Deadly Dark Delusions - Lashmeet, West Virginia

Summary

Podcast Summary: Small Town Murder – "Deadly Dark Delusions – Lashmeet, West Virginia" Date: November 15, 2025
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman

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Episode Overview

This episode of Small Town Murder takes listeners to Lashmeet, West Virginia, a tiny, isolated town bearing the scars of coal country decline. As always, comedians James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman combine meticulously researched true crime storytelling with their signature comedic commentary. The focal tragedy: the killing of Michael Walker by Monica Suzette Hartwell, a case entwined with profound mental illness, interpersonal dysfunction, and the complications that arise when small-town law enforcement meets big, messy problems.

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Small Town Deep Dive: Life in Lashmeet, WV

• Population & Location: Lashmeet is an extremely small town in southern West Virginia (population 599), part of coal-mining Mercer County.
  • James: "The whole county has like 11,000 people in it. It’s crazy. This place is very small." [03:48]
• Economy & Demographics: Median household income is about $40k and houses cost a mere $65k.
• Local Culture: James and Jimmie riff on the lack of attractions—other than churches and gas stations—and the critical importance of the annual Mercer County Fair, livestock competitions, pageants, and community quirks.
  • James: "If you look up things to do when, you know, the Exxon station pops up, you’re in a really boring house." [07:40]
  • Jimmie: "Love judge each other’s looks." (re: local pageant culture) [09:57]
• Notable Moment: Jimmie pokes fun at the “antique competitions” and elaborate livestock pageants, with gentle ribbing at small-town pastimes.

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Introducing Monica Suzette Hartwell

Early Life & Family

• Background: Monica was born in 1968 and grew up entrenched in local traditions—the school chorus, pageants, and farm life. Despite small-town glitz, her youth involved gritty chores like hauling water from the Bluestone River.
  • James: "She had a very rural upbringing. Like bringing water up from ... you know, shit like that." [18:29]
• Pageant Participation: Ranked "4th runner-up" in the local high school beauty contest out of 54 contestants. [17:47]

Struggles with Mental Illness

• From her teens, Monica suffered debilitating, poorly-understood episodes rendering her blind/confused; later diagnosed as “pretty severe bipolar disorder” and other conditions.
• She spent time in psychiatric institutions; episodes of both achievement and unraveling.
  • James: "She seems to go through periods of achievement and lucidity and then will deteriorate, ... be institutionalized, then come out and be okay again." [23:05]

Adult Life

• Monica married and divorced at least three times by age 35, with her marital and family history recounted in detail.
• Daughter Ashley follows in her footsteps—early marriage, cosmetology school, and "having it together enough to put in a thing at the newspaper for an announcement." [27:03]

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Setting the Stage: Monica, Michael, and Brian

• Relationships: By 2020, Monica lived in a trailer with her boyfriend Michael Walker (who had unspecified but serious mental health issues) and ex-husband Brian Smith. Both Monica and Michael were known for severe psychiatric conditions and recurring hospitalizations.
  • James: "He is hospitalized, quote, several times a year... to readjust his medication and 'get his head straight', as he puts it." [34:49]
• Living Situation: All three, along with colorful neighbors Craig Young and Teresa Horne, occupied a string of modest homes—described as less than 700 square feet for the trio.
  • James: "They're living in like a small trailer... They're sharing 700 square feet, probably, these people." [37:33]

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The Crime: July 26, 2020

Escalating Chaos

• Day of the Incident: Monica and Michael started drinking early, and Michael spent the afternoon loudly proclaiming himself to be Jesus or God—alarming neighbors and housemates alike.
  • James: "He is claiming to be, variously, different times, either God or Jesus." [38:27]
  • Neighbors (Craig & Teresa) try to ignore the noise as they do woodworking nearby.
• Monica tries to apologize for Michael's behavior:
  • Monica (reported): "I'm real sorry about what's going on over here... I'm going to, quote, get this neighborhood back to normal soon." [42:15]

The Shooting

• Monica, after threatening to kill Michael and accusing him of being “demon possessed,” shot him with a .410 single-shot shotgun on the front porch.
  • Quote (as told by ex-husband Brian): "He’s demon possessed. County be a better place. I’m going to shoot him." [49:19]
• Brian, in the backyard, hears the shot, sees Michael's body, and yells for help; neighbors call 911.
  • James: "He said he was just getting some sun, he heard the shot and he said he couldn’t see the front door because of the foliage. So he ran out and he saw that Walker had been shot." [49:59]
• Monica re-enters the house and sits quietly on the couch until police arrive.
  • Jimmie: "Just sitting there watching TV." [46:36]
  • James: "There she is sitting on the couch, calm as can be." [46:53]

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Investigation & Trial

Evidence Questions

• The Gun: Monica, handcuffed and not yet Mirandized, tells police the gun is "on the couch." [49:15]
• Physical Evidence Issues:
  • No blood spatter or gunshot residue on Monica’s hands or clothes, despite the shooting taking place at close range (<2 feet).
    • James: "She did not have any gunshot residue on her hands either. So she can shoot someone from two feet away without getting any blood or gunshot residue on her, which is pretty impressive." [59:31]
  • Ex-husband Brian, however, had gunshot residue on his hands.
    • James: "the only person on the property...with gunshot residue on their hands during a test was Brian, the ex husband." [60:33]
  • No witnesses saw Monica pull the trigger, only heard threats and then a shot.
  • Monica had a history of threatening language, including labeling Michael “a demon from hell.”

