← Serialously with Annie Elise
Serialously with Annie Elise
394: D4vd Hiding Evidence, Louisiana Family Annihilator & DNA Found in Athena Strand?
00:56:33
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A
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A
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Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial Asleep. Hello. Hello. Hello and welcome. Welcome back to an all new episode of Serial as Lee with your favorite host on the planet, me, Annie. Sorry, guys. Recording a little later than usual today. I've been up for several hours so I have a lot of energy. But no welcome back to Serial Lessly. We've got an all new episode today. It's Thursday. You know what that means. Headline highlights. We're gonna break everything down that is going on in True Crime this week. And in case you missed it, I am officially 39 years old. I know, I know, I know. Go ahead and wish me a happy birthday, guys. No, I'm just kidding. I'm 39. I definitely feel it. I feel like in my body, in my joints and just in my all around aura. So I actually feel more like I'm 39 going on 70. But that's a conversation for a later day. Welcome back to Seriously Amy Colette o'. Brien.
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A
Thank you.
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B
Welcome.
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A
Hello.
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B
You've never been here before and I am just.
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A
It's so nice.
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B
Delighted. Studio. I know. I'm delighted to have you here. Hello.
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A
Hello.
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B
I have grass stains.
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A
I. I was just about to say, could you do your laundry before you.
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B
Well, I was being the room mom that I am at my son's school and I had to get there today because it's teacher appreciation week. So all the kids like brought long stem flowers every. There was like hundreds and hundreds of flowers and I was in charge starting at 8am of assembling a ton of arrangements and then delivering them to all of the teachers. So I wore white because I'm a. And I have green stains all over me now. It looks like I've been rolling around in the grass.
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A
So did your new skills of flower arranging come into handy? Come in handy? Because I know you've been, you've been up on your hobbies this year, which I'm very proud of you. Mahjong, flower arranging.
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B
I'm trying to lean into my elderly era and I have to Say, the thought did cross my mind while I was at the table in front of the school assembling these flower arrangements, thinking I had to buy a pair of gardening shears yesterday at Home Depot because, you know, I don't own those. And I was thinking to myself, like, wow, my New Year's resolution of learning how to arrange flowers really would come in handy right now if I had done anything with it. And so, no, but I will say these arrangements slapped, they looked great. So there's that. But, yeah, now I have grass stains all over me. But it did kind of get me in the spirit of rewind, wanting to learn how to, like, arrange flowers and
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A
take, well, I'd love of arrangement. So maybe.
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B
Oh, I thought you said you would want to learn.
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A
Well, I would love to learn too.
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B
Maybe we can have, like, what could rhyme? Like, what's a word that means flowers that starts with an M? Like a. A ma. Magical Roses and Mahjong Day. Or like, you know, like, because I need to teach you mahjong still, like, a little bit more. Yes. And I think we could do flower arranging and we could just like, make it a really fun time because, yeah,
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A
flowers are kind of a rip off. I just want to rip off, Bring my stylist a new arrangement on Friday. It was, like, over $50, and it fit in the palm of my hand.
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B
I feel personally attacked right now.
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A
Why?
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B
Because it was my birthday and. Hold on, everybody. If you're watching the video version of this, you'll see what I'm about to do. What?
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A
You're upset that I didn't personally arrange that? What?
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B
I'll.
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A
I'll take credit.
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B
Is this why you feel personally attacked?
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A
No.
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B
Was it. Were they really for your stylist? Or are you. Were you drawing back on a personal experience from when you bought me flowers?
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A
No, I bought my stylist flowers on Friday, and then I bought you those for your birthday on Monday.
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B
And I love them.
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A
Broke after buying all these flowers. And I would, like, so much joy. I would like to just be able to make my own. That's not too much.
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B
These are so aggressive on screen.
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A
Like, it's just like they are.
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Maybe I'll put them up here. I'm tangled up in the XLR cable. Great. I'm gonna trip and fall and break my hip. Okay. Sorry, guys. You're probably like, could you shut up already? I do have some good news for all of you listening. We found our winners for the crimecon giveaway. Thank you to all of you who entered over on Patreon which, remember, it was totally free to enter. So you snooze, you lose. Maybe we'll do another one, I don't know. But we did choose our winner who gets the weekend pass. Two tickets, two weekend passes, one winner. And we have announced it on Patreon and also in the show notes of today's episode. Now, I have to say, before we get into all the cases today, have you heard about this hantavirus breakout?
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A
Yes, I just watched a video from someone who's on the cruise ship.
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B
Yeah, the guy.
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A
Yes, yes, it's giving Covid.
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B
No, it's so is giving Covid. And look, I can appreciate the comment section more than anyone. That's the whole reason I'm on TikTok. It's not for the videos, it's for the comments. And I have to say, people making light of it, I understand why. And the callbacks to Covid. And like, they're trying to find some levity in the situation, which fine, fair. And the comments are funny, I will give them that. But it's feeling like March 2020 again
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A
because I didn't read the comments.
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Oh, everybody's like, oh, good, I was hoping to try bangs again. Or like, like, I'm excited for lockdown. Or like, another one was like, bro, I'm finally an adult now. Don't do this to me. And like, a lot of just, like, Covid comments or like, I've been waiting for another lockdown, like, all of these things. But no, it's really scary. It's obviously changing rapidly, so there probably will be new information by the time this episode releases. But as of the last time I looked, three people have died. Seven people have contracted or are symptomatic on the cruise ship. It is a very scary virus that can be passed person to person, apparently from this specific strain. And the way they contract it is through rodent feces, through, like, rats and mice. And I don't know if it's like, because you eat their poo poo or drink their urine or you, like, eat a rat. I don't know how all of that works, but it's now the virus is active on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. They are refusing to allow them to dock. There's Approximately, I think, 149 people on board. And I think when I read there was, like, people from 23 different countries or something mixed in as well, which it's like, that's scary because that could obviously spread pretty quickly. And I was reading, I kind of like went into a Dark hole on it last night that it has, like, a 40 mortality rate.
