True Crime Time For September 9, 2025 | Brian Hooper’s Wrongful Conviction, Columbus Newborn Tragedy & Cocaine Smuggling Scheme

Summary

Real Life Real Crime – “True Crime Time For September 9, 2025”

Hosts: Woody Overton & Cindy Overton

Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of True Crime Time For, Woody and Cindy Overton take listeners on a tour of brutal, bizarre, and sometimes darkly humorous true crime stories from across the U.S. They discuss heartbreaking cases—from child endangerment and a newborn left in a dumpster, to wrongful convictions overturned, postal fraud, and an ingenious cocaine smuggling attempt. The hosts bring their signature empathy, banter, and insider perspectives, especially focusing on the importance of advocacy, fighting for the wrongfully accused, and reminding the community to stay alert and keep sending in tips.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Child Abuse in Portland, Oregon

[02:46 – 04:44]

• Case Recap:
  Joseph Washington was convicted for abusing his 20-month-old son, whom he punched twice, leading to a perforated small intestine. He tried to evade responsibility by dropping the child off at his mother’s home; she rushed the boy to the hospital, saving his life.
• Sentencing:
  Washington received 10 years for first-degree assault, third-degree assault, and first-degree criminal mistreatment.
• Hosts’ Perspective:
  Emphasize gratitude for the mother’s intervention and the severity of Washington’s actions.

“He beat his child, took him home to his mama… and essentially left him for dead.” — Cindy [04:32]

---

2. Threat Against Veterinary Hospital over Spider Monkey – Tennessee

[05:06 – 08:14]

• Case Recap:
  Joseph McDormand, worried about his pet spider monkey, threatened to “blow up” the University of Tennessee’s veterinary hospital after being told to wait for service hours. He was charged with harassment and threat of mass violence.
• Hosts’ Banter:
  They riff on the oddities of exotic pet ownership and how threats are taken very seriously today.

“You can't be saying that shit nowadays.” — Woody [08:07]

---

3. Family Matters: Newborn Left in Dumpster – Columbus, Georgia

[08:33 – 12:15]

• Case Recap:
  Zinnia Hernandez gave birth in a motel bathroom, double-bagged the newborn with placenta and umbilical cord, and left the baby in a dumpster, where he survived for ~6 hours before rescue.
• Legal & Social Notes:
  Hernandez charged with criminal attempt to commit murder and other crimes. The hosts highlight Georgia’s Safe Haven Law, which allows legal surrender of infants up to 30 days old at specified locations.

“That baby survived. In a plastic bag. Double plastic bag, meant to survive.” — Cindy [10:16]

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4. Large-Scale Check Theft by Postal Worker – Washington, D.C.

[12:18 – 23:24]

• Case Recap:
  Hashicaro Sila Muchumba, a postal worker, stole over $1.6 million in checks, spent $100,000 at strip clubs, and tried to flee to Zambia. Convicted of various frauds and lost his U.S. citizenship.
• Restitution:
  Must pay $651,068 in restitution and forfeit $1.27 million in gains.
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  Woody and Cindy express disbelief at the magnitude and question postal hiring criteria.

“Who doesn’t trust the fucking postman, right?” — Woody [23:39]
“Do you get on a payment plan? ... They never getting that money back.” — Cindy [35:48]

---

5. Newborn in Dumpster vs. Mother Charged with Capital Murder – Bond Amounts

[40:00 – 41:14]

• The hosts discuss disparities in bond amounts, comparing the Georgia mother who abandoned her child ($20K bond) to the Texas mother charged with capital murder after stabbing her son ($600K bond).

---

6. Gruesome Domestic Homicide – Texas

[36:32 – 41:14]

• Case Recap:
  Officer Ehaniree comes home to find his wife, Wilma Medina, attacking their son. The boy dies from knife wounds. Medina cited paranoia and delusions about people entering her home.
• Legal Action:
  Medina is charged with capital murder and held on $600,000 bond.

“Fifty years old and got a nine-year-old but dead baby now. That’s not a bond for capital murder.” — Woody [40:27]

---

7. Wrongful Conviction Overturned – Brian Hooper (Minnesota)

[27:36 – 33:35]

• Case Recap:
  Brian Hooper served 27 years for a murder he didn’t commit, largely due to false testimonies and recanted jailhouse snitch statements. The main witness later confessed to the killing; Hooper was released.
• Innocence Project Role:
  Advocates for his innocence led to vacated charges.
• Hosts’ Reflection:
  Woody and Cindy highlight the perseverance needed in wrongful conviction cases and hope for other cold cases to be solved.

“Don’t give up. … This just goes to show that Barbara Blunt’s case and Bradley and AO’s case can be solved. But people will talk sooner or later.” — Woody [33:00]

---

8. Domestic Violence via Train Attack – Indiana

[33:47 – 35:34]

• Case Recap:
  De Morica Turner threw his girlfriend into the path of a train after an argument. Convicted after strong evidence contradicted his defense, sentenced to 36 years.
• Hosts’ Comments:
  Discuss sentencing inconsistency versus white-collar crime cases.