Competency and Legal Proceedings

• Both prosecution and defense agree Monica’s competency to stand trial is borderline and needs further evaluation.
  • James: "Monica was currently competent to stand or he did not think she was currently competent to stand trial. That's the prosecutor." [52:43]
• Monica attempts suicide in jail.
• Trial evidence focuses on Monica’s statements and circumstantial evidence. The defense points to the lack of physical evidence tying Monica directly to the crime and suggests Brian Smith (ex-husband) as an alternate suspect.
  • James: "There's no credible witnesses, no fingerprints on the shotgun. No blood...no gunshot residue." [64:01]

Notable Court Exchanges & Quotes

• James as defense query: "Did you shoot Michael Walker?"
  Brian: "I did not shoot Michael Walker. No, not the shooter." [62:04]
• James as prosecution: "Brian Smith must be Superman." [64:44]
• Jimmie: “She is begging to be let out of jail because she also doesn’t remember.” [68:04]

Verdict & Sentencing

• After less than an hour of deliberation, Monica is convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 40 years in prison (with 2 years’ time served). She is eligible for parole in 2030; projected release in 2040.
  • James: "You ma'am, may fuck off. 40 years in prison." [69:08]
• Judge recommends maximum psychiatric care; Monica laments mental health services failed both herself and the victim.
  • James: "She still does not remember what happened the day that he was shot." [67:34]
  • Judge: "I haven't heard any reason why this man was killed. None other than he was fucking annoying and he was spouting." [68:32]

Appeal

• Defense argues Monica’s gun location statement to police should be suppressed as she was not Mirandized; the court upholds the conviction, citing public safety needs.

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Hosts’ Closing Thoughts & Tone

• Both James and Jimmie express skepticism at the thoroughness of the investigation and justice of the outcome. They highlight the sensational yet tragic nature of the case, ultimately feeling bad for all involved—especially given the lack of direct evidence and Monica’s profound mental struggles.
  • James: "Who knows? I don’t trust this investigation one fucking bit… I don’t trust much of this story, to be honest with you." [76:21]
  • Jimmie: "Crazy lady so crazy she doesn’t even remember." [76:18]
  • James: "I feel bad for everybody here because I don’t think anybody could help with anything that went on today…" [68:10]

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |----------|------------------------------------------| | 03:48 | Intro to Lashmeet, local color | | 13:29 | Monica’s background and pageant scene | | 20:17 | Chronic illness, worsening mental health | | 34:32 | Relationship dysfunction exposition | | 39:34 | The day of the shooting unfolds | | 42:09 | Monica’s apology to neighbors | | 46:36 | Discovery of the body, Monica at home | | 49:19 | “He’s demon possessed” evidence | | 59:31 | Physical/gunshot evidence scrutiny | | 62:04 | Trial exchanges | | 64:44 | Prosecution closing remarks | | 68:04 | Monica’s statement; sentencing | | 76:21 | Hosts’ skeptical wrap-up |

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Notable Quotes

• "He is claiming to be, variously, different times, either God or Jesus." – James [38:27]
• "[Monica] did not have any gunshot residue on her hands either…which is pretty impressive." – James [59:31]
• "Brian Smith must be Superman." – Prosecutor parody by James [64:44]
• "I feel bad for everybody here because I don't think anybody could help with anything that went on today..." – James [68:10]

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Conclusion

This episode deftly combines the bleak realities of rural decline, mental illness, and dubious small-town justice with the hosts’ irreverent, empathetic humor. They leave the audience with questions about fairness, blame, and whether a system plagued by under-resourced mental health care can truly serve justice.

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(For future episodes, visit shutupandgivememurder.com or listen on your favorite platform. Patreon subscribers receive ad-free episodes and bonus content.)

Transcript

[James Pietragallo]

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[James Pietragallo]

Foreign. Hello, everybody and welcome back to small town Murder Express. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And choo choo.

[James Pietragallo]

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

[Jimmy Wisman]

I'm Jimmy Wisman.

[James Pietragallo]

Thank you folks so much for joining us today on another crazy edition of small town Murder Express. All aboard the murder trade. Yeah. Leaving the station, we got a wild one for you. It's West Virginia today. So that's all I have to say. We're going to West Virginia and you go, oh, it's going to be a good one. We all know that. So can't wait to get into that before we do. Very quickly head over to shut upandgivemerder.com for all of your merchandise needs and everything like that. No tickets to buy at the moment in time. None. No, none. Virtual live show's over. Our two shows left this year are sold out. We are having announcing our whole new slate of 2026 live shows very soon. Those will be available to purchase in December. So keep an eye out there. Shut up and give me murder.com. you should also listen to our other two shows, Crime in sports and your stupid opinions, which are hilarious. You don't need to like sports for the crime in sports. And I'm telling you, your stupid opinions is just as funny as it gets. Just the reviews of everything. They're amazing. And if you like to, if you like the Patreon we just did, we have a review on the next year stupid opinions of that Winchester mystery house. So that'll be fun too. We're going to get into that also. Get yourself Patreon. It is worth it. Patreon.com CrimeInSports all you have to do is be $5 a month or above and you get everything we could possibly give you. You're going to get immediately upon subscription hundreds of bonus episodes you've never heard before. Immediately you can listen to. Then new ones every other week. One crime in sports, one small town murderer and you get all of that. This week for crime and sports we're going to get into part two of team relocations and the pain they've caused. It's hilarious how angry people are. And then for small town murder, we're going to do talk about the American prison system, where it started and where it is now. Where it started in a completely different place than it is now. And we'll talk about the progression of all of that. Lots of fun stuff there. Patreon.com CrimeInSports and you get all the shows, crime and sports, your stupid opinions and small town murder all ad free with your Patreon subscription. And you get a shout out at the end of the regular show. You can't beat it. Patreon.com crime and sports. So do that right now and get in there and hang out with us. That said, I think it's time everybody to sit back. Let's all clear the lungs. What do you say here? And let's all shout. Shut up. Give me murder. Let's do this, everybody.

[Jimmy Wisman]

All right.