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A
Oh, my gosh.
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And it's like, it starts shutting down your organs. It's like. It's very scary.
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A
I know. This poor guy. The video I saw, which might have been the one you saw, he seemed very scared. And I. I could only imagine being trapped, and then you feel so helpless, you can't get off. Which I understand why, but still.
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B
Yeah, it's. I cannot even imagine how scary that must be, because, yeah, they're refusing to let them dock, which I understand they're trying to get the situation under control, but also, I was thinking, like, putting myself in that position last night. I was like, if I was on a cruise ship and I couldn't get off because of this virus, and I couldn't see my kids, and, like, I was scared that I was gonna get the virus and, like, knowing there's a high mortality rate, like, it's just. I don't know.
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A
Well, and after everything that happened over Covid, I mean, you're just thinking back to that and thinking, like, how big, how widespread, how quickly it all happened.
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B
And Covid. I remember because I lived in New York when Covid happened, and it was very small at first. We were hearing, like, little rumblings about it. I remember we were, like, thinking, okay, our factory is going to shut down. It, like, hadn't even really hit the US Yet. And it was kind of like this slow burn, and then it happened all at once. Whereas this one, it's like, 150 people potentially exposed. That could be widespread. So I understand why they're treating it so seriously and, like, not allowing them to dock. But right now, the health officials are trying to figure out a. How this exactly happened and how this happened on a cruise ship, a luxury cruise ship, apparently, at that. And because, like I said, it's usually spread through rats and mice and their feces and their urine. So it's definitely interesting that this type of viral disease is being spread where it is, but it's gonna. Yeah, I don't know what else is gonna happen. I mean, if there's already been three deaths on the ship, that's fast. And that's why scare.
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A
What would scare me is I just remember in the early days of COVID nobody really knew what was going on. And so I'm sure people are learning in real time, like, the effect of this and how quickly it spreads. And you're sitting on a cruise ship with all the circulated air. Like, I would just want to sit
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outside, but they're probably making you stay in your cabin, which is even worse. Like, imagine. And remember our brother, actually, during COVID he tested pot. He was away for a wedding. Where was he not?
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A
St. Lucia.
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St. Lucia. That was when you had to test positive or negative in and out of different countries before you could fly or when you landed. And when he was leaving after being at that wedding and it was like well into covet. It was like almost a year in or something like that. So people were traveling again. He tested positive. And they kept in there for 10 days. Right. For quarantine. And they kept him in a hotel room, which is like, that's bigger than a cruise ship cabin. But I remember he was starting to go a little nutty as well, because
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he had no access to the outdoors.
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Yeah. No fresh air. The food you get. I think he couldn't order room service or anything.
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Wasn't it like they dropped a set menu?
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Yeah. They drop off food at your door or something every day. And then. Yeah, it's just. Oh, I feel for those people. So we'll see what happens. And what's interesting, as I was reading it yesterday, to trying to research more about the virus itself. Remember, gosh, it must have been a year ago now, Gene Hackman and his wife who died. Yes, she died from that virus.
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A
Oh, wow.
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So. And remember there was. Their house was like in a lot of disarray and there were a lot of animals and things. And she apparently it's like a respiratory thing, I believe, and she died from that. And so people are like not making any sort of connection. But obviously, like, it's something that we heard about but never really knew what that meant. And now it's out there. I don't know. It's definitely scary. So we will keep an eye on that and let you guys know.
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A
I guess, hopefully this is the only.
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B
I know. Hopefully at this point, they, at the time of this release, they are docked, they are tested, they are getting whatever. I don't even know if. Yeah, I don't know if you get like. I mean, it's not like a rabies shot. Obviously it's not rabies, but like, I wonder if there is anything to combat it. I don't know. So let's move into another rat of discussion. David, David Anthony Burke or David Loser for vd because we have another major update in this case. And look, most of our updates have lived primarily here on the headline highlight segment. I might end up compiling everything or doing a fresh deep dive for you just so that we can have it all in one place? I'm not sure yet. But we do have some major updates that have given us more insight into what the prosecution is laying out as far as a timeline, especially when it comes to the special circumstance charge that they had for lying in wait. Because this week, prosecutors filed a very detailed brief. And when you actually look at what they're alleging, the way that they're saying all of this was planned, it keeps making this case worse and worse. Now, as we know from the charges that David is facing, prosecutors do believe that this was all premeditated, that he lured Celeste over to his house, that this was planned, and that it was because he wanted to shut her up, because he didn't want to lose his celebrity, his money, his fame. But now they are laying out a very specific sequence to try and prove exactly that. So let's start with what they say happened right before Celeste was murdered. According to reports, prosecutors say that there was a major argument that happened on April 22, 2025, between David and Celeste. And apparently this was all documented in text messages during that argument. Celeste was allegedly jealous or upset that David was talking to other girls and having other relationships, which really comes as no surprise to any of us. We know he's a dog. We know he's a dirtbag. We know he's a child predator. So. But obviously, she's young. She probably thought that they were in love and they were soul mates, and this made her very upset. And she was actually so upset about this that she threatened to expose their relationship in a direct quote in these text messages. She threatened to end his career and destroy his life, which we have already heard about this being talked about a little bit in the past few weeks. As far as motive. Right. And now, though, we actually have the court documents as part of the timeline and the evidence, and we also have a little bit more context now. Prosecutors