#538 - Dead With No Head - Kingman, Kansas

Summary

Podcast Summary: Small Town Murder, Episode #538 - "Dead With No Head - Kingman, Kansas"

In episode #538 of Small Town Murder, hosts James Petrigallo and Jimmy Wiseman delve into the mysterious and tragic case of Brett Seacat and Vashti Seacat in Kingman, Kansas. Through meticulous research and their characteristic comedic perspective, they unravel the events leading up to Vashti's untimely death, the ensuing investigation, and the subsequent trial that culminated in Brett Seacat's conviction.

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with James and Jimmy engaging in their usual banter, setting the stage for a deep dive into a dark and perplexing murder case. They briefly introduce Kingman, Kansas—a seemingly quiet small town—and hint at the complexity of the murder that shook its foundations.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (00:01): “Listening on Audible helps your imagination soar. … I've been listening to Secrets in the Cellar.”

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2. Setting the Scene: Kingman, Kansas

Kingman, established in 1874 and named after Samuel A. Kingman of the Kansas Supreme Court, is portrayed as a town with a rich history yet struggling with modern challenges. The hosts humorously critique a fictional town review, highlighting issues like teenage substance abuse and a lack of recreational activities, which set the backdrop for the Seacat family drama.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (05:46): “…find a rope to get me out of here.”
• Jimmy Wisman (08:16): “It’s a great place to raise bored children.”

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3. The Seacat Marriage: A Troubled Union

Brett Seacat, a law enforcement trainer born in 1976, and his wife Vashti Forest, who worked at Cox Communications, entered into a serious relationship around 2002. Their marriage, though appearing stable from the outside, was marred by control and manipulation from Brett. As their relationship progressed, signs of distress emerged, leading them to seek therapy in November 2010.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (16:34): “Do you really think he could kill me, burn the house down and make it look like a suicide?”

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4. The Tragic Event: Vashti's Death

On April 30, 2011, the Seacat household was engulfed in flames, and Vashti Seacat was found dead with her head severed and a gunshot wound. Brett claimed that Vashti had committed suicide, but several inconsistencies at the scene raised suspicions:

• Absence of Soot and Smoke: Vashti had significant urine in her bladder, indicating she was awake and needing to use the restroom, which contradicts Brett's claim that she shot herself while asleep.

• Gun Placement: The revolver was found under Vashti's body with the barrel pointed downward, an odd position if she had shot herself lying down.

• Bullet Trajectory: The bullet's path was inconsistent with a typical self-inflicted gunshot wound, suggesting foul play.

Notable Quotes:

• James Petrigallo (29:48): “…she's dead. She shot herself. Her fucking head is gone.”
• Jimmy Wisman (35:35): “Choking a little.”

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5. Investigation Unfolds

The authorities found printed materials in the dining room detailing how to stage a murder to look like a suicide, directly contradicting Brett's assertions. Testimonies from Vashti's coworkers revealed Brett's threats to kill her and endanger their children if she pursued a divorce. Handwriting analyses and the discovery of a suspicious suicide note further entangled the case.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (39:24): “So Brett talks to a coworker here and he says, yeah, I thought everything was fine.”

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6. The Trial: Unraveling the Truth

During the trial, Brett Seacat's demeanor and statements raised numerous red flags. His attempt to portray Vashti's death as a suicide was undermined by the incriminating evidence and his own suspicious behavior:

• Handwriting Analysis: Experts found discrepancies between Vashti's known handwriting and the supposed suicide note, suggesting forgery.

• Brett’s Testimony: Brett professed his innocence but failed to provide a coherent narrative, often contradicting himself and showing a lack of remorse.

• Witness Testimonies: Friends, family, and coworkers painted Brett as controlling, manipulative, and capable of extreme actions to maintain control.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (58:38): “… you merde doesn't need logic. Brett C. Cat plays by the seat of his pants here.”

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7. Verdict and Sentencing

After six hours of deliberation, the jury found Brett Seacat guilty on multiple charges, including murder, arson, and child endangerment. During sentencing, Brett failed to show genuine remorse, further cementing his culpability in the eyes of the court.

Notable Quotes:

• Jimmy Wisman (66:16): “Pretty easy. Yeah.”
• James Petrigallo (66:57): “…you have to go before the parole board and beg. And you better fucking have some remorse by then.”

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8. Appeals and Aftermath

Brett Seacat appealed his conviction, attempting to introduce evidence of Vashti's alleged suicidal tendencies. However, the appeals court upheld the original verdict, citing the evidence's irrelevance and the strengthened case against Brett. Brett remains incarcerated, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Notable Quote:

• James Petrigallo (73:03): “…you’re still not getting out, you punk motherfucker.”

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9. Hosts' Reflections and Conclusion

Throughout the episode, James and Jimmy interject their comedic insights, often highlighting the absurdities and chilling aspects of the case. They emphasize the importance of uncovering the truth behind seemingly perfect small-town lives and the dark secrets that can reside beneath the surface.

Notable Quotes:

• James Petrigallo (75:46): “You don't know what you're talking about. So there you go.”
• Jimmy Wisman (75:45): “What are you talking about, man?”

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Key Takeaways

• Hidden Agendas: The case underscores how outward appearances can mask deep-seated issues and dangerous behaviors.

• Importance of Forensic Evidence: Discrepancies in the crime scene and forensic analyses played a pivotal role in unraveling the truth.

• Psychological Manipulation: Brett Seacat's manipulative tactics highlight the complexities of controlling and abusive relationships.

Final Thoughts

Small Town Murder successfully blends thorough investigative storytelling with humor, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of the Brett and Vashti Seacat case. The episode serves as a reminder that even the most serene communities can harbor unsettling secrets, and it's crucial to look beyond the surface to seek the truth.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• James Petrigallo (35:35): “Choking a little.”
• Jimmy Wisman (08:16): “It’s a great place to raise bored children.”
• James Petrigallo (74:33): “…you may fuck off. Life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years...”

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Conclusion

Episode #538 of Small Town Murder presents a gripping narrative of deception, control, and tragedy in Kingman, Kansas. James and Jimmy's engaging storytelling, coupled with their humorous interjections, provides a captivating exploration of a case that shocked a small community. For those intrigued by true crime stories that uncover the sinister underbelly of seemingly idyllic settings, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

[James Petrigallo]

Hey, everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show to tell you about one of my favorite things in the world. Audible.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, audible.com or the app.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, I give that app a workout. Let me tell you something. Listening on Audible helps your imagination soar. You can listen to anything. There's so many genres on there. There's more to imagine when you listen. And let me tell you something that makes my imagination soar in a terrible way. I've been listening to Secrets in the Cellar.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, boy.

[James Petrigallo]

Which is by John Glatt, and it's about Joseph Fritzl and locking his daughter in the basement for decades. And you want to talk about imagination of who's the devil in a human skin? That's the guy. So check that out. Or a whole bunch of them. As an Audible member, you can choose one title a month to keep from the entire catalog, including the latest bestsellers and new releases. Audible's the best. Let's be honest here. New members can try audible free for 30 days. Visit audible.com smalltownmurder or text small town murder to 500. 500. That's audible.com small townmurder or text small town murder To 500. 500.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Now back to the show.

[James Petrigallo]

Hey, everybody. Just going to take a quick break from the show to tell you a little bit more about Shutterfly. Reconnecting with the people in your life is so important, and sending a holiday card is a meaningful way to do that. But it could be hard to know where to start. Who knows? Shutterfly makes it easy to share custom cards that are perfectly you. I already know what I'm doing here. Yeah, yeah. Why not? We'll put the puppies on the cards this year. That's what we're doing with Shutterfly. Sen. Everybody likes pictures of the dogs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sure do.

[James Petrigallo]

Find the perfect holiday card for [e-mail] and start customizing today. Enjoy. 40% off your Shutterfly order with the promo code Small Town. And send something meaningful this year. Get free shipping on qualified orders. See site for details.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And now back to the show.

[James Petrigallo]

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[Jimmy Wisman]

15. 15.

[James Petrigallo]

15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold. Give it a [e-mail] Switch. $45 upfront payment, equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees, extra Speed slower above 40G detail. Hello and welcome back to small town Murder Express.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yay. And choo choo.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, yay indeed, Jimmy. Yay indeed. My name is James Petrigallo. I'm here with my co host.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I'm Jimmy Wisman.

[James Petrigallo]

Thank you folks so much for joining us. All aboard the murder train pulling away from the station. We have a wild episode tonight and again, it's going to be a lot of murder stuffed into a small amount of space. So it's good stuff. We'll get to it very quickly. First of all, head over to shut up and give me murder.com tickets for live shows. Number one, tickets to the virtual live show though.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There we go.

[James Petrigallo]

That is what you need to do. October 30th, virtual live show, Halloween theme. Crazy spooky story just like a regular live show, except you're in your living room. Everything, the screen, the jokes, the story, it's all just like a regular live show. And we're wearing costumes too.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There you go.