[James Pietragallo]

Let's go on a trip. Shall we go into West Virginia again? Oh boy. We're going to lash meat, West Virginia. Oh yeah, Lash meat. L A S H lash and M E E T. So it's not like the meat of a lash. It's different. We're gonna meet up here. Lash meat, West Virginia. It's in pretty much extreme southern West Virginia there, way down. It's not very far from Pearisburg where we did that crazy Appalachian Trail killer episode in Virginia. So it's up in that, up in the hills. I mean this is, this is the hollers, man. There is nothing around here. The whole county has like 11,000 people in it. It's crazy. This place is very small. It's about an hour 50 to Roanoke, Virginia. That's the closest kind of big town here. Big city. And about three hours to Parkersburg, West Virginia. Our last West Virginia episode, episode 605, the Eastern the serial butcher killer. That was a bad guy. He was the guy who was leaving heads displayed certain ways for the cops to find and stuff like that. Very weird guy. This is in Mercer county, area code 3, 04 and 681. That's all of West Virginia is just a mix of those two area codes. Median household or I'm sorry, population here is 599 in this town. And it has just gone down, down, down, down, down over the last. Ever since the coal mines dried up in a lot of these places, these counties, their populations are just sinking. Median household income here is about $40,271 a year. The median home cost here, median home cost $65,700. That is insanity. Incredibly affordable insanity. You can almost, with your normal household income, you can almost buy a house after one year. That's wild. A little bit of history of this town here. The county itself was named for Revolutionary war general Hugh Mercer. Oh yes. And also in this county, Princeton is the county seat which was named for the battle of Princeton, New Jersey where general Mercer died. Oh, that's why. Yeah, this guy is real important around here. Everything is connected to that, everything. All the people here when they first came around this area were farmers and they're growing corn and oats and wheat and things like that. And it's basically severe isolation. This county is in the middle of nowhere. This town is in the middle of nowhere. So this was a very self sustaining little economy they had going on here. There's not a lot of outsiders coming in, not a lot of them going out. So they had their own salt work and their own tannery and grist mill and foundry. They made everything themselves there. The first mine opened and that's when the population exploded and things like that. It opened on mill Creek in 1884 and soon coal operators from other states, people with money capital started seeing that. Oh man, we can go there, extract everything from the ground, use these people like worker ants and you know, bury them beneath the coal dust when we're done. And that's what they did. They started coming in and just absolutely sucking every last bit of resources out of the ground that they could. Now, lash meat was likely named after a family that was here called the lash meat. Or they might have been the Lashmut family, we're not sure.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, nice.

[James Pietragallo]

Lash meat sounds better, I think. And it developed just because of coal mining. Early 20th century coal mining started happening around here and a town sprung up. There's one review of this town that exists on earth. There's only 599 people. Just one review. It's two stars. And it says there aren't many nice places around and you don't have many attractions other than the churches and gas stations which aren't known normally as attractions. If you look up things to do when, you know, the Exxon station pops up, you're in a really boring house.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Head on over to sheets.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, you can do it. The houses aren't the greatest, but they are livable.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's not good.

[James Pietragallo]

This does not sound wonderful, man. This sounds depressing.

[Jimmy Wisman]

The house is barely livable and you.

[James Pietragallo]

Spend your nights at amp or church, One of the two. Well, the days at church, the nights at the gas station. It's really a packed schedule in here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Wow.

[James Pietragallo]

Things to do here. Not a lot, put it that way. I found the Mercer County Fair. Now, the Mercer County Fair has been a big deal to the Mercer residents since its first inception, since it was first came in in 1853. So this is an old fair. We're talking 172-year-old fair. And it's still going, still going in July. It's literally all there is to do here. And for years and years, everybody would mine coal and do all this shit. And then this would be the one thing to do is the county fair would come around. And they say we are a small county with only 15,000 residents. The whole county. That is nothing insane. There's apartment buildings in Manhattan with 15,000 people. I feel like that's a. That's wild. Yet over 11,000 visit our fairgrounds each summer. So I don't think there's a lot of people coming from the outside to go to the Mercer County Fair. I feel like, you know, 85% of this county goes to the Mercer County Fair. Yeah, I really do. Our exhibitions are from livestock to hobbies, Antiques, photography to culinary arts, flowers and vegetables. Also a large number of our people. This is what it says on their site. This allows a large number of our people to enter the competitions, meaning all the competitions for flowers, vegetables, photos. I don't know how you have an antique competition. That's a weird.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Whose shit's the oldest?

[James Pietragallo]

I don't know. His shit's a little older than your shit. I'm sorry. We're gonna have to give it to him. There's also a pageant, of course.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Nice.

[James Pietragallo]

These fucking hill people, they love pageants.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Love judge each other's looks.

[James Pietragallo]

Let's line our little girls up and judge their looks. Now. Now we gotta.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Gotta get them young while they still got all their teeth.

[James Pietragallo]

Well, we gotta find out who's gonna be the local newscaster, the local anchorwoman. Cause every 30 years, we replace one of them and she sits in there. This is the queen pageant they have, and they Say there's three divisions of the Mercer County Fair Pageant that allow young ladies of Mercer county to gain poise and confidence in themselves by participating in the pageant. They also have the opportunity to make new friends and have a lot of fun. Get new friends. Like they're not stabbing each other in the back. These pageant girls. Please. I'm hiding your Vaseline so you can't put it on your teeth and smile. Sorry.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What's the fun?

[James Pietragallo]

I don't know. Being judged by adults. They have the Little Miss division, the Junior Miss division and then the Queen division, which I assume is adults. I hope. Anyway. Better be. There's also a poultry show over at the swine barn. Literally. That's what it's called. A rabbit show. Rabbit show. Who wants to look at other people's rabbits? That's a weird.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They got the best looking ones.