are saying that this was not just a fight, that this was actually a turning point for David. They believe that David knew that at that point she was possibly or probably going to tell someone and that everything could come out, and that would absolutely, completely destroy his life and his career. Just like she said, he would go to jail, he would go to prison, he would lose his celebrity, he wouldn't go on tour anymore. He would be marked as a pedo in jail and probably be attacked over and over. I mean, it would be his worst nightmare come true. Which also then said, you know, I will say again, don't touch little kids then. So this is where the special circumstance of lying In Wait comes into play because prosecutors say that the day after the argument on April 23, David arranged for Celeste to come to his house. He even ordered her an Uber to get there. So she arrived at his house around 10, 10pm and then about 20 minutes later, he allegedly texted her asking where she was. But prosecutors are saying that at this point, she not only was already at the house, and they have that from the digital footprint of the Uber and the drop off and all of that, but they're saying she was already dead at that point within 20 minutes of arriving. And it also shows calculation and premeditation and him putting together this thoughtful plan because he's making this fake text message to her asking where she is, right? So now they're saying obviously, that the message, the phone calls, the other text messages that followed for a few days after that were of course, all part of this orchestrated, planned effort to make it look like she never showed up to his house at all. So right there, they're not just saying that he outright killed her, but they're saying that he was actively staging a cover story in real time. And then when you start to move into what they say happened after all of that, it gets even more calculated because according to the filing, in the days following Celeste's death, David stopped trying to reach out to Celeste at all. This was after April 26th, so they fight on the 22nd, he allegedly murders her on the 23rd, he sends a few follow up texts and phone calls for three days after that. And then after the 26th, he goes radio silent. And at that point, he started ordering items online under a fake name. Having those items delivered though to his house, which, if you're gonna use a fake name, maybe get a fake address to my man, I don't know. Doesn't really seem very smart. So the timeline they laid out is very specific. On April 24, he ordered a shovel. Then on May 1, he ordered two chainsaws. On May 5, he ordered a body bag. He also ordered heavy duty bags and a blue inflatable pool. Then later, as we know, when they had found it on the property, he had ordered that burn cage which we had talked about. It's basically like a makeshift crematorium. It gets up to thousands and thousands of degrees, which nobody would need something like that on their property unless you're trying to dispose of a body. So the picture being painted is obviously a very dark one, because as we know, Celeste's body was dismembered. She we now have him with a digital footprint of buying Chainsaws, a shovel, a body bag, all under this fake name after she was killed. And then you have the inflatable pool, which that's what a lot of people are actually really stuck on right now. Because the court documents alleged that this inflatable pool had been used during, when David was dismembering her body, so that it would hold the blood, it would catch the blood, so that there wouldn't be spillover either into the ground, into his carpet, on the flooring, wherever he was at in the bathroom, so that it would conceal and contain the evidence and the DNA. They also say that the chainsaws he ordered days earlier were also used in that process, which. What kind of psychopath freak gets an inflatable pool, uses a chainsaw to dismember a 14 year old little girl? Like that is evil. And according to Celeste's autopsy, there were in fact very small blue plastic fragments that were embedded in her remains. Which shows, you know, not to get too graphic, but if the chainsaw goes too deep and it cuts into the plastic inflatable pool and then he goes back upward and it gets into her skin. It's just there's proof of what he did. And an expert allegedly even matched those fragments right back to that inflatable pool. The pool itself was found in David's garage and it reportedly had multiple cuts in it. So really, I mean, this isn't just a theory. They're pointing to actual physical evidence to back all of this up. So now when you zoom out and you look at how the prosecutors are laying this out, it's very, very clear what they are building toward. And that timeline is exactly what they're using to support that whole lying in wait charge. Because in their view, this wasn't something that spiraled. This wasn't at an accident or, you know, this wasn't a crime of passion. This wasn't an accidental overdose. This wasn't him then panicking and trying to conceal the body. This was something that he set up, waited for and carried out. But even after that, it didn't stop there. Because while all of this stuff was happening, David was also making mysterious trips to Santa Barbara, which that's a few hours away from la. Trips that the prosecutors believe he made as a method to get rid of evidence. So far, what we know is that David took these trips to Santa Barbara three times, which the first one was about an hour and a half after Celeste was murdered, then again almost two weeks later on May 8, and then again on May 31. Now it's not said exactly what David was getting rid of during these trips. But I will say this. Celeste's passport was found by a California Department of Transportation worker on the side of the highway in Santa Barbara in January of this year. So could he have been throwing her passport out? Was he trying to bury things at first? Was he, did he then get paranoid and that's why he landed on disposing of her in the Tesla? Who really knows? And to be clear, these are all just allegations at this point. These are being laid out by the state. Nothing has been proven in a court of law, nothing's been adjudicated, none of that. But the defense, meanwhile, is sticking with their story that David is innocent, that he didn't have anything to do with Celeste's murder. But this hearing and this filing, it's the first time that we're seeing all of these pieces connected in one place. And if this case is the case that they're bringing to trial, it's going to be a major one to watch. Right? And we're going to see more like as it moves forward because I think there's a hearing coming up soon where they're going to decide if there is enough evidence to move forward to trial or something like that. But another detail which I was going to mention, but I haven't been able to vet it entirely, but I have seen some rumblings on social media about it. Is that within, I think it was, gosh, 24 or 48 hours after Celeste being murdered, David went back out on tour and he was wearing her sweatshirt on stage. And some people even said like some of the voiceovers and the songs were audio voice recordings from Celeste that she had sent him things like that, which again, I haven't been able to vet that, which is why I haven't wanted to really speak on it in a big way. But if that is true, what a fucking psychopath, honestly. So I, there's no doubt in my mind this is going to trial, he's going to be found guilty, he's going to be locked up. Not a doubt in my mind. But then again, I have been surprised Casey Anthony. So hopefully it's not that, but we will see.