---

9. Ingenious Cocaine Smuggling Scheme – Brooklyn, NY

[41:40 – 47:29]

• Case Recap:
  DEA agents found $300,000 worth of cocaine hidden inside 45 cigar boxes, under a layer of real cigars. Two suspects charged; operation busted via confidential informant.
• Tactics Discussion:
  Woody details the process and necessity of using CIs (confidential informants), even though it bothers Cindy when CIs get off easy after participating in major crimes.

“That’s the deal you’ve got to make with the devil.” — Woody [46:04]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Safe Haven Laws:
  “Authorities have taken the opportunity to remind the public about Georgia’s Safe Haven Law...” — Cindy [11:21]

• On Sentencing Inequality:
  “He only gets like five years but he’s got to pay the money back, which he’s never going to do because it went up when his strippers g-strings do.” — Woody [35:34]

• Emotional Realness:
  “Do not give your wife stories about babies and plastic bags in a dumpster and make her cry at 7:30 in the morning.” — Woody [11:55]

• On Fighting for Justice:
  “Never give up, never surrender… Even if you’re going for justice, like in cold cases, or if you’re truly innocent, don’t give up.” — Woody [32:59]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Announcements – [01:32 – 02:34]
• Portland Child Abuse Case – [02:46 – 04:44]
• Spider Monkey Threats – [05:06 – 08:14]
• Columbus Dumpster Newborn – [08:33 – 12:15]
• DC Postal Fraud – [12:18 – 23:24]
• Wrongful Conviction Overturned (Hooper) – [27:36 – 33:35]
• Muncie Domestic Violence via Train – [33:47 – 35:34]
• Gruesome Texas Domestic Homicide – [36:32 – 41:14]
• Brooklyn Cocaine Cigar Boxes – [41:40 – 47:29]
• Host Reflections & Community Messages – [48:31 – End]

---

Conclusion & Community Notes

The episode closes with Woody and Cindy reflecting on the importance of vigilance, the heartbreak in these cases, and their dedication to cold case advocacy. Listeners are urged to continue submitting tips and to remember that justice—though slow—is possible, thanks to persistence and community effort.

“Cops only got to get lucky once.” — Woody [45:05]

---

For ongoing updates and to submit tips:
Call: 313-RLRC-TIP

---

This episode is a testament to the emotional and legal complexities of real-life crime—combining dark truths, hope for justice, and the vital role of community and investigative persistence.

Transcript

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[Woody Overton]

Hello everybody and welcome to this episode of True Crime. Time for Tuesday, September 9, 2025. And I'm Woody Overton.

[Cindy Overton]

I'm Cindy Overton.

[Woody Overton]

Doing it again. Doing it right. Nice, nice cool weather outside this morning. And y' all got to hear WL yesterday because we had actually pre recorded something by accident and so thank him for coming on the show briefly, although it was and hashtag just Bradley. Hashtag just for AO continue calling you tips. Every time we drop an episode, it goes crazy. Bunch more tips. Yeah, y' all know who you are that are calling them in and we appreciate it. Hashtag just for Haley is coming. I'm gonna talk to Ms. Barbara this week if we don't hear anything back from them before Friday. And then of course, hashtag just for Ms. Barbara Blunt. So that being said, thank y' all for liking and listening and sharing and all the comments and everything else, right?

[Cindy Overton]

Absolutely.

[Woody Overton]

All right, let's get down to some true crime. Time for Taco Tuesday.

[Cindy Overton]

Taco Tuesday.

[Woody Overton]

Ladies first. What do you have?

[Cindy Overton]

We're going to Portland, Oregon.

[Woody Overton]

What type of store? It's time. It's timely matters. Family matters.

[Cindy Overton]

So back in April of 2024 in southeast Portland, a man named Joseph Washington, who sometimes cared for his 20 month old son at his girlfriend's house, became overwhelmed when the toddler started vomiting heavily. And after being advised to seek medical Help. Washington chose to take the child back to his mother instead. The mother then rushed the child to the hospital, where the doctors there discovered a perforation of the small intestine, which was caused by blunt force trauma. The injury was so severe, the child likely would have died by the next morning without the urgent treatment. But during the investigation, Washington's girlfriend revealed that he had admitted. That Washington had admitted to punching the toddler twice because he was upset. On August 28th of this year, Judge Christopher Ram Ross sentenced Washington to 10 years in prison after he was convicted of first degree assault, third degree assault, and first degree criminal mistreatment. And so thank goodness he's getting. He got all of that. But he beat his child, took him home to his mama for his mom to deal with, and essentially left him for dead.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah, thanks, Mom. Yeah. Hey, mom is your problem. Yeah, Right.

[Cindy Overton]

Take him.

[Woody Overton]

I can make the baby, but make.