[James Petrigallo]

It's gonna be great. And that's available for two weeks after we do it too. So you can buy it later, you can buy it ahead of time, you can watch it 30 times, you can do whatever you want with it for two weeks. Enjoy it. Shut up and give me murder.com also patreon.com/crime in sports is where you get all of your bonus material. Everything, anybody, $5 a month or above, which is a damn value. It's a cup of coffee. You get hundreds of back episodes you've never heard before. A bonus stuff, and then new ones every other week too. One crime in sports, one small town murder, and you get it all, every bit of it. This week for crime and sports, we're going to talk about that Vince McMahon documentary. Not the wrestling part, the other parts. The parts what the fuck I am perplexed about from the moment he said it to now and then. For small town murder, we are going to finish up Ted Bundy's psychological assessment of 1976 to find out if Ted Bundy's a violent person. It's hilarious.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's possible. Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Him doing those pictures and trying to analyze those pictures is hilarious to me. So we'll get into all that. Patreon.com CrimeInSports is where you get that. That said, I think it's time, everybody. No time to waste here. Let's all sit back, clear the lungs here and let's all shout. Shut up and give me murder. Let's do this, everybody.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

Let's go on a trip, shall we?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Let's go.

[James Petrigallo]

We're going to Kansas.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Still, still excited? Yes. We're going to Kansas, everyone. We're going to south central Kansas.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

The hardest part of Kansas.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right?

[James Petrigallo]

In South Central it is Watts, Kansas. Watts, Kansas. Compton, Kansas. We're going to. It is 50 minutes to Wichita, so almost an hour. A lot of the people that live here commute to Wichita. That's the jobs here. Three hours to Edgerton, Kansas, which was our last Kansas episode. Episode 489, Psycho Stepmom. One of my favorite of all time titles there. And this is in Kingman County. It's Kingman and Kingman. And it is area code 620. A little bit of history here quickly.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Did we say that's the name of the town? What's the name of the town?

[James Petrigallo]

Kingman. Kingman, Kansas. I didn't say it's in Kingman, Kansas. Yeah, that's where we are here. Kingman. Kingman was laid out in 1874. That's when they did. It was named just like the county for Samuel A. Kingman, who is a Chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court and of course a hero to all young boys. I mean I had, when I was a kid I had like, you know, your action figures, like your Michael Jordan poster. And you got your all that. You're like your he man figures when you're little. And then you also of course, of course have the life size Chief justice of these Kansas Supreme Court, Samuel A. Kingman coin bank that you keep in the corner.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Kung fu grip on the gavel.

[James Petrigallo]

It's important. It's important. That's the good model. Cheap parents. They didn't get the kung fu grip. You save five bucks. But I mean really, you gotta have the gavel grip in there. Gavel grip. Kingman is known apparently far and wide. They say on their website as the town with plenty of soft spring water.

[Jimmy Wisman]

How about that? I just heard of it.

[James Petrigallo]

That's it. It's been quoted. I guess they've talked about it since 1940 about how great their water is. In 1904 there was a vote of 276 to 37 to approve a proposition that gave 35,000 in bonds to build waterworks. So this guy named John Hoover dug. He just started digging. Yeah, he got a shovel and just started fucking digging till he hit water pretty much. It was like, here's where it goes. And he dug the wells near the. Where the light plant is now where the, you know, electricity thing is. And found good water at 35ft. And apparently nice work. 35. He imagine digging 35ft into the earth.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, but 35ft is mad shallow.

[James Petrigallo]

It is good water, but at 20ft I'm like, there's no water here. I think.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Hey, keep going. This is. You're over halfway, I swear.

[James Petrigallo]

Nope, this is 20ft's enough. I can't. I can't even get out of this fucking hole. You got to get a rope to get me out of here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I think he dug 35ft.

[James Petrigallo]

35Ft. Reviews of this town. Here we go. Four stars. There's no five star reviews to this town, by the way. Four stars. Kingman is a small town with potential growth. Is it really? It's a great place to raise a family. Down fall is. There's not much available to entertain kids, so it's not a great place to raise a family. That. Wouldn't that be part of a place to raise a family?

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's a great place to raise bored children.

[James Petrigallo]

Yes. Raise children who stare at iPads. That's what this is. Three stars. My hometown is not perfect. No places. And they. I have to give credit to this reviewer because we always make fun of terrible over the top bad grammar. This person correctly used a semicolon. I'm impressed. Good for you. We still have some problems like teen alcohol use and small scale drug use. That is marijuana. Oh no. The kids are on. The kids are on the pot. Is that what you're telling me? Oh, no.

[Jimmy Wisman]

But a weed, a little bit of alcohol, underage and this is. That's the downfall.

[James Petrigallo]

Wait, wait. Not teenagers. No. Let me get this straight. Teenagers are drinking alcohol and smoking weed. No, I don't buy it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I can't imagine.

[James Petrigallo]

I don't buy it for a moment. The town has little in means of entertainment, which leads to the issues previously mentioned. Yeah, they're bored. What are you going to do? It's a great place to start a family, raise small children and retire. So those are different things, though. What about the time after your kids aren't small, but before you retire? You know that 40 years. What do you do then?

[Jimmy Wisman]

What about that really hard part?

[James Petrigallo]

You know, that whole part of your life where you like live your entire life and stuff? That part. What happens there? People are kind and helpful. Our school has community service days every year. Like all small towns, the older generations have a hard time letting go of older ideals and learning not to judge. Yeah, them kids with their marijuana. I don't like It A large percentage of people my age want to travel and experience more than simple small town life. Myself included. Despite all of this, I would come back and maybe raise my own children here. Make them just as bored as I am. That'd be great. This place made me who I am. It's my home.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It sure is.

[James Petrigallo]

It made you who you are. Someone who uses semicolons correctly. So this is probably a good school district. I'm going to say three stars here. Crime is not too high but disturbing that most of the crimes committed are done by teens.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Is that disturbing?

[James Petrigallo]

Is that disturbing? Get a bowling alley. What the fuck is wrong with you people? They're bored. Get them something.

[Jimmy Wisman]

But how many teenagers have any forethought into what this behavior is going to do for the. They all fuck up in their teens. That's the point of your teens.

[James Petrigallo]

That's what you're there for. You're all hopped up on hormones. You have no idea what you're doing. It's a mess. You could see inside a 15 year old's brain. It is like. It's like a spirograph picture. It's just a. Wow. That's a lot of swirls and lines you got going there kid. Sure things to do here. The Kingman County Fair. Okay, now they have a button contest. Oh, what kind of make a button for the fair.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Make a pin.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. And the winner of the 2024 button contest is. Owen Archer. Congratulations to Owen. Hey, good for you Owen. Buttons are available for purchase at Kingman in Fisher Lumber. Whites. Just whites. That's the name.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's the company.

[James Petrigallo]

Whites. Any white person at all around will sell it to you. Citizens bank of Kansas and another some other bank here. Also at Cozy's Pizza and some other shit place. Buttons are $5 each. The button will allow you to participate in the medallion hunt Barnyard Olympics. And you can enjoy the Cattleman's dinner and receive a reduced rate to the admission in admission to the bull blowout. Sounds like you're going to get fucked by a bull till your asshole falls out.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Pretty sweet deal. All you got to do is buy a button.

[James Petrigallo]

Buy a button? Yeah. And they have a 4H fashion review judging as part of this. I don't know what the hell fashion for cows or horses.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Who knows. Maybe it's your who's got the best wranglers?

[James Petrigallo]

Maybe there's a horse show, a dog show. A what is. Oh, livestock exhibitors meeting. That sounds exciting. There's also a 4H. Oh a rabbit and poultry check in. You Gotta have that treasure hunt begins. That's nice. Gotta have that happens at noon. There's a sheep and goat weigh in. Everybody wants to be there for that. Bring your foam fingers and everything. A swine weigh in as well. And at seven o'clock, which I'm. This sounds pretty good. I kind of want to watch this. The Barnyard Olympics. I don't know what that is, but I so want to watch a cow try to fucking do the uneven parallel bars. I want that so bad. There's nothing more I've wanted.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, I want to see that chicken relay.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, show me a big pig's floor routine. I want to see what it does. Well, just shits and walks around. There's also a pet show. For some reason. Just bring your pets in. Such, I guess, that aren't like working animals or food or future food. There's also an open class woodworking contest. Oh, so there's that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You can whittle anything.

[James Petrigallo]

I guess so. Yeah. Whittle what you want. And then there's also this. I had to get to the peewee bucket calf show. Peewee bucket calf show. I don't know what a peewee bucket calf is. I assume it's small.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Small cows.

[James Petrigallo]

Small cows. That said, I think it's time to get to some murder here. Yeah, let's talk about some murder. Let's go to 2011. Okay.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

Not too far back. Everything is pretty much exactly the same. You're looking at an iPhone, checking your Instagram. Exactly the same. So, yeah, let's talk about a guy named Brett with two T's.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yep.