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A
I have two major thoughts. The first one is for how pre meditated this appears to be or like planned out on his way to try to cover this. He did a really pissed poor job. So like what was your real plan? Are you a complete idiot?
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B
Yeah.
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A
And then secondly, for how much went into this and how much is coming back to him, allegedly, I can't believe it took this long.
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B
I think it's because they wanted a slam dunk case. And I think part of it was it took a long time to figure out cause and manner of death with Celeste. And you can't make the murder charges stick until you have that usually. But I mean, who knows? I could be wrong.
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A
Like, this evidence is so overwhelming.
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B
I know. Yeah. I think it's going to be a slam dunk case. But I mean, again, we will see. Now, I know there's a case that you have been following for weeks and that you want to talk about, and I. It happened a few weeks ago, guys. But the reason we haven't covered it until now is because there are so many details. And it's one that every case is important that we get it right, but this one especially is important that we like, vetted the details, got all the research, and so Amy's been working on it for a while to just like, you know, gather all of the information. So. But we do have it and we do want to talk with you about it.
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A
Yes. And a lot of people have been asking about it, as Annie said, and it's one where as you're reading the details, it just keeps getting worse and worse and doesn't feel real. Because what happened in Shreveport, Louisiana on April 19 wasn't just a mass shooting. It was a family annihilation. And it unfolded in just a matter of minutes. It was early in the morning, just before 6am when the first 911 call came in. A woman named Kyosha called saying that someone had been shot, that she was on the roof and the person with the gun was still inside. But at that point, no one knew just how big this was about to become. Kyosha went on to say that nine people were living in the house. And as the dispatcher kept asking questions, Kiosha said that her brother in law had come in and shot everyone. Ins and as police were arriving to that house, another call came in. Another woman named Christina had called to report that her boyfriend had shot her in the face, taken her three kids and left. And within less than two minutes of arriving on the scene of that first call and talking with Christina on that second call, police pieced together that these two crime scenes were connected and identified the shooter as 31 year old Shemar Elkins. Now, police say that all of this started at Christina's house. And we don't know exactly what set him off at that house, but he did shoot Christina. And after doing that, he didn't stay There he left, taking the kids with him, and drove to that second house, the same house where Kyosha had been on the roof. The house was quiet. Most of the children inside had been asleep. And in what investigators believe was a very short window of time, he went room to room, and eight children were shot and killed. Seven of those children were his own, and the eighth was his nephew. The victims were all incredibly young, ranging from about 3 to 11 years old. So just take a second and let that sink in, because in just a matter of a few minutes, while Kyosho was on the roof on the phone, trying to explain what was happening, this had already all taken place inside. But then he left. After everything that had happened inside that house, Shemar left again. He stole a vehicle and started driving, trying to get away from the area. But at that point, officers already knew who he was and what he had done, and they were actively looking for him. So this quickly turned into a chase. Law enforcement tracked him into a nearby area, and eventually they caught up to him, and there was a confrontation, and that's where everything ended. Shemar died at the scene. And depending on the report, it isn't entirely clear whether that was from police gunfire or if it was self inflicted. But either way, he never faced charges for what happened that morning. So now when you zoom out and look at what may have led up to this, investigators say this all appear to be rooted in a domestic situation. Shemar and Christina were in the middle of separating, and they were actually scheduled to be in court the very next day. And people close to him say that he had been struggling emotionally as that relationship was falling apart. But still, that doesn't make sense, because when you look at the timeline, this wasn't something that spiraled over the course of hours. This was fast, and it was deliberate and targeted entirely at his own family. Eight children gone in the matter of minutes. So since then, investigators started digging into how Shemar even got that gun in the first place. And that is what actually led to an arrest. A 56 year old man named Charles Ford was taken into custody just days later, facing federal charges and tied to that weapon. He's now charged with being a felon, in possession of a firearm, and for lying to federal agents. And when you start looking at that piece of it, it gets very complicated because it turns out that gun did not belong to Shemar. It didn't actually belong to Charles either. According to investigators, it had been passed to Charles by someone else, and he wasn't even legally allowed to have it in the first place, because of a prior felony conviction. And at some point in the days following the shooting, Charles told investigators that gun had been stored in his truck and that he believed Shemar took it from the truck weeks before the shooting. He even suspected that it was him at the time and reportedly even confronted him about it, but then decided to just let it go. And that right there is what investigators are now zeroing in on, because while Ford didn't carry out the shooting, prosecutors are arguing that the gun was already being possessed illegally. It wasn't properly reported missing, and when law enforcement started asking questions, he didn't initially tell the truth. So now, even though the shooter is dead, there are still charges being filed focused on how that weapon ended up in Shemar's hands. So when you step back and take a look at the full picture, it certainly does raise a bigger question, because it wasn't just one failure point in this situation. It was a chain of events. So even after everything happened that morning, the investigation is still unfolding, trying to piece together not only how this all happened, happened, but how it was even possible. Because, again, this wasn't random. This was a father. This was his children. Multiple homes and a timeline that moved incredibly fast, and a community that's now left trying to understand something that honestly just doesn't feel like it has much of an explanation at all. And unfortunately, that's something we may never know now that the shooter is dead and is no longer alive.
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B
I read. I remember when this first happened, I had read different things out there. Not that this excuses anything, that he was suffering from PTSD and that he may have served in the military or something, I imagine. Yeah. Which, again, that doesn't necessarily. I mean, look, I actually am not one to speak on that. I would imagine that doesn't mean that somebody suffers so badly they annihilate their entire family. But maybe it does. Obviously, I've never been in any situation like that, but whatever the reason, whatever the motive, whatever his thought process was, I mean, it doesn't change the fact that there are eight children, young, young children, just gone within a matter of minutes. And the only silver lining, I will say, because I try to always find some sort of silver lining, is that there aren't any kids who are going to. Right. There aren't any kids who survive. Children that will have to grow up without their siblings or their family members.