[Cindy Overton]

Him and I can beat him. Perforate is a small intestine, but you take care of the big stuff.

[Woody Overton]

Absolutely. Well, there you have it. Family.

[Cindy Overton]

At least he got that sentence.

[Woody Overton]

Yep. Yep. That's a good. Wow.

[Cindy Overton]

I know.

[Woody Overton]

It's a horrible, good story. All right, another little short one for you. And you know, people have all kinds of pets. Yeah, right. But what about a spider monkey?

[Cindy Overton]

Like the.

[Woody Overton]

No, this thing right here.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah. I've seen a guy on TikTok that has a spider monkey as a pet. And it's weird.

[Woody Overton]

Yep. Kind of strange, I would think. Well, we're going to the great state of Tennessee and town named Portland and this dude got a spider monkey. His name is Joseph McDormand and he is 37 years old, as reported by WBLT TV. And he called the University of Tennessee Veterinary hospital on Thursday, August 7, and he wanted an urgent appointment for his pet monkey.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay.

[Woody Overton]

Well, it's like LSU Veterinary Schools kind of famous and everything, right? So, well, they tell him, you know what? The. The clinic doesn't open until 7:30. He didn't like that.

[Cindy Overton]

No. It wasn't good enough.

[Woody Overton]

No, it was not good. In fact, he told me, he said, and I quote, if my monkey dies, I'm coming up there to blow the whole building up.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh, my go gosh.

[Woody Overton]

So he tells the operator the. The. Then they were like, you know what?

[Cindy Overton]

Don't even go off yourself.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah. Go yourself. Don't even bring your monkey to our hospital. You're not allowed here. Right. But then, of course, they reported it to the cops, and the cops traced the call and found that, of course, McDormand was the person who made it and responsible for making the threat. And now he got cuffed and stuffed in his face and charges of harassment and making a threat of mass violence. Right. So this guy evidently has several spider monkeys. He's got an account on YouTube with several videos of a man with his pet spider monkeys. And one video is titled baby monkey. He showed off his trailer park home. And. But. So spider monkeys are legal to own as a pet in the state of Tennessee, while the ownership of apes and, you know, and chimpanzees and like that.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, gorillas.

[Woody Overton]

And who wants. Who wants a gorilla in the house? Yeah. But hey, you know what? You can't see my monkey. I'm gonna blow your up.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Woody Overton]

Okay. Well, don't. Don't come here, sir.

[Cindy Overton]

Sorry.

[Woody Overton]

And by the way, by the way, motherfucker, we're sending the cops to your house.

[Cindy Overton]

Good for them.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah. So you can't be saying that shit nowadays.

[Cindy Overton]

No.

[Woody Overton]

You look at. You got.

[Cindy Overton]

I have got a family matter.

[Woody Overton]

All right, it's time for family matters.

[Cindy Overton]

We are going to Columbus, Georgia. I've never gone to Columbus, Georgia. On the evening of September 2nd of 2025, someone reported hearing, like, the sound like, of a baby crying. But they weren't. It was like the faint sound of a baby crying coming from the Budget Inn and Suites. Well, coming from behind the Budget Inn and Suites in Columbus. And so officers immediately reported to the scene, of course, afraid of what they were going to find, and they searched the area and discovered a newborn infant inside of a dumpster. This happens way too much.

[Woody Overton]

It's crazy.

[Cindy Overton]

So a little boy was immediately taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital, and he was stabilized and placed in the care of the Department of Family and Children's Services. A short time later, investigators identified Zinnia Hernandez, who is 22 years old and she was a motel guest. And they identified her as the child's mother. During questioning, Hernandez admitted she had given birth to the baby earlier that day in the motel room bathtub and that she intentionally placed the newborn along with the placenta and the umbilical cord into a trash can. She sealed it inside a second bag before abandoning it in the dumpster when where the baby remained for approximately five and a half to six hours. Nice for that baby to survive. In a plastic bag. Double plastic bag, meant to survive. Hernandez was arrested on September 4th and charged. I just can't imagine that. Charged with multiple offenses, criminal attempt to commit murder, child abandonment, first degree cruelty to children, and reckless conduct. Her bond was set at $20,000. And of course, they say, reflecting the seriousness of the situation and the public's concern after the case gained widespread attention on social media, that that bond isn't set. It's like $2,000 to get out of jail. I mean, I know Everybody doesn't have $2,000 just to go and get out, but should it be a million dollar or no bond? Authorities have taken the opportunity to remind the public about Georgia's safe haven law, which allows parents to legally surrender newborns up to 30 days old. And they of course, have the designated safe locations such as hospitals, police stations or fire departments without fear prosecution. And they can leave their child with the staff. And the infant is currently in foster care, receiving ongoing medical care and protections from DC DFCs to ensure safety and well being.

[Woody Overton]

Okay, this is a public service announcement for Woody Overton. Do not give your wife stories about babies and plastic bags in a dumpster and make her cry at 7:30 in the morning.