[James Petrigallo]

Double T. Brett. Brett Seacat is his last name. And stop. S E, A C, A T. Cat.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So cool.

[James Petrigallo]

That is a cool fucking name. He's. He sounds like a recreational vehicle. What is that, one of them new sea cats? Fuck yeah, baby. 200 horsepower. You fly over the water on these bitches, babe. It's a sea cat. Yeah, it's nimble fuckers.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Got dual 525.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, baby. Get me one of them rocks. One of them new SeaCats, the Brett model. So Brett SeaCat is born in 1976. And one thing you'll notice if you follow us on social media and see the pictures of this stuff, he's a handsome son of a bitch, this Brett C. Cat.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's handsome and he's got a cool man. God damn it.

[James Petrigallo]

Brett C. Cat. That sounds made up. It's like when Bart Simpson said, I'm changing my name to Joe Kick Ass. I'm changing my name to Brett C Cat. Fuck yeah. That is so cool. He's a law enforcement trainer. He trains cops. That's what he does.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Shows other people how to be cool.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Here's how you get a wrist behind someone's back. Easy. So he works for the Kansas Law Enforcement Training center, teaching.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's a Kansas law dog.

[James Petrigallo]

Kansas law dog. Ain't no law around here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Seacat's a law dog.

[James Petrigallo]

Seacat's a Kansas law dog. And he teaches police recruits from around the state. So he teaches academy guys. He had previously worked for the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department, and now he's working for Kansas as a whole. Here he starts dating a girl that he's known since high school, but well after high school. And I don't think they went to high school together.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

Okay. Her name is Vashti Forest.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Fuck yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Okay. V, A. V A S. Make that sound. Everybody, it's fine. V A S H, V A H, T I. That's exactly what it is. Vashti Forest is her name. And so he starts dating her, I believe around 2002, is what it seems like here. Starts dating her when they're both, you know, 25 or so. She works at Cox Communications in Wichita. You son of a bitch. We're having Cox Communications problems.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I'm so.

[James Petrigallo]

That's a. Yeah. When I said that, Jimmy's eyes. Like fire lit with fire.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Come over, Vashti.

[James Petrigallo]

I need help. Where are you, Vashti? Do you know anything about tech support?

[Jimmy Wisman]

She unfortunately, is my modem, fried or not.

[James Petrigallo]

Vashti, she unfortunately, is a human resources business partner, so isn't going to be able to fix.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She just decides whether or not somebody gets fired for saying different words.

[James Petrigallo]

How exactly did you tell her that she looked nice in that dress today? What was the. You weren't holding your dick while you were doing it, were you? So in 2004, they start to. Their. Their relationship becomes very serious. So serious that they head on down to Belize to get married.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's been a very popular place in the last 20 years.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, because it's South America, sort of, but it's closer than that. So it's like you can. Because it's right at the top there.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And real estate has gotten. Well, it was affordable there. So, like, all these blue collar guys bought, like, invested in a home there and they're going to sell their place in America and move on down to Belize. Even. Even though they've all seen the monster inside things where something swims up their pee hole and then Somebody's got their dick chopped off in Belize.

[James Petrigallo]

Not only pee hole invaders, we're talking about fucking the storms they get. There are other world.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Unbelievable.

[James Petrigallo]

There was a 90 day fiance. There was a lady who was seeing a guy from Belize and she went down there and like she was stuck on some other island because the storm had knocked all the power out. No one could get ahold of anybody. And she was like, oh my God, I hope he's not dead. Cause a lot of houses collapsed from the wind. And I was like, this is crazy.

[Jimmy Wisman]

This place sounds nuts.

[James Petrigallo]

They don't even have sturdy houses. This is insane. Like, fuck is happening.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Things swim up their pee hole and.

[James Petrigallo]

Then you got your pee hole being swam up by horrible things. So they get married in Belize. I'm sure the pictures were lovely. Absolutely lovely.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Gorgeous.

[James Petrigallo]

They end up having two sons as well, and they should still be minors. So I'm gonna go ahead and leave their names out of this because there's no need. Two sons. Who gives a shit? Anyway, so they. As the relationship progresses, a young marriage with two small kids, they have some issues, some signs of trouble start to pop up. But in November 2010, they began seeing a therapist together.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Good move.

[James Petrigallo]

A couple's therapists that sees both of them together and then each of them individually as well.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, that's nice.

[James Petrigallo]

So they're working on it. That's. That's good. Good for them. Here they see Connie Sunderman, who's a clinical social worker for marital counseling. And she met with them together and she met with Vashti individually. And then a little less, she met with Brett individually as well. When they first started this here, Vashti was expressing feelings of loneliness and isolation. And the therapist described this counseling as a last ditch effort for Vashti prior to her filing for divorce. Like, she's ready to file for divorce. And she says, I'll try this before we cash our chips in here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So I say, I've done everything I can do.

[James Petrigallo]

Yep. They said, the therapist said, to see whether or not things could change within the marriage. So according to this therapist, Vashti's mood was sad and symptomatic of depression when they began counseling in November. And that's not like her. It's not like she has. Some people are just depressive naturally from time to time or whatever. That's not her type of deal. This is, she's depressed because she's sad about something. You know what I mean? So these symptoms, according to the therapist, improved dramatically. And By April of 2011, Vashti was saying that she felt better than she had in years. Oh, she feels better. So this therapist helped her, I guess, build herself back up.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

She said Vashti's outlook became hopeful. She was making healthy life changes, such as exercising, eating better, and planning to move closer to her sister and to her place of employment, which is Wichita.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right.

[James Petrigallo]

Vashti would speak about her sons all the time, about how much she loved them and how much she loved being a mother. And the only thing she has a problem with is her marriage is suffering. Everything else is fine. She also. Vashti expressed fear to her therapist about having possibly been sexually abused as a child. Even though she doesn't remember that ever happening.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That is. That's tough stuff.

[James Petrigallo]

Which is tough because at some point, I don't know. I'm not a. I'm not a therapist or a psychiatrist or psychologist, so I don't know how to handle that. But, yeah, it's almost like you want to go, well, if you can't remember it, then fuck, it didn't happen. But at the same time, if it's fucking you up subconsciously and your brain's just blocked it out, then you might have to work through it. So I don't know how that works. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And I got a friend who's going with going through it because he found it in therapy. He didn't know that it was all there, and then now he's got it, and now he's trying to deal with it after finding it. Can you imagine?

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, I didn't want that. I came here to try to feel a little better in your fucking bringing back diddle memories. Jesus Christ.

[Jimmy Wisman]

God damn it.

[James Petrigallo]

This isn't fun. I don't know if that's a good therapist or not.

[Jimmy Wisman]

No.

[James Petrigallo]

So they questioned whether untreated abuse could cause psychological and behavioral problems later on in life. She was asking her. Vashti was asking the therapist, and she said, it's possible if it affected you to the point where you had to block it out, or if it's just pre your memory and who knows? So she said in a response to a direct question, the therapist asked her directly, are you going to harm yourself when she was depressed? Do I have to worry about you for self harm? And Vashti said she would never commit suicide because of her religious beliefs and because of her sons who are young. So she said, you don't have to worry about that. She also said that she was scared of old Brett Seacat not handling the prospect of a divorce well. Yeah, if Your name's Brett ccat. You just expect shit to work out. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, there's that. And as a Brett C. Cat, you don't have divorce filed on you.

[James Petrigallo]

No. You do the filing. Yeah, it's basically whatever a Chuck Norris joke you want to have replace Brett C. Cat. Yeah, it's the same fucking thing. A whole line of Brett C. Cat jokes.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

So. And also that she was worried just how that would work out. She also. So she's not depressed, though. By 2011, March, April, she's not depressed. She's doing better. She's, you know, just establishing a social life again of, you know, meeting other people. And she even makes a new friend, as a matter of fact, a new man friend.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, no.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Her sister Kathleen says that just before filing for divorce, Vashti had, quote, become intimate with a friend. So she banged one of her friends, is what she's saying here, which is, you're an adult. You're breaking up with whatever. That's none of my fucking business. And further worried that her husband would find out. Yeah. Brett CCAT don't take kindly to that at all.

[Jimmy Wisman]

The man teaches other men how to be men. And he's not going to deal with.

[James Petrigallo]

He teaches domination is what he teaches. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's not going to deal well with this. He's going to hurt.

[James Petrigallo]

This is going to be interesting, but it's wild. But she was worried about that. But she was also hopeful with plans for the future. But she's like, I hope fucking Brett doesn't find out. He's gonna be pissed. So she really liked. She talked about. She liked her job at Cox. She liked her weekends and her evenings. She'd spend them with her boys and was always busy, like, redecorating and doing shit and keeping herself busy around the house, too. Now, she had a journalist. Okay. A personal journal she kept on a table beside the bed. So, Bedside Journal here in About March of 2011, Brett CCAT takes the journal to work and scans the pages and prints out numerous pages. Now, he'll say later on that he did this at Vashti's request because she wanted an electronic copy of the journal as a keepsake. She wanted to also have, like, a digital file for, you know, she wanted it to be written, printed out, and digital all. Every archive in case the Smithsonian wants it. Yeah, I'm sure she's like, get it to me in many forms, please. I don't think so.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I write impeccably. Sotheby's is going to Want to auction this?