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A
There's two mothers.
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B
There's the mothers. Yes. Which I can't even imagine what they're dealing with.
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A
Well, that's where I was A little bit. Because I was thinking if it's a domestic dispute, I know that oftentimes men will go after the children because they know that's going to ultimately hurt the woman. But to. I know he shot the first woman in the face, so I don't know if his intention was to kill her as well. And then maybe Kyosha just escaped and was able to get out, you know, by the grace of God versus him. Intentionally.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Allowing them to survive.
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B
I mean, the poor women. I personally like, I mean, it's a horrible situation. If my kids were killed, I'd rather be dead. Like, I couldn't imagine going on. And that's why, like, I think through to like Tristan Bailey's mom, to Kaylee Gonzalez's mom, Maddie's mom. Like, I don't even know how you physically can go on and find the strength to do that. But again, like, I would try to at least not have the peace, but know that the kids were all together. And how do you explain that to a two year old, a three year old, that your siblings aren't coming back? I don't.
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A
The nephew, I don't know if the nephew had siblings.
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B
Right.
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A
And hopefully those two poor women can find comfort in each other. I know, but I can't imagine.
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B
And now not having any answers.
- [29:36]
A
No. And being those investigators who got both of those calls and I mean that just happened so fast and piece it all together.
- [29:43]
B
The whole, I mean, there is no silver lining. This whole thing is just awful. It is such a tragedy. And we'll see what other information comes out. If he left any sort of documentation behind, if he confided in anybody leading up to it and like, not that knowing a motive will make it any easier to understand because I don't think there is any logic here.
- [30:05]
A
But they said, I mean, just emotionally distraught over the relationship ending that court date coming, so.
- [30:12]
B
Oh my God, I have the chills. It's. That is just, it's heartbreaking. This episode is sponsored by Better Help. May is mental health awareness month. And it is such an important reminder that whatever you're carrying right now, you don't have to carry it alone. Life comes in waves. Some days feel manageable, but other days can feel overwhelming, especially when everything starts stacking up and you feel like you're just left to figure it out all on your own. But the truth is no one has all the answers. And having someone there to listen, to understand and to help guide you through all of it, it really can make all the difference. That's Why I want to share betterhelp they have over 30,000 licensed therapists and they make it incredibly easy to get matched based on your needs and your preferences. And if it's not the right fit, for whatever reason, you can switch therapists at any time. It's flexible, accessible, and designed to support you wherever you are. If you've been feeling anxious, stuck, or just not like yourself, this is a really powerful step toward feeling more like you again. You don't have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com ae that's betterhelp H-E-L-P.com ae we are living in an environment that our bodies were never designed for. Constant stress, artificial light, microplastics and toxins that can disrupt the way our body communicates internally and ultimately impact everything from our gut to our immune system. That's why I love incorporating armor colostrum into my routine. Whenever I can squeeze it in, which it's so easy, you just like scoop it. You can either pour it into a drink, into whatever, or you can like raw dog it, like me, where you just put the scoop in your mouth. But it works at the cellular level to help strengthen your body from within. And colostrum, I'm sure you've heard about it. It's actually nature's first whole food. It's packed with over 400 bioactive nutrients that support gut health, immune function, metabolism and overall vitality. And what I love about it is it's not just focused on one thing. It's helping support your entire system from better digestion, stronger immune health, improved recovery, even skin and hair benefits. I mean, it's a full body approach. So if you've been looking for something to really support your health from the inside out, this is one of those foundational products that just makes sense. And we have worked out a special offer for all of you for the audience. Receive 30% off your first subscription order. Just go to armra.com aegis or enter AE at checkout to get 30% off your first subscription Order. That's armra.comAE okay, guys, you know, I do not gatekeep. I don't believe in it. And so I have to tell you about salt and stone because this is one of those products that once you start using it, you will get compliments almost immediately. And I'm talking constantly now, chances are you've probably seen salt and stone somewhere in your journey of life. Whether at I Don't know, possibly your friend's house, a hotel. Their branding looks so good. It looks like high end luxury hotel branding. Like very minimalistic. The clean text. Something that you would actually want to have on your countertop or out in the open. And I have been using their Santal body wash for as long as I can remember. It smells so good. You know that feeling when you go to like a spa and you're getting a massage and you're like, I wish I could just smell like this forever. But you never can replicate it. You can with salt and stone. And I used to be on a journey trying to always, like, chase that smell. I even put eucalyptus leaves in my shower one time. Like hung them from the shower head. Don't ask. But anyways, my point is I have been using their Santel body wash for a long time. And they also have deodorant, which I just discovered. They have deodorant, body wash, body mist, and all of them are designed to feel elevated, like you just walked into a five star resort. It's rich in, it's clean. They have these signature scents that just make you feel put together. Santal saffron. So many good ones. They also have. What's the other one