[James Pietragallo]

I just want to show them off. A sheep show.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Flop eared rabbit.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

Oh, who doesn't like a floppy eared rabbit?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Flop eared rabbit is the best.

[James Pietragallo]

They're great. Sheep show. A 4H beef check in. That's an event. Check in on the beef on Wednesday, July 9th. They have the 4H only beef check in and weigh in. And also the swine check in and weigh in. That's what's going on on Wednesday. Then there's a swine show. A goat show. Oh, baby. There's a goat show. And also a junior and senior master showmanship contest.

[Jimmy Wisman]

All right. Whatever that means.

[James Pietragallo]

I don't know if that's showing the animals. I don't know what the hell that is. Here. They have some music here as well. They have. Far Out. We'll be playing far out. 283. Oh, and that's the name of the band. Okay.

[Jimmy Wisman]

283Rd.

[James Pietragallo]

That sounds like. Like a weird chemical you get at a rave that gets you high. I got far out. 283 mo. Shit. Let me get three drops under my tongue, man. Put them in there.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Are there 282 others?

[James Pietragallo]

Must be. Wow. They'll be playing on Friday from 8pm to midnight. God damn.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Is that the area code of this 283?

[James Pietragallo]

No, it's not. Not at all. No idea. They play. They're an alternative blues rock band. Those words don't go together, by the way. There's no such thing as alternative blues. Alternative. Which. Don't know what that is. Playing an array of unique covers and original music that you will go to the bathroom while they play and then you'll come back once taking care Of Business is played for the third time. Then Vital Signs plays the next night. Okay, Vital Signs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They sound elderly.

[James Pietragallo]

Oh, yeah. We're almost just beeping. Vital Signs is a local band. That local band number one, that plays all kinds of music. Here's the. From what to what. This always reminds me of Cheech and Chong when he says everything from, you know, Santana to El Chicano. You know, everything, which is the same thing. This is everything from Johnny Cash to Judas Priest. That's a wide array of shit. Just shit, that white people sing. That's it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They're hell bent for leather.

[James Pietragallo]

Well, you know, they are. That said, whether that's leather chaps to ride a horse or.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Or to show your ass.

[James Pietragallo]

Or to show your ass and do fucking bondage. One of the two things get in the way. Yeah. To hang out at a gay leather shop. One of the two that said, let's talk about some murder that happened around here. Oh, boy. Let's talk about a young woman first. Well, a young woman for a while. Not young in our story, but her name is Monica Suzette Hartwell. H A R T W E L L Hartwell. Now, Monica. Oh, boy, she's interesting. What an interesting life this Monica has. She's born in November of 1968. She's born in nearby Princeton, which is in this county. From this county. Grew up here. She is. You don't know how local I am. I mean, she is that girl. In school, she seemed to be social and active in things. I found her involved in the school chorus for multiple years doing that. So that's an activity. She also competed in the Miss Matoka High contest. They did a pageant? Not just for the high school, for the high school. As if the hierarchies and tiers and social whatever wasn't already sharply defined in high school. Let's make it worse now. Let's really kick it up a notch. This is worse than prom queen. This is terrible.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And the county has 15,000 people, so we got to really whittle it down so that this chick with the teeth that overlap can win.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah. And this is the whole school, man. They say the principal. I found this in the newspaper. Principal has announced plans for the annual Miss Matoka High school pageant.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Great.

[James Pietragallo]

Jesus. 54 girls will be vying for the title. The theme for the pageant will be Sweet Dreams.

[Jimmy Wisman]

All right.

[James Pietragallo]

Okay. Mrs. Richard Preservati, former Miss West Virginia, will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What's her name? They use her husband's name.

[James Pietragallo]

Mrs. Richard Preservati.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What the fuck?

[James Pietragallo]

This is in 1984, not 1954.

[Jimmy Wisman]

God damn.

[James Pietragallo]

She doesn't even have a first name, this woman. Nothing. And she is a former Miss West Virginia. But it would be impossible to look her up because Mrs. Richard Preservati. That wasn't her fucking name. What are we talking about? She'll be assisted by Freddie Ray Graham, a senior at Matoka High School. So some dickhead Sr. Who's gonna be.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Like, she's judged this with a lady who doesn't even have a first name?

[James Pietragallo]

No, no, they're the MCs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, nice.

[James Pietragallo]

That's how it goes. Yeah. Him and his unnamed lady. That'll be his jokes when he comes out. So what's your name? Never mind, Richard. Judges will be Dr. Arthur W. Steller, Dr. Barbara Stellar, Barbara Cheatwood and Ellen Thompson.

[Jimmy Wisman]

All the barbs.

[James Pietragallo]

Ralph S. Byrd will serve as statistician. What do you need a statistician for? A West Virginia beauty contest for music will be provided by the high school music. Contestants will be judged on poise, facial beauty and stage presence. At least they don't put their. Their fucking body in there. As for teenage girls, we're gonna judge their fat asses. Thanks. Enough.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That seems fucked up too.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, I think. With five finalists being asked to respond verbally to questions. Oh, boy, can they talk. So I found out what happened in this because our girl Monica is involved in this here. Apparently. She didn't win. They said Bridget Meadows won. That's a problem. Yeah, she does all sorts of stuff. She's a real achiever, this Bridget. Cheerleader, Spanish Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Pep Club, newspaper. She does a lot. But second runner up? Well, the first runner up was another Hartwell. Not Monica Hartwell, a different one. Maybe a cousin or something. But the fourth runner up is Monica. She's the fifth hottest girl in Matoka High School. Apparently, she did it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Top five's not bad.

[James Pietragallo]

Top five's great. 54 women.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Top five.

[James Pietragallo]

No, 54 young ladies. Get in there now. She had an interesting upbringing too. She definitely, as a young woman, she grew up very much in a rural environment. It is absolutely, completely rural. And her life was that. I mean, beauty contest and all that makes it seem like, you know, there's something, you know, that she was like. I don't know, like, sitting in her pink room doing her nails and shit like that. And it wasn't like that at all for her. Like she had a very rural upbringing. Like bringing.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's out there doing. Yeah, getting.