[James Petrigallo]

They're going to want this someday, right? So, April 14, 2011. Brett has a therapy session, and he says that if Vashti divorced him, she was divorcing the entire Seacat family, even the children. She's just writing it off. No, you don't make the rules of what she wants to, not who she wants to spend time with. And it's just not you. The kids are fine. He said that he would take her. The take the two boys and leave the country if he had to, to keep her from taking the kids away from him. The therapist said, well, that's illegal. I have to tell you that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right?

[James Petrigallo]

As legally I have to tell you. And he also thought it was better for the boys to have one parent and one household instead of two households. I'd rather have them with me in fucking Belize than going back and forth doing two Christmases. That's bullshit.

[Jimmy Wisman]

If his dad has a car and I have a car and we're in the same house, then they just have two cars. But if we have two separate houses and I have somebody and he has somebody, then there's four cars, and that's a lot of cars.

[James Petrigallo]

That's. You know what?

[Jimmy Wisman]

The boys are rich with vehicles.

[James Petrigallo]

It's just too many cars. It's just too much boat. So, April 19, 2011. Vashti has a session, and she's particularly concerned today that Brett would not take the divorce well and that she mentioned a dream he told her about. That startled her a bit, and I don't blame him.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, boy. Here we go.

[James Petrigallo]

The therapist said, quote, she told me he awakened her from sleep and told her he had a dream that he would kill her.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Why would he wake her up?

[James Petrigallo]

Hey, baby. Baby, I just had a dream where I strangled the life out of you. Okay, Go back to sleep now. No, no, no. It's fine.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, I saw how springy your fallopian tubes are.

[James Petrigallo]

It's wild. I cut out your. I cut out your liver and I threw it in the front lawn. It was insane. Okay. No, go back to sleep. Go back to sleep. And he said it was a recurring dream as well.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, my God. He's doing this a lot.

[James Petrigallo]

That's terrifying.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

She was worried about how he's going to react to the divorce. And when you couple that with dreams of killing her, she's very worried. She wanted to have someone with her and the children when he was served with the papers. He didn't want. She didn't want it to be like, just them in the house. She. So the therapist and Vashti arranged for a safety plan for Vashti's protection when she served him with divorce papers. A B plan in case things go bad here. Now, April 21, 2011, Vashti makes a reservation at a hotel in old town Wichita. I didn't.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Old.

[James Petrigallo]

Didn't know they had an Old town Wichita. It was a reservation for May 19, the same night as the Tim McGraw concert in Wichita. So she's coming into Wichita to party it up.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

And as we saw in San Diego, the people coming back from that concert, those battered souls. She's going to be walking back to that hotel room, cowboy boots in hand, limping with bleeding feet on May 19th.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Lots of blisters with her brand new boots.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, God, those people, man, just. It looked like they let people out of, like, a cave that they were stuck in for five years. When they got out of there, limping and shit. And it was so weird. So, April 29, 2011, Brett drove to his office and opened an envelope containing divorce papers that she had given him.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, boy.

[James Petrigallo]

That afternoon, while still at work at the law enforcement training center, he located an overhead projector in storage and used it by himself for about an hour. This fucking overhead projecting things for some reason now. Then he asked a maintenance staff guy or a couple of guys, he's like, what's up, guys? You know how to fucking do things? What's the best way to dispose of computer hard drives? They said our best would use a torch. He goes, otherwise it's got to be all melted or else he'll be able to read shit. And so he goes, okay, cool. And then he used a torch, melted hard drives, and threw them in a trash can. Then he threw out three old cell phones as well, because. Well, no, no, you just throw those out because they hadn't been used in a long time. So he's like, I might as well get rid of these today. These and all my hard drives I'll just throw out. Later that afternoon, he drove to a convenience store. He got gas. Got some gas. There you go. Okay. Bought some future a purchased fuel. April 30th. The next day, it is morning time or afternoon. I apologize. And police respond to a report of a fire and a possible shooting at the Seacat residence. They're called here. When they arrive, the second story of the house is engulfed in flames. Shit's coming out of the windows. And Brett Seacat is standing in the backyard by the driveway holding his children. Okay, now where's Vashti? Yeah, the Cop asked Brett, is there anyone else in the house right now?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

And he responded, my wife is in there. And they said, oh my God, where is she? And they were going to go in and try to get her.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

And he said, quote, she's dead. She shot herself. Her fucking head is gone.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Wow.

[James Petrigallo]

That's what he said to the cop.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Her fucking holding children.

[James Petrigallo]

Well, he's holding toddlers or 7 year olds or whatever the fuck. Yeah. Her fucking head is gone.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh my God.

[James Petrigallo]

Brett. Brett. Seacats don't do emotion.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They not subtlety is right out the.

[James Petrigallo]

Window with Brett Seacat tells it like it is. Is what's up. That's. That's how Brett Seacat's role See, she's dead.

[Jimmy Wisman]

No head. Hey boys.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. No, it's okay, baby. It's good.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Hey everybody. Just going to take a quick break from the show to tell you a little bit more about the most safe sponsor there is. SimpliSafe.

[Jimmy Wisman]

SimpliSafe.com S I M P L I.

[James Petrigallo]

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[Jimmy Wisman]

Now back to the show.

[James Petrigallo]

All right everybody. Today we're talking about Dr. Squatch. Now you might know this brand from their natural cold processed bar soaps which are all great. They're amazing. If you haven't done it, check those out. But. But now they've got the same real soap formula available in body wash form. And it is good. I'm telling you right now. They're made with natural ingredients derived from coconuts and plants to provide all day Skin hydration available in four unique and manly scents. Coconut Castaway, Pine Tar, Wood Barrel Bourbon and Fresh Falls. Dermatologists tested and clinically proven to provide 24 hour moisturization. So you can still smell tough while taking care of your, maybe your soft side, you know what I mean? Dr. Squatch products are made for men. But we're telling you these soaps, no matter what and in what form, are loved by all. So you really can't go wrong here everybody. My favorite by the way is the Fresh Falls. I tried that and I dig it. So what are you waiting for? Go pick one up at your favorite store [e-mail] today. DrSquatch Body Wash for men who prefer natural. So Bretts, they come back and they go what the fuck happened here? And he says wow. My wife was depressed and I was sleeping downstairs when this happened. I heard a noise and a couple minutes, a moment later I heard my wife, she called me on my phone saying he should get the two boys and get them out of the house before they got hurt. So then he said right after that he heard two pops and really he said he went upstairs and saw flames and he said he saw his wife in their bedroom and tried to get in and save her but the fire was just too much and he couldn't get to her here. So yeah, that's, that's how it is. Which is weird. He, she's in the house and she calls him on the phone and says this. So yeah, he claimed he heard a loud bang and went upstairs and found her head fucking gone. Fucking head gone and the house on fire. So he said he just grabbed their kids and ran outside and put the kids inside his wife's car for safety.

[Jimmy Wisman]

As any dad would do.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, and against the weather and anything else here. So it's, you know, a spring day and it's probably chilly in the morning or anytime. So Brett said he then ran back upstairs, left the kids in the car. Sure. And you had the fucked up part is your wife's dead, the house is on fire, but you still have to tell the kids, hey, don't fuck with the directional thing. Don't like, don't press that button. Don't pull this thing into. Don't put it in drive, don't put it to any of these to leave it. Yeah, you got to still tell them all that pee is good. So he then runs back upstairs, he says while on the phone with 911 to try to rescue his wife. But the smoke and the fire were Too strong. Forcing him to retreat. No choice. Okay. Problem is, though, as the cops are looking at him, he has no soot on him at all.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Not a loot.

[James Petrigallo]

Doesn't look like. Look like he's been in a fire, you know what I mean? And there's no blood on him either. So it doesn't look like he got anywhere near his wife. And he only has. His only wound is a small burn on his foot. That's it. Only wound he has, tiny little burn. So they're like, that's weird. I mean, hey, glad you're okay, but great work. Fucking weird. So they said also, when the cops got there, they said there wasn't something quite a little off about the way he was acting. Yeah, a little weird. One of the cops said, quote, his demeanor seemed to be out of place for the circumstances. There was no perspiration. There was no blood or ashes. And after rescuing the two children from a burning house and also discovering his wife's suicide, he just looked like he was pretty fresh, ready to go somewhere, not even sweaty. If you went in and you tried to fight the flames, you'd have covered in sweat, ashes stuck to your sweat. You'd be like, I tried. Out of breath. Holy. If I couldn't do it and I sprained my ankle, I fell down the stairs, whatever.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Choking a little.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, yeah. So the house has extensive fire damage, but it's not. It still stands because there's a lot of brick in it. So a lot of the brick is still standing. A brick chimney is still in. Perfect. You know, they're made. They're made for fire. So after the fire department extinguished the fire, that's when her body is found. Vashti's body is found on a bed in the upstairs bedroom on the master bedroom. And the investigator finds a Ruger Red Hawk.44 caliber revolver.

