of death row inmates, like in Texas, it probably has a higher rate Of. Of people from Mexico there. You know, depending on where they're coming from.

[Woody Everton]

Go back to the early 90s when I worked on the cell block. Okay. And this is not a racial thing. The. The. If there's a hundred inmates on the cell block, it'd be 98% African American. Serious. I mean, it's just the way it was.

[Cindy]

Right.

[Woody Everton]

And does that mean African Americans can get locked up more than white people? According to that cell block of dust.

[Cindy]

Right.

[Woody Everton]

And. And I don't know how to fucking fix that.

[Cindy]

Yeah.

[Woody Everton]

The. The. But they. If they locked up incorrectly, I want them out. White, black, purple people eater or whatever. I don't know.

[Cindy]

Right.

[Woody Everton]

So that's it. It got too deep.

[Cindy]

That's not too deep.

[Woody Everton]

Anyway, we love y'. All. Appreciate y'. All. Thank you. You know, it's amazing. We're so blessed. Our Patreon and convicts and then everybody that listens to us every day. Isn't that just crazy? Does that ever just blow you away?

[Cindy]

It really.

[Woody Everton]

I look at the numbers every night at Midn, and I'm like, I can't believe that many people listen to us.

[Cindy]

This makes me so grateful and truly grateful. I never.

[Woody Everton]

If you start fucking crying, I know.

[Cindy]

Because you can't cry. I can, but it's.

[Woody Everton]

Jesus Christ. We almost made it through a show without you crying.

[Cindy]

Because when you were talking about that, all I could picture was us driving down the road and me literally just looking at you saying, you need to do a podcast. And then go from that moment to this. All the accolades you've received, all the cases you've solved, all the families that you've brought peace to. How can I not cry? Putting all that into perspective, Debbie, if.

[Woody Everton]

You went a show without crying, I would be shocked.

[Cindy]

We're going to start calling it real life. Real cry.

[Woody Everton]

Yeah. Crybaby. And this is my co host, the crybaby.

[Cindy]

This is my co host. I'm not gonna call.

[Woody Everton]

All right. All right. Yeah, I know. I'm an all right. Right. I'm Woody Everton.

[Cindy]

I'm Cindy.

[Woody Everton]

We will holler at y' all later. Hey, I hope you have a freaking amazing day, lifers. Peace. Your sausage McMuffin with egg didn't change your receipt, did. The sausage muffin with egg extra value meal includes a hash brown and a small coffee for just $5. Only at McDonald's for a limited time. Prices and participation may vary.