[Cindy Overton]

I got it together.

[Woody Overton]

I didn't. I thought you were just taking a pause and I looked up and you were crying. All right, so let's do another. It's time for family matters. You know, I know the US Postal Service is on the downhill side of things, right, because of emails and everything else. And I don't even know how much a stamp costs nowadays, but I remember when they were 10 cents.

[Cindy Overton]

Right.

[Woody Overton]

Well, how much are they now?

[Cindy Overton]

I honestly don't know. I think they're like 57 cents.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah, well, you know, still, it's kind of a prestigious job if you get it. Federal employee, good benefits, decent pay, retirement and all that stuff. But what do you think should be the one requirement for that job?

[Cindy Overton]

Driving record, not being a pedophile. Maybe be organized, can multitask.

[Woody Overton]

All right. United States Postal Service.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay.

[Woody Overton]

I think you should have to be a U.S. citizen.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh, well, that would drive so obvious it's not worth saying.

[Woody Overton]

All right, well, the. We're going out to D.C. washington, D.C. i'd love to go back there one day if they get the crime straight. So they got a formal postal worker and he's now been convicted of stealing checks worth more than $1.6 million from the mail in Washington, D.C. you know what he did with it? He did a lot of stuff with it, but one of the things he.

[Cindy Overton]

Did with it sent it home to his family.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah, he spent $100,000 of the money at strip clubs. Yeah, $100,000.

[Cindy Overton]

Why not?

[Woody Overton]

I bet the strippers love to see that motherfucker coming in the Door. Right. It's. According to federal prosecutors. His name is Hashicaro Sila Muchumba, who's 45 of D.C. he also blew a bunch of money on traveling or trips abroad. Yep. And book stays at luxury hotels. Right. All stolen checks before they busted him. And they, they arrested him while he was trying to get out the country. And this is in September. Well, back in September 2023. Now when they busted him, Machumba had $2,000 cash inside his luggage and they got him at Dulles international airport in Virginia before he was boarding a flight to Zambia in southern Africa. Now, because he went to trial, Chumba has been sentenced to five years and six months in prison on multiple charges including bank fraud, mail fraud and this the cord into the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia this September 3rd in a news release now in court filings ahead of citizen prosecutors wrote. But Chumba was consistent, devious and confident in executing his fraud scheme, which enabled him to get away with his theft again and again for years. I mean, they got their own postal police. They can't figure it out. Yeah, think about all these poor waiting on checks.

[Cindy Overton]

Exactly.

[Woody Overton]

Or little Susie's waiting on a car from grandma with a 20 billion bill in or whatever.

[Cindy Overton]

Exactly.

[Woody Overton]

Say the course's defense attorneys didn't respond. This is in the Miami Herald or they declined to comment. Now, Machamba is from Zambia and he got his US Citizenship revoked after prosecutors said he became a naturalized citizen in May of 2022. So I guess he got away with it for a year. Or maybe he was working as postal deliver postman before he got a citizenship. Who, who knows? Yeah, but they also got him for lying on his U. S. Citizenship application by saying he has not committed any crimes. And Machamba became a US citizen during this nearly three year scheme between December 20 and March 2023. So you can become a postman if you're not a citizen. And.

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[Woody Overton]

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[Woody Overton]

So?

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[Woody Overton]

During this time when he was a letter carrier and Friendship Heights, which is a neighborhood in Northwest D.C. so in that span of time he stole U.S. treasury checks and checks belonging to private parties from more than 30 mail routes.

[Cindy Overton]

That's crazy.

[Woody Overton]

Machamba deposited checks, sometimes while wearing his US Postal uniform, into bank accounts he had under his control. And they got him on natural surveillance foots captured him withdrawing money linked to the stolen checks from ATM machines. And you know, I got him as ass. Three surveillance photos included in court documents show Machamo wearing USPS or United States Post Service clothing while withdrawing the cash. Now, before his arrest at Dulles International, prosecutors met with Machamba and his lawyer and gave him the opportunity to accept a pre indictment plea deal. Right?

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

Well, Machama said fuck you and made plans to haul ass to Zambia. In the government sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that in order to facilitate his scheme, Machamba was able to persuade at least one other poster carrier, and probably more to assist him in stealing US Mail. So they're all on the lookouts when the checks started running, right? Yeah, we just split them up. You see how many you can get? I see how many I can get. So the federal jury found Machamba guilty in March. The conspiracy commit theft of mail, bank fraud, theft of mail, bank fraud, engaging a monetary transaction and property derived from specified unlawful activity, unlawful procurement of citizenship or naturalization. And in his defense, Machumbas, however, he says his legal counsel wrote in a sentencing memo on his behalf that his criminal conduct was an isolated episode in an otherwise law abiding life, not part of an entrenched pattern of criminality. His attorneys explained that Bachama has extraordinary family circumstances and several relatives to depend on him emotionally and financially, including his parents who live in Zambia and the.