[Jimmy Wisman]

My God.

[James Petrigallo]

That's why he said her fucking head is gone. Because that would do that to you. That is a Dirty Harry gun. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a fucking Wyatt Earp gun, for Christ's sake.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Peacekeep. Peacemaker.

[James Petrigallo]

I would say so. So it is revolver, and it's lying on the bed under her body with the barrel pointed down toward her legs. A single gunshot wound through her head into her neck is the cause of death. And we'll go into the exacts there. And a five gallon gasoline container was lying in the middle of the bed.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

Right there next to her. Now, the injuries, the fatal gunshot wound to her neck and head went from right to left slightly Downward from front to back. So you can imagine what that is. Completely destroying her brain and her head.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

So he also said there was no soot found in her lungs and that she had a significant amount of urine in her bladder. That would have felt like a urinary emergency, quote, unquote.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, she had to pee right now.

[James Petrigallo]

She had to pee right now. So she woke up is what that is. She's saying she woke up, and they're saying she would. If she would have woke up in the morning, she would have pissed before she did anything. It would have been like, oop, I got to go pee. That morning pee thing.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That means she woke up and was.

[James Petrigallo]

Like, I'm burning it down right now before I pee. I'm going to kill myself. I have to pee so bad. I'll shoot myself in the head. That's how bad I have to pee. So that's weird. The coroner's report also indicates that she nearly instantaneously died from the bullet wound to her head. But she had also sustained gunshot wounds to her torso, hip, and thigh. Those wounds were consistent with rounds cooking off from the heat of the fire. It was making the rounds go off and the gun was shooting her more.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Damn it.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, that's crazy. No smoke inhalation either. In her. In her. Any of the tests. No ash, soot, or smoke. Blood and urine tests were negative for alcohol and, you know, every drug under the sun. The coroner had no conclusion as to whether it was a murder or suicide.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Really?

[James Petrigallo]

I had no idea. Big gunshot wound to the head. You guys figure it out by the scene? I guess so. A neighbor who had been unable to sleep was awake and watching television that morning. She heard a sound which she described as sounding like a gunshot. Based on hearing gunshots in the past, she said, right. Rather than look into it or anything else, she got frightened and covered her head with her covers until she saw emergency vehicles arriving. She hid under the covers like it's. She's seven and the boogeyman is in the closet. Yeah, well, what the fuck are you doing?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Her and a flashlight under there going, I hope it goes away.

[James Petrigallo]

Hope it goes away, man. I hope it goes away. Based on the timing of what was taking place on the TV show she was watching when she heard the gunshot. They concluded she heard the shot at 3:15am all right, now, the fire pattern here, an agent determined from the burn patterns and patterns and different kinds of damage that the fire started in the hallway and moved south to north in the bedroom. So outside the bedroom didn't Start on the bed where the gas can is. It started outside in. Okay. Like, you know, if you were doing that, you'd.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Trying to.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Trying to destroy the whole top.

[James Petrigallo]

Now, something else that didn't burn in the fire, by the way, that someone probably wishes would have burned in the fire and I think was meant to burn in the fire. They find printed papers, printouts of like website pages regarding how to kill someone and make it look like a suicide. What, literally that. And they were sitting on the kitchen table of the house.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Wow.

[James Petrigallo]

So right in play. He. That's a place where you go, well, that'll burn if the house burns.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's the kitchen. That's where all the fire goes.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, yeah. So searching throughout the house, they found them on the dining room table, water soaked PowerPoint presentation that included information about suicide wounds and death investigations. Specifically death investigations involving fires.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Hilarious.

[James Petrigallo]

One of the pages discussed investigations distinguishing between homicides and suicides. And one page discussed reasons for suicides, including severe marital strife recently, recent emotionally damaging experiences, financial difficulties, humiliation and revenge. But when they said, hey, bro, Brett, pray tell, what up with that? The fuck, man? Like, yeah, what is this about?

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's going down, clown.

[James Petrigallo]

He said, oh, that was just discarded paper that I took home from work.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, that's mine.

[James Petrigallo]

So that was just. Yeah, that's. That's mine. But it wasn't. I took it home like as like a kindling. It wasn't. Yeah, you know, for like a fireplace, a bonfire claimed it. Yeah, yeah. He said. Well, because he said it came from work. I don't know, I didn't look what it was. I just grabbed a bunch of discarded paper from the recycle thing at work and I just took it home. It's weird that it happens to be all about how to kill your wife and make it look like a suicide in a fire. Very strange.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Hey, Mr. Seacat, what's this? Oh, that's not a good answer, Brett.

[James Petrigallo]

See, Brett, Seacat doesn't need logic. Brett C. Cat plays by the seat of his pants here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, in their face. That ain't the right answer, bud.

[James Petrigallo]

I would say, no. Oh, yeah, no, those are mine.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You fail.

[James Petrigallo]

But I had no idea what they were or anything. So Brett talks to a coworker here and he says, yeah, I thought everything was fine. He tells a coworker, he said, my wife out of nowhere kissed me that morning. Or on the. Yeah, that morning here, the day before, she kissed me. And he said, that evening we argued over custody of the kids, but he said, I Went to sleep on a downstairs couch and, you know, and then he tells the coworker the same story. And he was, you know, fire beat me back then. The police talked to Vashti's co workers here. Okay? They talked to her co workers, and three of her co workers at Cox Communications said that they had conversations with her. Two of them mentioned threats from Brett. Oh, Melissa Beasley and Scott Hankins testify later on that Vashti told them Brett threatened to kill her, burn down the house, and make it look like she was the one who did it. Very specific threat. Why did he say that then print papers out talking about it? What the fuck are you doing, dude? Wow.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's far too confident. This is. It is. How great must it be just to be a handsome guy named. You just get to say and do anything you want.

[James Petrigallo]

Anything you want. And the people will buy it. Yeah, or he thinks they will.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He doesn't expect to ever have consequences.

[James Petrigallo]

Fuck no. He even told her, quote, he could get away with it because he was in law enforcement and knew about those sort of things. And, quote, firemen were idiots. This is coming from a man who leaves an instruction manual on how to do exactly what he just did on this kitchen table. They're idiots.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That is the consensus view of firemen, too, though.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Yeah. I'm not saying he's wrong, but I think he's a.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's very funny that he just like, screams the playbooks. Firemen are idiots.

[James Petrigallo]

Firemen are idiots. Vashti had also said Brett had threatened to kill himself or take the boys away and disappeared. So then, remember, our therapist friend here, she gets what she called a very unusual phone call or a very unusual conversation with Brett Ccat about five hours after Vashti was found in the house. Yes, she called him at about 9:30am after he'd already called her office and asked for advice on how to tell his children their mother had committed suicide, not that she was dead. Yeah, we can worry about the hows when they're older.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, the what's and such. We can just go, mommy's not coming home. Yeah, how do we. How do we break that news?

[James Petrigallo]

You don't tell a 4 year old that mommy committed suicide.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Your mom's a weak bitch.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Listen, Mommy. What are you doing, man? Mommy couldn't take it anymore because she's weak. Fucking Dexter didn't even find out here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Because she's not a sea cat.

[James Petrigallo]

Nope. Dexter didn't find out his dad really killed himself till, like, season seven. He was like, 42, when he finally found out, there was no reason to tell him when he was younger.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's not able. You can't capably process that information, Brett.

[James Petrigallo]

No, but he's trying to set the narrative, though. She committed suicide.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Dad's a great dude.

[James Petrigallo]

So this lady said that she was alarmed by that and told him not to tell their boys that the mother had committed suicide. Don't do that. Just say she was injured and not coming back, and then you can close the loop from there. Over the years, time goes by.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sprinkle in pepper in a couple more details.

[James Petrigallo]

Then he said, quote, I killed her, Vashti is dead, and it's my fault.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, my.

[James Petrigallo]

So she said, k, why and when and when, where and how and tell me all. Everything.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Have you heard of the Menendez brothers? Who? I'm fucking.

[James Petrigallo]

Shut up. Jesus. You don't know who's in this office right now. He then said that, no, no, no, no. I told my wife that I was going to take the kids away. That's why. And I didn't kill her myself, but I caused this. She said, quote, he told me that he knew she was dead because of the pool of blood. That's how he looked in and saw her, she said. She described him as quite calm when she spoke with him over the phone, and she felt the entire situation was very unusual since he had contacted her within two hours of this. Of the death happening here. She said, he just told me matter of factly what was happening. Well, that's how seacats roll, though, honestly.

[Jimmy Wisman]

We don't have time for.