that I really like that I had tried? Bergamot, cedar. So so many good ones. And look, if you're not sure which scent to start with, their discovery sets are honestly the best way to try everything. It also is the perfect gift to give because each scent includes all four scents so that you can figure out your favorite. Or if you're gifting it, they can have options. And trust me, you will have a favorite. My favorite, like I said, is Santal. They use really high quality, nutrient rich ingredients. And their deodorant is aluminum free with 48 hour protection, which is huge. So like I said, it's just one of those brands that makes you feel not only more confident but more elevated. Very polished, very like five star resort. And you don't have to try too hard. Try Salt and Stone's discovery set. To find your signature scent, go to saltandstone.com ae and use code ae at checkout for 15% off your first order. That's saltandstone.com ae&use code ae for 15% off your first order. Okay, so now I want to catch all of you up on what's been coming out this past week. Last week in the trial of Tanner Horner, also otherwise known as the biggest douche canoe on the planet, the most evil psychopath on the planet. And just scum of the earth, sub human, loser, gutter, troll. Because this is where now things are starting to feel not only off, but even more concerning than what we already knew about this case. Not because the case itself has changed, but because new details are now coming out that are just awful. Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with this case, it's the case of Athena Strand, a beautiful young 7 year old little girl who was abducted by the FedEx driver who was dropping off a Christmas gift at her house one morning. And this trial has been going viral. I would imagine you probably have seen it somewhere on your feed. The audio, the video from the truck, what he said to her. The whole thing is just awful. And it's everybody's worst nightmare. Every parent's worst nightmare, too. And I did release last week a deep dive on the case, giving you all the background, because I first covered this when it happened back in 2022. We spoke to neighbors. We had a little bit clear of an understanding of Tanner's background and allegations that had previously been made against him by other women. So that deep dive was released last Tuesday, but not on this feed, on my 10 to life feed. So I will link it in the show notes for you that episode. But if you want to get familiar with the case, because you're not super familiar, definitely go listen to that. But you probably again have seen the trial on your feed somewhere. So that is the case that we're talking about. Usually people call, you know, say Athena Strand's name at the beginning of it, and I know I led with Tanner's name, but that is the case. So anyways, in regards to the trial, there are a few specific moments that people keep asking about, so I want to walk through them. So first, this came out during testimony that was tied to the mental health evaluation of Tanner that they had had done. During that evaluation, Tanner described what he did to Athena in a way where he compared it to, quote, making a deal with the devil. Not in a literal sense, but the forensic psychiatrist who Talked about this, Dr. Eileen Ryan, said that, quote, in his mind, he believed that by taking Athena's life, he was saving his own life and his own career. Which I know hearing that, you're probably like, what? What is this guy even talking about? And how can he even, like, mentally think that? So in court, it was framed more as how he tried to explain or justify what he did. Almost like trying to make it make sense in a way where it distances himself from it, which we saw some of this early on with his story of his, like, alter ego, Zero is who he called him. So now we're seeing it again with this, like, deal with the devil that he, you know, this deal he made with the devil detail that he's saying. Now, another thing that came out during this part of the trial is that Tanner admitted to using cocaine that day. And in his version of events, he did it while Athena was in the FedEx truck. But according to him, before he killed her, he says that Athena seeing all of that is actually what triggered everything. As though it's her fault that she was abducted, her fault that she witnessed him doing coke, that now he had no choice but to, you know, attack her and kill her. Like, get real. In his mind, though, he said that if he let her go, she could tell someone and his life would be over. So that is when his apparent fear started spiraling. Which, again, yeah, your life might be over, but so you say what? It's either her life or my life. Like, come on. Then we also found out that on top of doing cocaine while Athena was in the truck, scared, watching him asking where her mom was, he also did more in the middle of everything that he was doing to her, which I'm not going to go into details about what he was doing to her. You either know from the deep dive or from watching the trial yourself. I don't think we necessarily need to repeat it, especially because of how really graphic all of it played out. But when it came time to show all of this and play the audio, play the video during the trial, the cross examination was very, very difficult. And it certainly did not look good for the defense because, I mean, the audio of this creep and what he was doing and the things he was saying, it was just awful. And with that brings us to the other thing that we need to talk about, which I know a lot of people have been asking about and mentioning, and it's the DNA. Very early on, it was said that there was no physical proof that Athena had been sexually assaulte and that there was no. I don't want to say the exact phrase like something about physical trauma or. Or indications, something like that. But now this piece of information is something that people are really locked in on right now because during cross examination this past week, while Dr. Eileen Ryan was on the stand, the prosecution brought up that there had been, in fact, male DNA found inside Athena. And the way that the prosecution presented this, it really jolted Dr. Ryan and stopped her in her tracks. Which. Listen to this and watch this. If you're watching the Video version. I mean, did you read the DNA
- [40:41]
A
reports in this case?
- [40:43]
B
I know there was DNA. Right. And you know where it was found? In Athena, right? Not in Athena.
- [40:51]
A
I'm not aware that it was. There was any DNA found in Athena.