[Cindy Overton]

Strippers and five star hotels.

[Woody Overton]

They said Mr. Manchaba's life has been defined by his steadfast commitment to caring for his loved ones, often at personal sacrifice. This is not a case where incarceration would merely inconvenience family members. Rather, it would dismantle a vital support network and leave vulnerable relatives both in the United States and abroad without the guidance, emotional stability and financial assistance they have long relied upon. I'm sure the judge like you yourself, yeah, literally. Now Machamba is required to pay $651,068.35 in restitution to the victims and forfeit his ill guiding gains of $1,273,403.36 and his ass is going to be deported.

[Cindy Overton]

Well, what about the people that were cashing the checks for him? I mean, he has to show id.

[Woody Overton]

You have to, but I don't know, I'm sure he had a fraud scheme. You can't. I can't walk up to the counter with Susie Jo's check and just cash.

[Cindy Overton]

I know. So there have to be.

[Woody Overton]

Probably endorsed it over to him whatever they look he's wearing. Who doesn't trust the fucking postman, right?

[Cindy Overton]

So United Health Care called on Friday and said is Woody Overton Mr. Woodrow Overton Jr. Available? And I was like no. And they're like well, are you authorized to speak on his half for medical whatever? And I said yes, I am, but I'm not going to. I said you're going to take my word that I can speak on behalf. You're just going to give me all of his information just because I tell you so I said I'm so sorry. I might have in the past had this conversation with you, but in the current date I don't know what you're going to do. It's just like. I understand ma'. Am. Like just go to the back of the card and here's the phone number. You're going to find that on the back of the card and ask for this department. But I understand you don't want to talk about it. I'm think who does? Like I'm just going to tell you I could talk about it.

[Woody Overton]

They want us to buy more insurance, huh?

[Cindy Overton]

I guess so, huh. They wanted to schedule an appointment for.

[Woody Overton]

You, but probably sell more insurance.

[Cindy Overton]

I guess them diagnose you with something else.

[Woody Overton]

No, I mean that's what I'm saying.

[Cindy Overton]

Schedule an appointment. I don't know this is. But I was very frustrated by that. This doesn't have a category. Category. We're going to Georgia. Gwinnett County, Georgia. And on an early July morning, officers received a 911 call around 6am and the call came from the parking lot of Cannon United Methodist Church, which is located on West Gin House Road. And they reported a baby had been found. So when police arrived, they discovered 28 year old Oscar Alexis Cruz dead in the church parking lot. Investigators quickly determined the crime began hours earlier when an armed invasion of Cruz's home on Gin Blossom Circle happened between the hours of 1:30 and 3:00am the suspect was identified as 34 year old Raymond Cooper and he forced his way inside at gunpoint. And once inside, he kidnapped Cruz, restrained him with duct tape and then drove him to the church. And then at the church in the parking lot, Cooper executed Cruz and he shot him approximately 17 times. According to the arrest warrants, the evidence showed that shots struck Cruz's Head, arms and torso. After the months long investigation, Cooper was arrested in DeKalb county and faces multiple charges included malice, murder, felony murder, home invasion, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated assault and more. And he remains held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail. The motive for the crime hasn't been disclosed and authorities are still investigating whether anyone else was involved. But Cruz is said to be being remembered by his loved ones as a devoted father. And he leaves behind a four year old son. So there's a GoFundMe that describes him as one of the sweetest souls you could ever meet. And his family and friends are supporting each other and the grief.

[Woody Overton]

Hate that poem. And you know, think of all these stories we do about stuff like that that they never say. Not. I mean, this is not funny. I'm just popped in my head. They never say this guy was, was an. He stole money out of the US Post office and went to strip clubs. No, yeah, I know, but I mean, I guess you should talk about the dead anyway, so. But I'm gonna talk about somebody who was dead. We're going to Minnesota and we don't do these kind of cases often. All right, so this guy in Minnesota, he spent 27 years in prison, but let me tell you what he did. Okay? So in 1998, a jury convicted this guy's name is Hooper of premeditated murder, felony murder while committing burglary and felony murder while committing kidnapping in connection with the death of 77 year old and Prasan Niac. His conviction, they got the witnesses and stuff that the main witness was Testimony from woman 1 woman in police found in some jailhouse snitches. Right. So police found Presniac's body in April 1998 in a cardboard box wrapped with Christmas lights in a closet in our Minneapolis apartment. Her ankles, nose, mouth, wrist and head were bound and her body was wrapped in garbage bags, blankets and bedding. Her cause of death was ruled as asphyxiation. And she died two weeks to a month before police found her body. Right. Hooper received three life sentences with the possibility of release after 30 years. Now this where it gets interesting. In 2020, a judge granted his request to vacate two of the first degree murder charges. After he argued he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced for three counts first degree murder against the same person. And I. You. I don't know how the they missed that. Yeah, I mean, I understand charging with everything that you can, but you only killed one person, right? Right.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, but you kill him three different ways.