[James Petrigallo]

We don't have time for panic. Hey, I haven't got time for the pain. I don't know what to tell you.

[Jimmy Wisman]

We don't have time for a lot of things.

[James Petrigallo]

Well, most people run out, I run in. That's all I'm saying.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There it is.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, I'm a seat cat. She said, he just told me matter of factly what was happening. She. Yeah, they asked her later, did he ever choke up when speaking with you? Like, did it ever emotionally hit him? She said, nope, he's acted very detached, like he had during the six months that she'd counseled him. So it wasn't unusual behavior for him, but it's unusual behavior for normal nuance with this guy.

[Jimmy Wisman]

But, yeah, it's just normal for him. It's abnormal for everyone.

[James Petrigallo]

For everyone else, yeah. And him. But the blaze had been concentrated in the back of the home, which is where the master bedroom and Vashti's body were. The room itself Was badly damaged. They said there was a lot of charring. And Vashti's burned body was resting on the bed, which had been burned down to the metal springs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Jesus.

[James Petrigallo]

Mattress gone, metal springs. So she is burned up. You have to imagine the whole mattress left to her. No. And she was on a mattress that burned like that. That's not good. They said something at the scene, though, sparked some concern here. Underneath her left side was the pistol here with the barrel pointed downward. So the one cop said, how could the gun end up where it was located under her body if she had shot herself in the head with it? How's that work?

[Jimmy Wisman]

That means her hand would have to drop.

[James Petrigallo]

Go under your.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And go straight. It would go sideways or up, right?

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, she said. Yeah. It would have to be like in.

[Jimmy Wisman]

The point is, like, if you. If you shoot yourself in the head.

[James Petrigallo]

And you think of where the kickback is, it's away from your body.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Unless you put it under your chin.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And that giant fucking gun, there's no way she's controlling that.

[James Petrigallo]

No. Her arm is going to be straight out next to her, probably, maybe with her finger still gripping the gun, but maybe not.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right.

[James Petrigallo]

So, yeah, they said that was very odd. They said if she had shot herself while she's lying down, the gun would have fallen onto the floor. If she'd been sitting up and shot herself, the gun should have remained on the right side like we just did. It just didn't make sense. Yeah, we just reenacted it exactly like he said. We didn't even need any training from Brett CCAT to do it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

No, no. I fired a weapon before. I know.

[James Petrigallo]

Also, the trajectory of the shot to the head that killed her was odd, too. This is a forensic pathologist said the trajectory of the bullet is really significant because if you're holding a gun in your hand and you're shooting yourself behind your right ear, normally the trajectory is pointed to the opposite side, but the autopsy report indicates that it's right to left is slightly downward and also lightly front to back. Due to that trajectory. You almost have to bend your arm around, which is very uncomfortable to do to yourself with a fucking.44 especially. Sure. They said the lack of soot and carbon monoxide in your airways and bloodstream also triggers alarm bells.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Before she started a fire.

[James Petrigallo]

That's the thing. They said even if she did it right after, there'd be something. There was nothing. No fuel, nothing. Nothing in there. They speculated she was likely already dead and therefore unable to breathe, obviously, when the fire was set. Due to the inconsistencies between Brett's story and the condition of her body, they're still unable to pinpoint the manner of death because she's too badly burned.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right.

[James Petrigallo]

They end up two days after this. They have. They don't. They. They are very suspicious of Brett, obviously.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Of course.

[James Petrigallo]

I mean, this is clear here. But they can't really arrest him right now because all they have is the fact that, you know, it's very suspicious. So they continue to investigate. And then they find in the driver's seat of Vashti's car was her journal. And the most recent entry seemed to be a suicide note.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh.

[James Petrigallo]

It said, brett, I can't do this. I can't fight this out. Take care of our boys. Be sweet to. She names them. I won't name them. Hold them both and tell them Mommy loves them every night. I'm taking care of the house. I'm taking care of the house. Oh, okay. He. She then says to the one son, you are so wonderful, Mommy. So proud of you. Be a good big brother. And then to the other one, stay strong and don't ever lose that smile. I love the two of you and will be watching over you from heaven.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah. Don't lose that smile. As Mommy kills herself.

[James Petrigallo]

Lots of small children just smile away when their mommies die. That happens a lot.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Smile through life as they're motherless because she committed suicide.

[James Petrigallo]

Jesus. Then they figure out, once they talk to all the neighbors, that the gunshot happened. Remember, through what she was watching on TV and what was happening at that exact moment. 315 was the gunshot, which he didn't call 911 till 3:57am Wow. 4:00am that is almost 45 minutes.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

In between when the gunshot occurred and when he called the cops.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Dead. And the fire's not started yet. What the fuck?

[James Petrigallo]

What the fuck? So very interesting then when they talked to all of her friends and co workers and recalled that Vashti had asked them, if. Do you think Brett is capable of killing me? Because he told me he would kill me and burn it down and make it look like a suicide. Anyway, they bring him in for an interrogation, and he says one of the worst fucking things ever in an interrogation. This is a very guilty fucking statement. Quote, I'm smart enough. Number one. No, you're not.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I bet you not.

[James Petrigallo]

Print out. Dude.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

You left the playbook right there. Bell.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Bella. Jack. You left it on the counter.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. You couldn't have found all the info you wanted and then thrown that shit out in a dumpster at the McDonald's or something so no one would find it. You left it on the kitchen table, you lazy fucking. So he said, I'm smart enough that if I wanted to kill my wife, I could have come up with something better than this. This is what a crazy person does. Oh, okay. Well, they say, well, hands behind your back, Mr. Crazy Sea Cat, because you're under arrest. Chief Sea Cat, you've given us nothing to believe that you didn't do this. So then Vishti's family makes a statement, and they say Brett liked to control every aspect of everything he did. I think that came out in the trial later on. He's controlling, a manipulative, and by her filing for divorce, she had taken the power out of his hands, and he couldn't deal with the loss of control. Okay. And another person said this was the first time he had been served with papers. They talked about the problems in their marriage, and they had always agreed to work on it. This time, her words to us were, how will I know that I'm through this time by what I say? How can I make it clear to him, basically? And he was a little territorial, if you will. Possessive. Not a Brett Seacat. And he wasn't going to allow her to leave him and take the two boys. So need a holiday gift that will keep her sparkling all year long. Blue Nile, the original online jeweler has Experts on hand 247 who can help you find the perfect piece. Beyond that, Blue Nile makes the gifting experience easier than ever, with guaranteed free shipping and returns, as well as a wide assortment of jewelry of the highest qual at the best price. Right now, get 30% off [e-mail] that's bluenile.com for 30% off bluenile.com remember when.

[C]

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[D]

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[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, her brother, Vashti's brother, said that on one occasion she poked her head in a coworker's door and said, do you really think he could kill me, burn the house down and make it look like a suicide? Which is very specific.

[Jimmy Wisman]

How will I know that he's got the message? How will I know he'll leave us alone?

[James Petrigallo]

How will I know that he won't kill me? How will I know that he won't? That it's a suicide? Let's get Whitney involved in this mess.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

She's got her own problems. She's got her own problems. I think so. Well, she's dead now, but she had her own problems.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Plenty of problems. That's why she's dead.

[James Petrigallo]

That's why she's dead. There's a movie, by the way, a biopic on her and it is hilarious. It came out, it's from like 2022.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh. Oh, yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

It's really fucking funny though. It's real funny. And they don't like, it changes. Like it's like 1984 and the next thing you know she's like hanging out with Bobby Brown. You're like, what happened? How did. Years go by and they don't even tell you in this movie? It's a mess, this movie. So anyway, the. The brother said she was afraid and they said no, despite the appearance that the marriage was perfect. It wasn't. Her sister, I think, said Vashti was very private about their marriage. Didn't share a lot. That's just who she was. And it probably was a year before she told us she was going to file for divorce. She began sharing some of the threats he had made. And of course, the signs were there. He was becoming more and more controlling with her. They said, what signs do you mean? And they said that Brett began to change in front of the family's eyes. She said the lack of social life with her friends. Everything was geared around him. He didn't care to come to family functions and more and more. And first he would go to church with her. Then he stopped and he didn't come. See the necessity of. The necessity in doing things that normal people do. He was becoming more withdrawn and more critical of her.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

Picking on it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

The marriage is imploding.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. And he's fucking becoming a weirdo here. So Vashti's brother said he never imagined anything like this could happen to his sister. He said, I didn't see it coming because it's so hard for human nature to encompass that type of evil act. Yeah, that's a big thing. Said you hear people threaten or you hear them allude to things, but at the end of the day, I think it's very hard for good people to really fathom that someone could perpetuate such an act like this. Sure.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sure.

[James Petrigallo]

Not for us. We fucking do this twice a week.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Every week.

[James Petrigallo]

Every week, babe.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Two days a week.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Brett's trial, he sought to say that she had attempted or contemplated suicide on five prior occasions.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Five times.