- [40:58]
B
You didn't read that they found DNA both in her vaginas? No, I did not. So in that moment, at least to me, and I'm sure a lot of you watching and listening, it became very clear that this wasn't even something that she knew about, let alone something that she factored into her evaluation of Tanner. She's now learning it and hearing about it. And the prosecution used that to suggest that her evaluation may not be complete. It's probably incomplete. She didn't have the whole story. She didn't have all the details. So her evaluation may have relied too much on what Tanner told her instead of the actual full, accurate picture, which, again, I want to be very careful with what I say is confirmed, verse not confirmed, because again, there was no physical indication that they had said early on, which that very well could have been to preserve Athena's memory. And we obviously don't need to know all the graphic things that were done. We do know that he already had instructed her to take off her shirt and said that she was beautiful and that this was sexually motivated. Now, hearing that there was DNA found, it feels as though it was sexually motivated. Not to say though. And again, not trying to get too graphic here with the what ifs, but it could be something that he did post mortem, and DNA still ended up on her or inside of her, which. So I just don't want to say outright because I don't have enough knowledge or information to say outright that she was sexually assaulted. And I would hate to. To put that out there if that's not true. So I just want to talk about the DNA comment that they found it in her and like, what that could potentially mean. So, anyway, the trial finally came to a close this week, and let me tell you, closing arguments were incredibly tense. The state made their closing argument very easily, even with a short recess halfway through, because a juror needed a break because it was so challenging. But when it came to the defense, that was a different story, because right at the start of their closing arguments, the defense attorney that spoke first took the poster down that is in the courtroom of Athena. It had been in the courtroom all four weeks of this trial, and now they took it down, which that obviously did not go over well with people who were watching, or the jury reports say that there were even a couple of jurors who wouldn't even look at the attorneys as they spoke after doing that, which I think that that says a lot during all of this too. Tanner's attorney tried to argue that Tanner did not receive a fair trial and that the judge should remove the death penalty from the table because of all the media attention, the death threats that Tanner's received, and that this just has not been fair because of how polarizing this case has been. Which here's what I have to say. There is no other option but death, in my opinion personally, and I know a lot of people are indifferent to the death penalty and that's absolutely fine. Everybody has their own individual, you know, opinion on it. That's my opinion. There is no other option but death for me. And so the closing arguments were done and then it was given to the jury to decide what happens. And you know what, it looks like the jury agreed with me because Tanner was sentenced to death. It took the jury literally less than like a couple of hours after they had requested for the footage from inside the truck, some of the body cam footage, the interview footage, they came back. He will be sentenced to death by lethal injection. And I for one, couldn't be happier. This is just the worst case that I have heard about in a very long time. And I have tried to steer clear of a lot of cases involving children. They just are continuously getting more and more difficult for me to cover because of my own kids. And like, you know, it's just, it's tough for me. This is one that I think is going to stick with a lot of people for a very long time. The innocence of this little girl just playing outside her Barbies, being dropped off for Christmas. This guy, and like what he said to her, what was on recorded, it's just, he is such a monster.
- [44:50]
A
Well, I think it just hits very close to home because in a world where we Amazon ship everything for convenience, it's like you think twice now of, you know, you see your kids and they're out in the front yard or they're waiting and it just, I think it's made everybody a little bit more alert.
- [45:08]
B
I agree, I agree. It's incredibly sad.
- [45:11]
A
Okay, so this next case is coming out of Alice Springs in central Australia and it's one of those that escalated very quickly in the absolute worst possible way. It all started late on April 25th and a five year old little girl who is now being referred to as Kumanji little baby at her family's request. You may have also Heard of her referred to as Sharon, was home with her family in a town camp known as Old Timers Camp. She'd been put to bed around 11:30pm that night and everything seemed normal. Which if you don't know what a town camp is, it's like a very small, tight knit neighborhood at the edge of town. And it's common for big extended families to live in a town camp together. It's almost like a family compound. So this little girl went to bed around 11:30, then just a couple hours later, around 1:30 in the morning, her family went to check on her and she was gone. And almost immediately this raised alarm bells because this is a place that a child could wander off and not easily be located since it's near the Todd River. And it was noticed by investigators that the doors and fly screen were left open when they came to the house. But police quickly started treating this as suspicious and very possibly even an abduction. And the reason for that was because there was already someone on their radar. A 47 year old man named Jefferson Lewis had been staying at the home and was believed to be one of the last people there when she disappeared. And he wasn't a family member, he was just someone visiting and staying with the family. And at one point witnesses reported seeing him holding her hand and leading her away that night. So now you have this missing 5 year old girl in the middle of the night with a potential suspect already identified. And the search, it was massive. You could imagine hundreds of people, police, volunteers, trackers, search teams were all out there combing through the desert, the bush, everywhere, drones, helicopters, dogs, all of it. The entire community went looking for her, holding on to hope that she would be found alive. But as the days went on, that hope started to fade. Police eventually started talking about a time frame of survivability becoming concern around the third day of the search, which when you hear that, you already have an idea of where this might be heading. And then on April 30, about five days after she went missing, everything changed. Her body was found, it was discovered roughly 5km from her home in a remote area outside of the camp. And just like that, this became a homicide investigation. And after her body was found, things moved quickly. Police located Jefferson later that day and took him into custody. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of injuries because locals in the town camp beat him before police found him, understandably, and then formally arrested and charged him with murder, along with two counts of sexual assault. And something else that's really important here is that Jefferson had just been released from prison only six days before this happened. He reportedly served an 18 month sentence after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, plus another three months for resisting police. And this wasn't the first time that he had been to prison because over the past 10 years he had spent over five years of that in and out of prison for separate serious violence related offenses. And that has become a huge point of conversation, not just about this case, but about broader system failures, safety concerns and how something like this could even happen. And all the aftermath of this has been insane. After his arrest, tensions in the community boiled over. As you could imagine, crowds gathered outside of the hospital where he was taken. Police were called in and there were even reports of riots and arrests as people demanded justice, which you can see here in this video.
- [49:17]
B
These were the scenes outside Alice Springs Hospital. Inside is Jefferson Lewis, the man arrested over the alleged murder of the five year old girl who her family wished to remember as Kuminjayi little baby. Protesters demanding police hand the accused over to be dealt with by the community. Locals say Lewis was beaten before police arrested him in Charles Creek, bringing to an end one of the Northern Territory's biggest manhunts. And I say to Jefferson Lewis, we're
- [49:52]
A
coming for you because this case, it hit hard. A five year old little girl taken from her bed in the middle of the night, a massive search effort and then just days later the absolute worst possible outcome. And right now this case is still unfolding and like many of these cases, there are still a lot of unanswered questions, even though he has formally been charged because we don't know what happened in those hours after she was taken and we still don't exactly know the why.
- [50:22]
B
I'll tell you the why. Because he's a predator.