[Woody Overton]

Yeah, well, I mean, there's aggravating circumstances. Minnesota does not have the death penalty. The. I mean, that should have been. So now let me tell you the Paul Harvey would say the rest of the story. All right, so Hooper State District Court Judge Marchiao has now vacated Brian Hooper Senior's first degree murder conviction, and he was released Thursday morning from the Stillwater Correctional Facility, which is in the Great North. And this is according to the Great North Innocent Project. They said today the courts have affirmed with Brian Hooper, his family, his loved ones and his advocates have always known Mr. Hooper is an innocent man. This is according to the Hennepin County Attorney Mary Morty, who said it is our duty as prosecutors to hold the correct individuals responsible for their actions. And that duty demands that we acknowledge our mistakes and make things right as quickly as we can. So I'll tell you what happened. But when they let him out of prison, Hooper reunited with his children and planned to enjoy a meal with them and spend time with family. And that's according to the Innocent Project. He also plans to make his home for now in the Twin Cities area where his children live. So what happened was that female, that was the witness against him. Guess what?

[Cindy Overton]

She'd be lying.

[Woody Overton]

Not only did she lie, she confessed that she did the murder.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh, no.

[Woody Overton]

Right. And the other jailhouse informants that testified against him, who knows what the. They got. They. They recanted their testimony a long time ago. So that. That is actually a win for justice in a different way that Woody Overton likes. I don't like anyone being falsely in prison. And this dude spent 27 years. That's up.

[Cindy Overton]

That is true.

[Woody Overton]

So the. The woman who has confessed to the killing is in prison in Georgia for an assault related crime and will be released in about four years. But I'm sure they're gonna. They're gonna hammer her ass. Yeah. Yeah. So hopefully. See you never give up. Never surrender.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

Even if you're going for justice, like in cold cases or if you're truly innocent, don't give up. But this. This just goes to show that Ms. Barbara Blunt's case in Bradley and AO's case can be solved. But people will talk sooner or later.

[Cindy Overton]

Sooner or later they will. It's all in. I mean, it was not a religious show, but I'll all done in Dark comes to light. That's not really religious. But. But God's will and God's time is. But I believe that.

[Woody Overton]

I'm glad he's out. I'm glad he's out.

[Cindy Overton]

I know. Me too.

[Woody Overton]

Wow. It's time for family matters.

[Cindy Overton]

Got a family matters out of Muncie, Indiana.

[Woody Overton]

There you go.

[Cindy Overton]

So on June 19th of 2019, 25 year old De Morica Turner was involved in a domestic incident. There was an argument and he threw his girlfriend over his shoulder and into the path of an oncoming train. So witnesses on the train reported seeing him toss his girlfriend in front of a speeding locomotive. And upon investigation, prosecutors charged him with attempted murder, aggravated battery and domestic battery by means of a deadly weapon. Turner initially resisted taking responsibility and he told authorities that he had grabbed his girlfriend only to prevent her from standing on the other side of the tracks. But he insisted that he did not intend to hurt her. He was in fact saving her. However, video and witness testimony contradiction contradicted his version of events and pointed towards a deliberate attack. So this case goes to trial and it took the jury about 30 minutes to reach their verdict. And so on July 30th of this year, Turner was found guilty on all counts. And he has just recently had his sentencing hearing and he was sentenced to three. 36 years in Indiana Department of Corrections. I know, 36 years for attempted murder.

[Woody Overton]

And it's like the D with the postal worker. He only gets like five years but he's got to pay the money back, which he's never going to do because it went up when his strippers g strings do.

[Cindy Overton]

Do you get on a payment plan? Like how do you.

[Woody Overton]

Well, they're going to see 75% of your nickel an hour you're making for the five years they never getting that money back. But I don't know, 36 years, this doesn't seem like quite long enough to me. But you know what, this one is crazy. It's time for family matters. And this is definitely another family matters, which is crazy. But that's a public service announcement again for me because I'm about to make Cindy cry.

[Cindy Overton]

Oh, no.

[Woody Overton]

All right. Going to Texas old tea house. And this actually involves a cop, but not for the reasons that you might think. Right. So this, they got a cop in Texas, he went on shifted, went on duty, gets off duty and he goes home. And when he gets home, he didn't see his wife and their nine year old kid, but he heard noises. And so his name is, I don't even know how to pronounce this. E H A N I R E E Hanary. And he's a police officer close to where he lived in China Grove, Texas. And he said he got home from the night shift and he went to the Bathroom And a bit later he heard a scream come from the bedroom. And when he went to the bedroom he tried to go in but the door was locked.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay.

[Woody Overton]

All right. So being a true cop, he kicked that bitch in and he went into the room and he found his wife Medina on top of their son holding a knife. And she then stabbed herself and got into a struggle with her husband. She said this is what you want. And this was. She told her husband the tussle and he drags her away and from the bedroom and then he calls police. Right. So let me go back to the beginning of it. And police have now charged Wilma jamitsa Medina who's 50 years old with capital murder in the case. You know why? Because the boy, David Henira Medina who she stabbed their son was taken to the hospital with stab wounds on bott sides of his neck.