[James Petrigallo]

Only thing is, he's the only one who knows about this. Oh, she didn't tell her therapist. She didn't tell her friends.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He didn't tell police. He didn't file some report anymore.

[James Petrigallo]

No, just five times. So the state filed a pretrial motion seeking exclusion of that testimony about the prior suicide attempts. And the district court held the previous suicide incidents were too remote in time to be relevant to the defense. Because she was depressed three years ago and tried to kill herself doesn't mean that that's her state of mind then. Which makes perfect sense.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's true. So.

[James Petrigallo]

And it's also completely uncorroborated again. So the prosecutor in the opening here said that Brett was a manipulative man who used his law enforcement back background to try to make it look like his wife shot herself. The defense just said, come on, it's a suicide Even the coroner can't decide whether it was death or homicide, Suicide or homicide.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What?

[James Petrigallo]

What the fuck? Yeah. The coroner said, I don't know. She's a charred body. How the hell do I know where. What the fuck is going on?

[Jimmy Wisman]

With a bullet wound in it? That's all I know.

[James Petrigallo]

Three bullet wounds or four?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

So then they talk about the suicide note. They get. The prosecution gets a forensic for document examiner for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. He said that there were certain incongruities in the last journal page that led him to conclude that the writing had been traced from other samples of her handwriting. Oh. What would you use to do something like that? To trace something. You'd want it to be bigger than normal. Really? You would want to do it on the page. Maybe a light project. Oh, with a light behind it. That. Yeah. Wow. Weird, right?

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's helpful.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, that'd be real helpful to do that. They said that the discrepancies included tremorous writing, so doing it slow, not fucking smooth and crisp and smearing, which contrasted sharply with the fluid writing that was highly consistent in her known writing samples. Because when she's writing in her journal, she's not unsure of that shit. She's just writing. He pointed to features indicating the writing had been done slowly with added corrections to certain letters to make it look better. He noted Vashti's lowercase D was very consistent throughout many of samples of her handwriting, but it was formed using a different stroke in the last journal page. Didn't do it the same. These and other specific disparities led him to conclude that the suicide note was probably traced and was a spurious document. And then they bring in the projector guy to say, yes. The co worker who said, yeah, he kept. He asked to use an overhead projector and was in there for like, an hour.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yep.

[James Petrigallo]

So that makes sense. Then they bring in the psychotherapist. Now let's bring the therapist in here. And under questioning from CCAT's attorney, she acknowledged she had previously diagnosed Vashti with depression after she started counseling. But she found. She said she found evidence of a depressive episode or that Vashti had been depressed in the past, but it wasn't consistent in her life. She's. She gets depressed by things. Not just her general events.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yes.

[James Petrigallo]

Not her brain chemistry. It's not like that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It's not just how she does it. It's. There's environmental occasions that do this to her.

[James Petrigallo]

Absolutely. So then a coworker testifies, saying about the. He said he could get away with it because firemen were idiots, which is hilarious. It's fucking funny. Also said that Brett had threatened to kill her. Take the boys away. Under cross examination, all Brett's attorney did is repeatedly question him on whether he was fucking Vashti. And he said, absolutely not. So Brett's police chief friend comes in here and this guy says that the instructor Brett had said that he bullied his wife the night before she was found shot to death in the couple's home. Said that he. This is Kingman. FA Chief Mark Holloway testifies that Brett Seacat's. That Seacat convinced his wife to stay and to let him stay in the home for several months despite the problems by threatening to take the children to Mexico. He told this guy that his wife was a pushover and wasn't a fighter so he could get her to do things. They bring in a handwriting quote, unquote expert for the defense here. And I use these quotes because this woman here. What's her name? Avis. Avis. Odenbaugh.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Avis.

[James Petrigallo]

Like, exactly like the rental company. She testified she concluded the handwriting in the note matched the handwriting of the person who wrote in the journals. Same thing. She was called on his behalf and said that the journal page was the product of natural writing and that the journal page in question was written by the same person who wrote the other entries in the journal. She ruled out tracing on the text based on apparent ink flow. She also testified differences in handwriting between the journal page and other samples of her handwriting could be explained because of mood or tension or other things. So the cross examination here, she concedes that she is not currently certified by any forensic document examining organizations and is currently semi retired.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What are your credentials? Oh, I don't have.

[James Petrigallo]

I had some years ago, but I don't know. I don't keep up on shit.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

So the prosecutors then displayed a board with another sample of Vashti's handwriting alongside the suicide note. The expert admitted that there are discrepancies between the two. So he. He had her completely go against her own testimony in front of the whole jury. See, now don't you see it right there?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, yeah, yeah, I see it.

[James Petrigallo]

Brett testifies.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, really?

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, yeah. He's got to go up there and he's going to. I'm telling you, this guy thinks he can pull off anything.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Does. Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

He said, I would never burn our house down.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Our.

[James Petrigallo]

Wow.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Never thought I wouldn't kill my wife.

[James Petrigallo]

I would never expose my children to any situation like that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

Oh, yeah. He also Said he did feel guilt, and the therapist wasn't lying. He felt guilt in the hours before she died. He had threatened to shame him if she left him. I don't know what that means. Shame him? What is the 1400s? What are we talking about? What does that matter?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Stand in the street and ring bells every time I walk?

[James Petrigallo]

What letter are you going to put on my sweater? What are we dealing with there?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, you're a policeman. How many policemen are divorced? Dude, nobody gives a shit.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, that's what I mean. It's. He's such a fucking egotistical lunatic.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Unbelievable.

[James Petrigallo]

That would look bad on me if we got a divorce. So that played into the. He also said. So he said that that also plays into the defense argument that Vashti was unstable. Possible use of her. He says that she was using a prescribed diet drug known as hcg, whose side effects include depression. Yeah, okay. He then also says that while he felt responsible, he did not pull the trigger. He explained that during their argument, he told Vashti that if she insisted on a divorce, he would expose her alleged affairs with co workers, knowing it could jeopardize both her job and parental custody rights. Oh, she's a coworker, which. Yeah. Who else is she meeting? She comes home, she's got the kids. She doesn't go anywhere else for eight.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Nine hours a day.

[James Petrigallo]

Yep. So the defense attorney said, why did you tell her, the therapist, that it was your fault? He said, because it was. And then he bowed his head and appeared to choke up a little.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

He said, For 19 years, I was the one who protected Vashti. I finally pushed her into what I was protecting her from. So it was my fault.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Petrigallo]

You know, that's what a man does. Takes responsibility for when he drives his wife to kill herself.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Metaphorically.

[James Petrigallo]

Metaphor Responsible for this. More of an abstract type of thing, but still, closing arguments here. The prosecutor said that Seacat was full of uncontrollable rage because his wife filed for divorce and was kicking him out of the house. It was very simple. She said he was like a burning fuse. That's why he was reckless, because he's a fucking reckless asshole. The jury deliberates for six hours on this.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's pretty quick.

[James Petrigallo]

That's quick. Too long. I think, on this one.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Pretty easy. Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

This one seems like a pretty open shot. If I watched him testify and say that shit, I'd be laughing in the jury box like, is this motherfucker serious?

[Jimmy Wisman]

There's no evidence that he's been more metaphoric or Nuanced in his entire fucking life. Now all of a sudden, he's all, I'm responsible in a roundabout way.

[James Petrigallo]

Now he's abstract poetry. He's using, get the fuck out of here. Before, he was like, I'll kill you and burn the house down and then say that you fucking killed yourself because firemen are idiots.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, we know you're responsible because you went and bought gas, dude.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, that's the other thing. Now he's all subtext. Before, he was all exposition, and now it's all. He's just subtext. That's all it is. So six hours of deliberation. Guilty of all charges, including arson and child endangerment and murder and all that good stuff here. So during sentencing, he gets up. Now, this is his time to say, my bad, your honor.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Be metaphorical again.

[James Petrigallo]

You beg for forgiveness. My bad shit was awful. I snapped. Come up with something or say I respectfully, whatever. I don't think I did it. But, you know, I understand the authority.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I said firemen are idiots. I meant me. I'm the idiot.

[James Petrigallo]

You weren't a volunteer fireman, were you? Your honor, like in the. No. Okay, good. Instead, he says this, the opposite of what he should be saying. He says, I teach about crimes. I know what covers up crimes and what doesn't. I know that a bullet hole has never been covered up by a fire. I know that a murder has never been concealed by means of fire. I wouldn't have lit a fire to try to cover this up. This is the kind of sentence you believe you'll need for a Kansas Supreme Court nomination. You are going. It gets better. So he's saying, you're corrupt, number one.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Petrigallo]

You're using me for career.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You're using me to benefit yourself.

[James Petrigallo]

And then he says, you are going to hell for what you've done in this case. He said that to the judge, you're going to hell for what you did that. Then he said, he vowed that the evidence that you and the prosecutors colluded to suppress will one day be presented and I will be free.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, okay.

[James Petrigallo]

What do you think of that, your honor?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah. What do you say?