- [50:26]
A
Well, yes, and then I was curious, so why? He obviously was trusted by the family. Why are they allowing him to live in or stay in their home? And then in this close township, I
- [50:36]
B
wonder if they know his background and know all of that. I mean I would imagine they, or maybe he had been released six days earlier. Maybe he's like I have nowhere to go or something, who knows? But here's my problem with all this, especially here in California too, they are releasing child predators. Once they hit, I think it's 60 years old or like 63 years old or whatever. It's like they consider that they, because their age, they're no longer a risk to society. I know this guy's 47 years old, but here's the problem and we've Talked about this with defense attorneys, psychologists, you name it. It's not about mobility or the sex act itself. It's something that is programmed in their mind. You don't age out of being a pedo. You don't age out of being a predator. So the fact that they're now saying and arguing, and this again is a broader issue, but also specifically to California, the fact that they're saying, oh it's overcrowded, we need to release people. So we're going to release these elder. Like which they're not even elderly. Hello, I know 60 year olds who are in better shape than I am. You know, truthfully, honestly. So it's like. But they, they're going to age out of it. They're not a risk. This is a perfect example that this was a re offender. This is somebody who went in and out of the system and it is something that is programmed in their mind that you. Even castration doesn't help because again it's not about the physical act and it's not about the release. It's about the power. It's about the control, it's about the desire and that does not change. So like this infuriates me for that. I hate California for that. Like, like it's just such a bigger problem.
- [52:10]
A
Well, and if you are going to make the decision to take a risk of housing somebody that has an extremely violent past, take that on for yourself. But you do not put your own child. And I mean I don't want to shame the parents because I guess I don't know the exact scenario however, and for them I'm sure obviously this is devastating. They've lost a daughter, but also a very trusted person to them has done this.
- [52:38]
B
So how, how trusted was he? Like, and again we don't know and I know we're gonna learn more but like how well did they know him? He had just been released six days earlier. Did they have history with him in the past?
- [52:48]
A
I mean it sounds like the township was a close knit group already. And then to be allowing. So maybe it's kind of like an understanding in the community that when people like fall on hard times, like you
- [52:59]
B
help them out or like I have a bed until you figure it out, I don't know. But it, this infuriates me and again it. How people are letting child predators back on the street, it will, I will never understand it.
- [53:15]
A
Absolutely.
- [53:15]
B
I will never understand it and I will never be okay with it. Speaking of, of weird cases and this kind of, you know, adjacent have you seen the new Netflix docu series Should I Marry a Murderer?
- [53:29]
A
No, I need you to watch it. Okay.
- [53:31]
B
I have so many thoughts and if you guys have watched this at home, let me know in the comment section. I have a lot of thoughts and I think I have a couple hot takes as well. I need you to.
- [53:42]
A
It's a series.
- [53:42]
B
It's your homework.
- [53:43]
A
Okay.
- [53:44]
B
It's three episodes, easy watch. It's in Scotland. I'm gonna be curious if you have the same opinion I have.
- [53:51]
A
Okay.
- [53:52]
B
But we. We will recap next week on headline highlights. And this is homework for all of you at home listening or watching. I want you to watch it as well. And then we can get the whole class together next Thursday. And I will be the teacher and I will be conducting. I will share my thesis on this docu series and my thoughts and my hot takes.
- [54:12]
A
We love an Annie Elise hot take.
- [54:14]
B
Some people don't because sometimes it's a little too hot. It's a little sizzling.
- [54:17]
A
It's a little hot in here.
- [54:18]
B
It's a little. It's getting hot in here. So don't take off all your clothes. We love somebody who can sense it's
- [54:24]
A
not that kind of show.
- [54:25]
B
It is not that kind of show. Okay, that's it. For headline highlights, make sure to check if you are the winner of the Crimecon giveaway. It's in the show Notes also announced on Patreon this week. Put out. We put out. I can't talk. This week. I also released two episodes. You can go binge in the feed if you need more content now that the week's over and your favorite podcasters aren't putting content out.
- [54:47]
A
I have.
- [54:48]
B
So you can go listen. There's one on this feed from Monday. It's a full deep dive into a cold case, actually, that has some really shady CCTV footage. Then on the 10 to life feed, a case about a 17 year old and something happened to her while she was sleeping next to her baby. It's very eerie, a wild one and spoiler alert, there will be a bonus episode tomorrow on this feed and on YouTube. So if you are not subscribed on YouTube, press the subscribe button so that you don't miss the bonus episode. It's outside of the normal release schedule. And if you're listening to this, make sure you find the little follow button on Apple or Spotify or whatever you're listening on. And follow because I've got a new episode coming at you first thing tomorrow morning. A deep dive into a case that we have been talking about.
- [55:36]
A
So you made me think of something when you said listening. When your other podcasters don't have anything on Would you ever do a weekend episode?
- [55:45]
B
I probably would. It would just depend.
- [55:47]
A
That's when I need new content. Content.
- [55:49]
B
I know. I fight with my agent all the time. If you're listening, you know who you are. Because I tell I will text and be like, I'm ready for a daily show. I'm ready to do a daily. And he's like, annie, you need to, like, chill. I know you want to do a lot, but, like, I need a big
- [56:02]
A
Saturday, Sunday, new show.
- [56:04]
B
I know. We already have Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, every other Friday. And now a bonus episode Friday, which I think we're putting out. In total, between this and Patreon, 16 episodes a month.
- [56:13]
A
Month. Can you get to work?
- [56:15]
B
I need to get my Together you
- [56:17]
A
wash the grass stains off your shirt
- [56:18]
B
and get to work. Just rolling around in the grass, apparently. All right, guys. So yeah, Daily Show. Leave it in the comments. Let my agency a daily. Daily. He's gonna kill me. All right, guys, have a great rest of your Thursday. An amazing weekend. I will be back in your ear tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow. I love you tomorrow. It's only a day
- [56:46]
A
of
- [56:48]
B
waa. I need a Daddy Warbucks in my life. All right, bye, guys.
- [57:04]
A
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