[James Pietragallo]

Bringing water up from the. You know, shit like that. I mean, she really did that. She said how her and her sister worked at a grocery store while they were growing up. They kept a garden that they had to water by carrying five gallon buckets from the Bluestone River.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Jesus.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah. That's no hoes or anything they had. Her grandfather taught her how to trap and fish and her grandmother taught her how to cook and how to make dresses so she could be in more pageants.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's a dressmaking water carrying.

[James Pietragallo]

She's really doing it very old school. I mean, she is like extremely old school. She's going in down and getting some fish and getting a bucket of water and coming up and sewing a dress so she can do the pageant.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Like she's got to hurry because she's got to gut the trout. Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

I mean, yeah. You can't let it sit there.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You got to sit.

[James Pietragallo]

It's in rigor now. You got to cut it and do it. So I'm telling you. So growing up like that. Yeah, they do.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Does it?

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, they get stiff at first.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They go too hard.

[James Pietragallo]

Wow. Yeah, they get stiff. You can see them twist with rigor and then they relax again. Just like people. I don't know. It's weird. So that's an interesting life. She's not any one thing. She's doing it. Yeah. Not any one thing at all. Now her sister said, seems like she's an achiever and she can do things and she's real tough. But her sister said also she's got some problems and she does. They really surface. Her sister Teresa said that Monica was always taking care of animals and helping people when they were growing up. And also later on she becomes. She gets into. She's a beautician. She does hair and does all that kind of stuff. She goes to school for that. Now, the way her sister puts it, she was a wonderful person and a great beautician before she became sick.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, what happened?

[James Pietragallo]

Now that's the thing. We don't know what her illness is or if it was even a physical ailment. We're not sure.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh.

[James Pietragallo]

Because it just went away. And this was an ailment that would make her unable to walk or see.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It blinded her.

[James Pietragallo]

Blinded her and crippled her. Now I can't imagine. They never.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's diabetic.

[James Pietragallo]

That's the problem. They never. No, they never found a physical reason for this. So to me, if you have something that. And it also would cause her to become very confused, all it's. So if you have something that makes you not be able to walk or see and becomes confused. That's a stroke. You know what I mean? That's a physical problem. And that just doesn't go away if you have that, you have some sort of issue. And it never kind of came to fruition, really.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Shit.

[James Pietragallo]

In the end, they decided that it was probably a mental condition that did this. It was probably some sort of psychosomatic thing or some sort of mental illness. And they said the treatments that they would try to give her for these ailments, because they were just trying shit. This young lady can't walk or see. So they tried things that would have a problem and it would affect her cognition. They would give her crazy drugs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Pietragallo]

And this is in the 80s, too, so who knows what they were giving her?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Maybe the drugs blinded her. What the fuck blinded her?

[James Pietragallo]

They'd give her that to try to rectify the problem, and that's when that would affect her cognition. They didn't just give her drugs for no reason. Yeah. She got drugs because she couldn't walk or see and he was confused. Later on, when she's an adult, she's diagnosed with pretty severe bipolar disorder, which they believe that's probably what it was. Something in that universe here. And other mental conditions, not just. They said she's got bipolar and a bunch of other shit too. That's her main feature is bipolar, but there's a lot of other stuff there. Yeah. It's weird. We don't know what exactly happened, but that's the problem. Apparently. That's. Her sickness is mental issues. She'd been. Been, you know, actually put into psychiatric institutions more than once committed to him. So she's got some problems coming up. We'll just say that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

Now it doesn't matter, though, because she still. It's weird. She still seems to live a full life and even we'll find out she'll have a daughter that seems to be a very successful young lady and things like that. So she keeps it together, but also then will unravel. Sometimes it seems like. Only way I can kind of put.

[Jimmy Wisman]

It, I suppose some. I mean, not. Not everybody that's mentally unwell is just mentally sometimes.

[James Pietragallo]

Absolutely not.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sometimes the environment causes that unwellness to really kick into overdrive.

[James Pietragallo]

True. That's what I mean. She's not. She's not just, oh, completely, you know, sitting in bed, not knowing where she is and stuff like that. She seems to go through periods of achievement and lucidity and then will deteriorate, lose it, be. Have to be institutionalized for a while and Then come out and then be okay again. So that's what seems to be her cycle here. That goes on. So it's not all one thing. In December 1985, there's an engagement announcement in the newspaper. And they're saying Mr. And Mrs. Michael Hartwell. That's just how they do shit around there. This is in December 1985, of Lashmeet announced the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Monica Suzette Hartwell, to Larry Vanderhart of Norfolk, Virginia. So, yeah, they said at this point, he was in the US Navy and she was studying cosmetology, it says, and will continue to study cosmetology. They're gonna have a big church wedding on December 27th of that year. And they do. Now she ends up having a daughter, though she's married a bunch of times, by the way. Her relationships come and go, fast, as we'll find out. But she was married to this guy DeHart, and then has a daughter with a different last name. It's not hers or his, so it must be from a different guy. And she has that daughter right around this time, right around the mid-80s, she has this daughter. So it's kind of interesting, honestly. So, yeah, she has this daughter named Ashley, and she gets married then. And the other thing is, I find out, like, Ashley has, like, a bunch of, like, there's newspaper announcements when Ashley does stuff. So Monica has it together enough to put in a thing at the newspaper for an announcement. You know what I mean? So that's something. She's married a couple times. Real quick here. March 30, 2000, she gets divorced from a guy named Freddie Harless II. Don't know where he came from, but that's March 30, 2000. Now, by the middle of 2001, she is married and divorced again. Wow. She gets married and divorced within a year after she just gets divorced. If you want to call being divorced at least three times by the time you're fucking 30, fucking five years old, I would say, yeah, she's doing great, Just great. Now, in 2001, it's a guy named Brian W. Smith is who she's divorced from now. Brian Smith. Keep that name in mind. You'd imagine they're divorced. So that'll be the end of him. Oh, no. He hangs around. She'll be living with him later, even though she's with somebody else. It's insanity. So Brian does not go away. As we'll talk about 2008. Her daughter Ashley graduated from high school and she graduated with a college preparatory diploma.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

Apparently she's going to pursue a career in cosmetology at the Princeton VO Tech. Good God. Ashley, you can leave. You're allowed to leave the county. She's just gonna follow in Mom's footsteps and be a cosmetology person at the Princeton VO Tech.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What even is that?