[James Petrigallo]

The judge says, well, stupid, number one. Yeah. Appreciate you speaking, number one. Your guilt is overwhelming, number one. Never even thought you weren't guilty for a second.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, I just did this because it's constitutional.

[James Petrigallo]

You have to. Yeah. Let you do it. Evidence to support your defense of suicide was totally unbelievable and totally unsupported by any credible evidence. Right. He said that your wife was not depressed. Or suicidal, but was looking forward to a future with her two sons. After the divorce from your stupid ass was finalized. And dealing with you today, I don't think I fucking blame her. He should have said, I divorced you, too. Now I see why he said that her family hit it on the head in their victim impact statements when they described C Kat as being self controlling, self centered and narcissistic. He said, your statement this morning confirms to me that you live in some sort of bizarre alternate reality. You don't want to hear that. He also said that he considered the fact that you haven't admitted guilt and had an admitted responsibility or expressed any remorse. That's a big part of this sentence, by the way.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Problem.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. He said, you haven't admitted guilt, you haven't admitted responsibility, and you didn't even. You didn't this morning even express remorse that Vashti is no longer on this earth. One of the victim's family asked me to show you no mercy, and I don't intend to show you any mercy. You didn't show Vashti any mercy on April 30, 2011. You, sir, may fuck off. Life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years on the murder, as well as more than five more years for the aggravated arson conviction and seven months for each child on the endangerment conviction, all to run consecutively.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Suck it.

[James Petrigallo]

Suck it. You're not going to be so handsome in 31 fucking years, are you, chief? Didn't think so. And then you have to go before the parole board and beg. And you better fucking have some remorse by then or they're not going to let you out either. If he goes in with this bullshit to the parole board, he'll be in there for the rest of his fucking life.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You bet.

[James Petrigallo]

And he deserves it. So Vishti's family said her mother's. Vashti. Did I say Vishti? Yes, Vashti. Vashti's family said that she had begged her daughter not to serve him with divorce papers, fearing it might set him off.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What is she supposed to do?

[James Petrigallo]

She said, I begged her those last two months not to serve him papers, just to separate and let him get acclimated first and to move in with us. One thing at a time, you know? Like telling your kids their mother committed suicide. One thing at a fucking time, you know, do that. And her words were, I don't want to endanger your lives. That's what she said. So, Vashti. Yep. That is so fucking sad. Vashti's. Mother and brother said the verdict brought a sense of relief to the family. She said it was a little surreal. I felt justice had been done and I felt like the boys were safe. So there was a dateline episode here in 2013. This happened to us, like right after it happened, before any of the stuff I'm going to talk about here in a second. Yeah, it's called Burning Suspicion. And they fucking. He just was convicted.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, they're just now and we want to talk about it.

[James Petrigallo]

They like, they had that. One of those big tapes, you know, those big studio tapes. They had one like, ready? Is it in yet? They found him. Okay, put it in. It's in. We're showing it tonight. He's gone. He's guilty. That's what it feels like here. So 2014, there's a custody battle between the face off between the maternal and paternal families, his parents and her parents. Yeah, well, since your kid killed my kid, we get these kids, I think we win.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, you can visit them.

[James Petrigallo]

And you raised a murderer. So you don't get to raise these kids now.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sorry, your parenting is questionable.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah, you raised a real twat. You know what I'm saying? It's a struggle between the mother and sister of Vashti Seacat. She was killed there and there. Okay. So the judge has set a two day trial to decide who will be the legal guardian. And it's the same judge who provided over the trial, by the way.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, that's great.

[James Petrigallo]

All we know is not him.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, that's real good stuff.

[James Petrigallo]

He appeals this case. Wow.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Really?

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. The supreme court considered the admissibility of various out of court statements that Vashti had made when she told co workers and her therapist that her husband threatened to kill her by burning down the house and making it look like a suicide. The court determined that out of court statements were properly admitted either because they were not hearsay or because they satisfied an exception to the hearsay rule. The net court next considered whether evidence that Brett sought to introduce relating to a purported history of suicidal tendencies by his wife had been incorrectly excluded. The supreme Court agreed with the judge that the evidence was too remote to be relevant to his wife's state of mind at the time of her death, and also upheld the trial court's refusal to admit evidence of legal and illegal drug use by Vashti Ccat.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She did a great job.

[James Petrigallo]

Because it didn't. Yeah, it didn't fucking matter. You killed her. Doesn't matter if she's on anything. The court also found no Error in the admission of testimony by a witness referring to Brett C. Cat's narcissistic personality. A non. A non professional witness. It was just a. I mean, that's just something you could say if you know somebody pretty inflammatory.

[Jimmy Wisman]

But you can say it.

[James Petrigallo]

You can say it. It's an opinion. It might be a stupid opinion, but it's an opinion. Damn it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Hyperbole for sure.

[James Petrigallo]

Yeah. Justice Lee Johnson authored a concurrent opinion, also signed by another judge, that took issue with the majority's characterization of an out of court statement as not being hearsay and with the majority's holdings that evidence of either suicidal tendencies earlier suicidal tendencies was not relevant. So a couple of judges disagreed about the one part about the out of court statements, but agreed with them about the other shit. So overall, they agreed. Everybody did. They affirm the conviction, saying other evidence in the case was so strong a jury would have convicted CCAT even if the excluded evidence had been allowed. We'll give it to you. We'll fucking.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You can have it.

[James Petrigallo]

We'll give you that. Bullshit. You're still not getting out, you punk motherfucker.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's still shot. Or he still burned it down, turned.

[James Petrigallo]

It down, lied like an asshole, and then told the judge that he's going to hell for it. So not working out. 2022, he filed another motion claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. Now why? Yeah, saying that there was evidence that the defense failed to present that would clear him of the crime. What's that?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, boy.

[James Petrigallo]

What would that be?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Provide it now, man.

[James Petrigallo]

Provide it now. You were at the house. You can't say someone else came in and did it. What the fuck? The motion was filed in 2020, and the court of appeals denied the civil motion, saying the courts and Seacat's attorney did not err in any way during his trial or the appeal that followed. Keep on keeping on Brett C. Cat, you twat. Fuck.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So, I mean, it would have had to have been a murder. And if it was a murder, why would she text you, I'm gonna commit suicide. Get the kids out of here so they don't get hurt.

[James Petrigallo]

It's fucking crazy.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What are you talking about, man?

[James Petrigallo]

You don't know what you're talking about. So there you go. He'll be in jail for a while now at least, you know, 20, 40 something, till he gets out. So that's good for everybody there. So check him out there. If you ever end up in a Kansas state prison, say hi Heidi Ho to old Sea Cat there. And do that. Also head over to Shut up and give me murder.com. get your tickets for virtual live show. October 30th is when it's live, but you can watch it for two weeks after that. You can watch it that night and over and over again or whenever you want in those two weeks. You can buy it anytime in those two weeks. Enjoy it just like a regular live show, except we're going to be wearing costumes and you're going to be in your living room. So it's going to be fun stuff. Can't wait. Get your tickets now. We love it. Shut up and give me murder.com also for the rest of the year too. I think there's some tickets left in Austin, New York and Boston. Phoenix gone. So there you go. Check that out. Also patreon, you want patreon.com crimeinsports that's where you get all the bonus material. Anybody $5 a month or above? What do you want? A cup of coffee? 1 cup of coffee that might not even be good, might not even be hot. Or hundreds of back episodes of bonus shit you've never heard. And new ones every other week. This week, which you're going to get One Crime in sports, one Small town murder. Like always, you get it all. This week for crime and sports, we're going to talk about the Vince McMahon documentary and specifically some very strange comments he made about some very horrible incidents that allegedly took place. Then for Small town murder, we're going to finish up the Ted Bundy psychological assessment of 1976. We're going to find out. Spoiler alert. Is Ted a violent person? Who knows? While he describes pictures of people doing normal things. Crazy shit there. Patreon.com crimeinsports make sure to follow on social media malltownmurder on Instagram small town Pod on Facebook at murdersmall on Twitter. You want to find us individually, you can do that. Shut up and give me murder drop down menu. Pow pow. Do that. Keep coming back. And until next week, everybody, it's been our pleasure.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Bye.

[James Petrigallo]

If you like Small town murder, you can listen early and ad free now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen early and ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey did you know that after World War.

[E]

II the US government quietly brought former Nazi scientists to America in a covert operation to advance military technology? Or that in the 1950s the US army conducted a secret experiment by releasing bacteria over San Francisco to test how a biological attack might spread without alerting the public. These might sound like conspiracy theories, but they're not. They're well documented government operations that have been hidden away in classified files for decades. I'm Luke lamanna, a Marine Corps recon vet and I've always had a thing for digging into the unknown. It's what led me to start my new podcast, Declassified Mysteries. In it, I explore hidden truths and reveal some eye opening events like covert experiments and secret operations that those in power tried to keep buried. Follow redacted Declassified Mysteries with me, Luke lamanna on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts to listen ad free. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App.