[Cindy Overton]

Holy mess.

[Woody Overton]

And he died at the hospital. So the Universal City Police detective David Fawcett said I don't think anything could have prepared our first responders of the city for what they saw. He said it was devastating. And back to it. It was around 5am Wednesday when police were dispatched to the home for disturbance. And the child's father who is Isosa in Henry said his wife has stabbed his son. Right. And when the cops got there they found her grabbing. They found him grabbing Medina's leg as she lay on the bed with blood stains on her shirt. And while they were trying to secure the residence she gets up and went to the kitchen and grabs another knife and stabbed herself on self in the leg. It's according to KSAT tv. So officers then trying to stop her from hurting herself, they fighting with her and they were eventually were able to take the knife away from her. And during this time she said I cannot live without him and let me die. It's crazy.

[Cindy Overton]

So why did she kill him?

[Woody Overton]

I'll tell you in just a second. The when she spoke to officers, Medina said or made comments about people trying to enter her home and claim she was being followed. So she was arrested and booked into the jail and she is being held on six hundred thousand dollar bond.

[Cindy Overton]

No, that's a bond.

[Woody Overton]

Fifty years old and got a nine year old but dead baby now. Yeah, that's not a bond for capital murder. $600,000. She have no bond.

[Cindy Overton]

She should.

[Woody Overton]

I don't even have to look at my account, my chart up there and.

[Cindy Overton]

Know Texas got the death well 36,000 or whatever I said earlier or 6,004 whatever it was that minimal bond for the baby in the dumpster. Like, I mean, that's not capital murder.

[Woody Overton]

That baby's alive.

[Cindy Overton]

I don't care.

[Woody Overton]

Capital murder. And his mama didn't stab him in the neck twice.

[Cindy Overton]

She just double bagged him in a garbage bag.

[Woody Overton]

Okay, well, at least that baby's alive.

[Cindy Overton]

You're right.

[Woody Overton]

It all. It all sucks. And it is what it is, right? So the, you know, I don't know. Let's do a little light one to end the show. The I say light. I used to love to work dope and, you know that. The. Let's see if I can get this audio to play and see what agents found hidden in cigar boxes.

[Cindy Overton]

Well, it was about 20 pounds of cocaine. This led to the arraignment this morning in Manhattan of two suspected smugglers.

[Woody Overton]

Detectives say the hall was seized from Jose Leonardo's home in Cypress Hills.

[Cindy Overton]

The drugs said to be hidden in secret compartments inside the boxes.

[Woody Overton]

Leonardo and another man, Yankee Gil, are charged with criminal drug possession. It's pretty ingenious when you see it, right? But, I mean, they're legit wooden cigar boxes and they had a layer wrapped cigars on top. And the cocaine's underneath the. You know, it's the street value. What they got was $300,000. And they were broken down, hidden in 45 different cigar boxes. Right. So naturally, the investigation was conducted by the dea, the New York division, and with the assistance from the SNP's investigator unit. So during the investigation, the special narcotics prosecutor for the city of New York said that on April 16, 2025, agents tracked Leonardo as he drove to 33 Crosby Avenue, the residence where the drugs were found. And later that days, the agents searched 33 Crosby Avenue and with a search warrant and open three cardboard boxes, which contained a total of 45 wooden cigar boxes filled with cigars. But they pried off the tops of the. Prying off the wooden paneling. On the underside of the boxes, the agents found thin bricks of cocaine. And similar bricks were also recovered from Leonardo's bedroom. The d. A laboratory analysis on the drug C's, of course, identified it as nine kilograms of cocaine. It's a lot. And nearly one kilogram of ketamine. Yeah. Horse train class. Right. They said large shipments of narcotics are often creatively concealed. In this case, cocaine was hidden underneath real cigars. Drug shipments such as this are typically transported to a location where they can be repackaged into smaller amounts and distributed to multiple locations. And considerable effort went into shielding the cocaine from detection and preventing the loss of profits that result from law Enforcement seizures. The second defendant, Gill, was arrested a month early after a meeting with Leonardo at the residence. And they say they stopped Gill and recovered a thin brick of cocaine that was similar in size and appearance to the bricks found in the cigar boxes in April. They said the seizure of this massive quantity of cocaine makes Brooklyn safer and delivers a heavy blow to drug trafficking networks that poison our streets. Good for them for getting it. The. You know, they're always gonna. They use that method. No long telling how long they use it. But just like on Sheriff R. And I said on Ms. Barbara Blunt's case and. And on AO's case and Bradley's case and all that, the bad guys got to get lucky every day. Cops only got to get lucky once.

[Cindy Overton]

That's right.