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, vocational technical school. It's literally. That's not what you want in. Drop dead gorgeous. That was the prize was like a gift certificate for tuition at a VO Tech beauty school. It was the same shit. So Ashley gets married in 2009. So 2008, she's graduating. 2009, she's getting married. Following 100% in mom's footsteps when it comes to that marriage. Right after high school, cosmetology school, the VO Tech, everything.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Jesus.

[James Pietragallo]

She married a guy named jp. Surface.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Surface.

[James Pietragallo]

Surface. Just like a surface. And I only say this because I feel like to have newspaper announcements, your family has to have some kind of shit together to put those into the paper. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Generally, yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

You have to fill a thing out. You have to give them like $12 or whatever. Back in the day, you have to pay a few bucks. There has to be a thing. So there's some sort of something pushing them forward. My family would have never done this. They were too no count to do any of this shit. Nobody would have remembered to do any newspaper announcements or anything like that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So the money part was the first issue here.

[James Pietragallo]

The money. And also, just nobody would have thought to do it or. So, you know, oh, we got to fill a form. Never mind. No one's. That's too much. I got work in the morning. Like, that's how my family would have been. I'm not doing that. So they got married. Apparently she was escorted by her grandfather. So I don't know where the hell her father is. She was escorted by Monica's mom.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Jesus.

[James Pietragallo]

So I'm not sure where Monica's dad or Monica's dad. Yeah. Michael. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Monica's grandma.

[James Pietragallo]

Right? Come on. Come on, Grandma. Walk me down the aisle. The bride was attired in a white chiffon gown with a long train. Crystals down the side. Very nice here. The couple honeymooned in Tennessee. Is the dream honeymoon we all have. We're going to Knoxville, everybody. That's gonna be. Wow.

[Jimmy Wisman]

From Maynardsville.

[James Pietragallo]

From old Maynardsville. Now, now. Hey, everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show. Tell you a little bit more about acorns [e-mail]. absolutely. Ah, man. So many of us only focus on where our money is today. Acorns is the financial wellness app that cares about where your money is going tomorrow. Tomorrow. Acorns believes that everybody's money has potential and if you want to see what your money's capable of, Acorns Potential Screen Makes it Easy so many people are focused on all of this. It's a big deal. Obviously you should be focused on your money. You know what I mean? Acorns is a smart way to give your money a chance to grow. Acorns is easy. You can sign up in minutes and start automatically investing your spare money. Even if all you've got is spare change. Yeah, yeah, it could be a little bit, a lot. Whatever you got, Acorns grows with you. Whether you're just starting out or thinking about settling down, Acorns supports your big and small goals across every life stage. That's important. The Acorns Potential screen shows you the power of compounding and how your money could grow over time. Plus, you can quickly adjust how much you're investing every day, week or month to make sure you're building toward your goals. Acorns is all in one. No more finance apps cluttering up your phone. You don't need a whole folder for all your. You don't need that. You need just one. That's important. With Acorns, you can invest, save and give your money a chance to grow in one trusted place. It's really easy too. It's just an easy app to navigate. It's really good and really easy and you're looking to grow your money a little bit or a lot. Just like an acorn, it will sprout an oak. And that's what you can do here. Sign up now and Acorns will boost your new account with a $5 bonus. Investment Join the over 14 million all time customers who've already saved and invested over $27 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com small or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote acorns and tier 2 compensation provided potential subject to various factors such as customers accounts, age and investment settings does not include Acorns fees. Results do not predict or represent the performance of any Acorns portfolio. Investment results will vary. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors, LLC is an SEC registered investment advisor. View important [e-mail] Small and now back to the show. This message is sponsored by Raycon buyraycon.com and we want you to buy raycon.com because they are so good. These are great earbuds. Raycon's everyday earbuds have become a go to gift for the holidays. They really are terrific for yourself for a gift. They sound great. They last all day and then some with 32 hours of battery life and actually stay comfortable no matter how long you wear them. None of that weird pinched ear thing that you get going on. Over 4 million people already have a pair, so you might have been curious. And if you are, now is the time to buy them for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can get up to 30% off all of Raycon products. Perfect for gifting or for keeping it for yourself. You know what I mean? Between you and me, you know, you don't have to tell anybody. It's alright. The everyday earbuds classic are loaded with upgrades. Active noise cancellation, multipoint connectivity. That is so cool. You can pair two devices at once on there. Excellent. And an ergonomic fit that actually stays put no matter what you're doing. I have searched for years earbuds that don't fall out of my ears and into the toilet bowl and Raycon finally has delivered this for me. I love these things so much. They have new colors too that are really, really cool. I like the mint green one. Or cool mint it is. That's what it's called. They're green, they're cool. They have the blush violet. Bunch of new colors. Really cool. That way they feel less like just earbuds and more like you're putting yourself together. Like a whole part of your vibe that you got going on here. Lots of great features. Quick charge means 10 minutes of charging. Gives you 90 minutes of playtime, up to 32 hours of battery life with the case. This cool awareness mode so you can walk the dog and not get hit by a car. Because you still hear things that are going on around you while hearing. The great quality from your earbuds is, well, they're excellent. Plus over 3 million customers already love Raycons and they come with a 30 day happiness guarantee. So if you don't love them, returns are easy. You have nothing to lose. Except uncomfortable earbuds that don't work right and fall out of your ears. Lose those. Get yourself Raycons. Raycons going big for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Everything is up to 30% off. Just click the link in the description or go to buyraycon.com smalltown murder to save on Raycon audio products sitewide.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Now back to the show.

[James Pietragallo]

Monica, as this goes on into the 2010s. Monica has a longtime boyfriend. I'm shocked that she didn't marry him because she marries everybody else. But this is Michael Walker. He's about the same age as her. Born about 19 or about 10 years older. I'm sorry, born in 1958 as opposed to 68 for her. Now, birds of a feather here, because we know that Monica has quite a few psychological problems. Obviously, no judgment, just that it's a fact Michael has at least as much or more psychological issues than Monica. So that is bad when you get those people together. And for a bipolar person, too, to be very into a relationship to the point where you get married quickly and then end up divorced pretty quickly is kind of. That's kind of standard shit for like, especially for an unmedicated person who's got bipolar. That's a. That's a thing. It's, you know, the ups and downs and ebbs and flows here. So Michael Walker has what's called unspecified mental health issues.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What does that mean?

[James Pietragallo]

So many you can't even put a finger on it because you would say.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Except the rare ones. We don't know what they are.

[James Pietragallo]

We don't even know what they are. You'd say unspecified, you think undiagnosed? Yeah, but that's not the case because.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They looked him over. They just can't figure it out.

[James Pietragallo]

He is hospitalized, quote, several times a year.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, my.

[James Pietragallo]

In psychiatric facilities to readjust his medication and quote, get his head straight, as he puts it. Four times a year or so he goes, gotta go get my head straight. And he checks into the hospital for a while. So every.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Every season he's getting.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, I feel. Well, the leaves are changing. I better inside too. Wow. You know, when the barometric pressure changes. Really? My medication works way different. I got to get it fixed. So that's a lot for. And I mean, you know, I feel bad for the guy, obviously, that's terrible. But that's horrible also. At the same time, you want to keep your distance a lot of times, you know, if you're in a relationship, like a serious relationship.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So these two safety and well, being of our relationship.

[James Pietragallo]

Absolutely. These two are a match made in heaven. I mean, you can't.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Well, certainly made in the waiting room.

[James Pietragallo]

Made in somewhere. Yeah. Match made in this ward of the fourth floor of this hospital. So by 2020, they're living together, Monica and Michael. Okay. And also living in the house is her ex husband, Brian.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, of course he is.

[James Pietragallo]

She's living with her current boyfriend and her Ex husband at the same time. Now the ex husband, from what I understand, Craig doesn't. Or Brian. I'm sorry, Craig is a next door neighbor we're going to talk about, but Brian Smith, he doesn't have any like mental issues that we know about. He doesn't like. He hasn't been to a hospital, doesn't have bipolar disorder or anything like that. So imagine if you're him, you're living with your ex wife, who you. I'm sure he calls her fucking crazy all the time and to his friends and says, crazy fucking bitch. Jesus Christ. And her crazy goddamn new boyfriend.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right?

[James Pietragallo]

So he's living with them. How shitty is this guy's life? Imagine living with your ex and her new fucking boyfriend. Hey, just imagine that. Number one, if they're the sanest.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh boy.

[James Pietragallo]

If they're as sane as a fucking, you know, whatever. Like, imagine that. Like the same.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Have a healthy relationship with. How can you do that? How you can do that?

[James Pietragallo]

No, you can't. That's what I mean. Nothing about this is healthy. This is some West Virginia hill shit right here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There's no amicable separation that makes X and her new to healthy. That's not healthy.

[James Pietragallo]

I have never. That's aggressively amicable. I've never, I've never been that amicable with anybody where I'm like, you know what?

[Jimmy Wisman]

I've been that amicable with somebody in a relationship.

[James Pietragallo]

That's what I mean. That is extra amicable right there. It's amicable. Plus, that's too much. So that's a wild living arrangement.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I actively put my penis inside. I was never that amicable.

[James Pietragallo]

Never that amicable. And they're living in like a small trailer. So. Yeah, this is not a palace. No, I mean it's not. Oh, I'll live in the east wing and you guys are in the west. It's not that we're talking. They're sharing 700 square feet, probably, these people. So this is terrifying. Now July 26, 2020 comes around. Okay, and we were all going a little crazy there in 2020 and losing all of us a bit. No, it was a tough mental time for everybody. But this day, apparently old Michael is having. Michael Walker is having way more of a breakdown than most people, apparently all day, according to everyone around his neighbors and Craig and everybody. Or not Craig, I keep calling him Craig. Brian, dammit. The ex husband, Michael has been, quote, loudly spouting gibberish all day. Gibberish. I love the word gibberish. Number one, that is great. Hunter Thompson used To use the word gibberish all the time. And it was always the perfect way of use. And Blazing Saddles, authentic frontier gibberish. It's always a great word. So including claims he's spouting general gibberish of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. But the main thing that strikes people's attention, because this is normal for him to have a gibberish breakdown, is on this particular day, he is claiming to be, variously, different times, either God or Jesus. One of the two. Okay, but, you know, one of the two. A deity. A deity of some kind. The Father, the Son, He's. One day, he's the Holy Ghost. He doesn't care. He's just whatever comes up. So he is out. Him and Monica are on the front porch of their home while he is shouting, apparently loudly spouting gibberish, as the neighbors put it, about I'm Jesus Christ and I'm God and all this type of shit. Now, at the same time, that might have contributed to this, Monica and Michael have been drinking all day as well. So it's like the afternoon. They've been drinking since the a.m. they're.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Taking antipsychotics while drinking.