[Woody Overton]

Right. And then this wasn't their day. So the. They ratted him out. And what they did, I can assure you, is where they. He told them and said, look, this how we're doing it, and this is one our next shipments coming in. Etc. I don't know how his homie didn't know that he'd got arrested unless they arrested him and didn't say it. And they let him back out to follow him over there. And he's getting the sweetheart of a deal.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

His other buddy will be canceling Christmas.

[Cindy Overton]

How do you feel about that?

[Woody Overton]

About What?

[Cindy Overton]

I know Cas helped you a lot, but when CIS. What is the CA?

[Woody Overton]

I have no idea.

[Cindy Overton]

Okay. CIS, certified.

[Woody Overton]

CI is a confidential informant.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah, the informants. But I know that they help you, but when they don't, when they're part of the crime and they get no time for it, like zero. And they literally have.

[Woody Overton]

That's the deal. Deal you got to make with the devil. Because, like, you know, most time you're stopping the user or maybe somebody like that that has like, one large package of cocaine, and then you're like, okay, you can. I've done this a thousand times. You can help yourself. Rat it out, give up the big fish, and we could work together. Right. And. And then if they agree to it, a lot of times you go ahead and book them in for whatever it is. Like, he. He got booked in, and then they were sitting the cell, and they're like that, I want help. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison. And then you need to let them out, make them sign the paperwork. Confidential paperwork that you can't break any laws. And Da, da, da. Other than what we're working on. Right. We give you the dope to Transport or you go over to make a buy for us or whatever it may be and you use them and use them and use them. And every time that you give them mark money it's like to go in and make the buy and you search them before you give them the money and you search when they come out, make sure they don't have any doubt that you don't know about on them. And then you keep working and as you work it and you, you don't hit that house. Right. Then you wait three or four days or however long until the next weekend or next ledge ship date and then you hit it. So they don't know your CI is the one that ratted them out.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

And then you get the bigger fish. Don't just get the user, you get the bigger fish.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

How do I feel about it? Necessary evil.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

How do I feel about people flipping the murder cases? That's what to get immunity.

[Cindy Overton]

That's more specifically.

[Woody Overton]

Well, it and Sammy the Bull Regan who killed 30 some people. But the government wanted the Teflon dine so bad they let him go on it. Yeah. So the. It is what it is their decision.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

I mean I think, you know, at least somebody went to prison. Right.

[Cindy Overton]

I guess it's just hard to know that they're not going to get any type of punishment for their actions.

[Woody Overton]

They give them, they get punishment. I mean, you know, sometimes they get witness relocation program or they get five years in a secure facility and then they get released or whatever. It varies every case. You don't ever know what it's going to be.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

So that's that. And that's what I have for today. You got anything else?

[Cindy Overton]

I don't have anything else.

[Woody Overton]

Then I hope everybody's enjoying the weather. Football season started for real. The NFL and as it was pretty, pretty good games. The, you know, the NFL and college, you always got all the mistakes the first week. Just over and over and over again. This is stupid. And, but the NFL, they, you know, they play a lot of pre season games and so I'm not saying you don't have more mistakes than you do later in the year, but most of the games were pretty clean and pretty interesting. So dove season started. We had a good time on our hunt this weekend. My shoulders raw. I don't think I've ever shot that much.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

But it's cooling off.

[Cindy Overton]

Yes. I want to thank Kimmy and Tim for.

[Woody Overton]

Yes.

[Cindy Overton]

Their support and guidance in LA's first triathlon.

[Woody Overton]

Yep, yep, yep. That was awesome. And Lafayette, this weekend. And then Jason swi. And then we're supposed to be coming in for the LSU SLU game. And Jason, I ain't got to tell you, but we're not going to make it. And. And Rock and Snow are no longer in the student guests in the studio today. They went to their home and WL is upstairs doing school.

[Cindy Overton]

It's true.

[Woody Overton]

All right.

[Mood.com Advertiser]

So we love and appreciate all y'.

[Woody Overton]

All. Please continue to call in your tips. Three one, three rlrc Tip boy. We're gonna do it. Of course, with no response. If you listen to last week episode, I had our attorney, Thomas Davenport, the who's just the best. Send a public information request for all not just related to these two cases. Every confidentiality agreement they may have ever done, of course we have gotten as a response. But I can promise you Tommy's not going to let it go. It's going to end up in a court ring.

[Cindy Overton]

There's no time frame like when you have a. Like that you have to disclose when you do a public information.

[Woody Overton]

It's not a set thing, but they have to give you reasons and stuff like that. And they haven't done anything. But we'll end up. We'll take them to court. Take them to court. Not afraid. Tommy Davenport certainly in afraid if y' all need an attorney for whatever reason. He's also a professor of law.

[Cindy Overton]

Yeah.

[Woody Overton]

And a super great guy, but. All right. So just stay tuned to that. Keep calling in your tips. It's coming down the pipe, I can promise you. And I'm Woody Overton. I'm Cindy Overton host a true crime time for this Tuesday, September 9th Hollyer Peace.

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