[James Pietragallo]

We don't know if they're taking meds. That's the other thing we don't know if they're taking. If they're actively taking their meds, they're probably prescribed them another thing. Bipolar. And this is very common for bipolar people. They don't like to take their meds.

[Jimmy Wisman]

They don't like it.

[James Pietragallo]

They like the highs, because that feels good. A manic phase is fucking great. Yeah, manic phase feels amazing. You feel like it's like being on coke because you feel like you can do anything. You can't, but you feel like you.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Can get a lot done.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah. You feel like, oh, I could, you know, I could figure this out. Peace in the Middle East. Let me sit down with it for a minute. I think I can figure this out. Literally. That's what you think. If you're in a manic phase and then the depressive phase comes on, it's not that much, but so they don't. Generally, a lot of them don't enjoy taking medicine. So sometimes they'll go off meds, and we don't know if they are on meds, off meds. They're in a fucking West Virginia trailer. All bets are off. Who knows?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah. And even if you're on antipsychotics, just being in a West Virginia trailer might make you psychotic anyway.

[James Pietragallo]

That could do it right there. And especially drinking. Yeah. And then if you are taking the drugs, drinking I don't think goes with them at all. No, it's not good. Any of these drugs. And if you're not taking your drugs, just drinking is just going to exacerbate any mental illness you have. So it's not good. So they're both drinking and he's talking about being Jesus and God and talking about the Holy Spirit from time to time, literally. And doing all this. Now the ex husband, Brian, he's in the. Imagine this, they're shit faced, yelling at each other on the front porch, arguing about who's Jesus and who's God. Nobody's on meds, everybody's drinking. And this guy's like, I'm going to try to stay in the back of the house. He literally is like, I'm going to avoid the situation. So he says he was in the yard in the back, either doing some yard work or sunbathing. We don't know which one. But either way he said it's an effort to put distance between himself and Michael Walker's ranting deity filled monologues. He does not want any part of that shit. And also Monica's up there arguing with them and they're both drunk. So let's stay back here. Now the next door neighbors here, Craig Young and Teresa Horne are young fiancees. They're getting married soon. They're engaged. Teresa and Craig were doing a woodworking project in their driveway which is about 10ft from the front porch.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What are they? Woodworking?

[James Pietragallo]

They're cutting trim. They're doing, cutting trim into pieces to do something to redo the inside of the house. Maybe baseboards, maybe ceiling things.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Who knows, maybe they're spelling their name out.

[James Pietragallo]

We don't just some Wayne Scotting. We're not sure either way. This where they're working in their driveway is about 10ft from the front porch. So a basketball hoop length distance. So they're hearing every word that's being said on the porch, all the arguing and they're trying to ignore it. Oh honey. Yeah, that's 4:15 right there. 4:16th. You want to cut that? Yeah, no, no, no. Measure that up. Yeah, we got that. You need the jigsaw. Yeah, here you go. Like they're just ignoring shit. Yeah, here's the pencil. Mark it off as I would be doing as well. So at some point Monica walks down off the porch. I don't know why she walks over to them considering they're 10ft away. You could just talk to them, but she walks down, comes over here and apologizes. She said, I am real sorry about what's going on over here. I understand that this is, you know, you're trying to have a nice afternoon doing your woodworking or whatever. And we're over here. He's acting like a crazy person. I'm very sorry. She said, it won't keep up for much longer. And she said, I'm going to, quote, get this neighborhood back to normal soon. Don't you worry about it. So they go, okay, maybe she's kicking her boyfriend out. Great, terrific. Then they're still. She goes back up there, they're still arguing. Oh, now, okay, now, upon leaving the driveway, Monica goes back home and Brian starts to. The ex husband walks around the house wanting to tell them to either shut the fuck up or go inside. Okay? Literally it was like, you can't be arguing about who's Jesus and who's God outside on the front fucking porch. Do it inside or shut up. Take your pick, basically. And at that point, Craig and Teresa, the next door neighbors, go into their house to determine to see if the piece of wood they just cut will fit. So they take a piece of wood in to go in. Okay? Now, Craig said also he didn't think Monica's comment about Mr. Walker there, about Michael Walker, you know, this neighborhood will get back to normal soon and he's gonna be out of here. He didn't find that unusual, he said, because he knew that Michael suffered from mental illnesses of all kinds and would routinely leave the house to seek mental health treatment. So remember, three, four times a year, he's at the mental hospital. So they are like, oh, yeah, that means he'll be leaving soon to go to the hospital. Basically, he comes home, he's okay for a while, he'll deteriorate. And then they go, oh, yeah, he's. He'll be back in the hospital soon. He's acting nuts again. That's how it is. Okay, so they go back inside. Now, a few minutes later, and we don't know the timing on this, by the way. This could be 30 seconds. This could be two minutes. Nobody really knows because nobody was keeping track. But Teresa and Craig, the next door neighbors, hear a gunshot, a loud one. Yeah. And they walk outside and they see, as soon as they get out of the door, they see Brian Smith running toward them yelling that Monica just shot Michael. Monica just shot Michael. Okay, now we don't know between five and 30 seconds is what they say. Who knows? So he's saying, she shot Michael, she shot Michael called 911. Call 911. So Teresa calls 911. They see that the front. As they get out, they also see the front door is closing and there's Michael laid out on the front porch. Not claiming to be a deity at this point. So Brian says that he last saw them on the front porch. He exited the back door of the house a few minutes later, heard a gunshot, ran around the house and saw that, saw Michael Walker's dead body lying in the bushes. She shot him off the porch. Wow. So the 911 call comes in. They said, there's been a shooting over here, can you please come on over? They said, do you know who shot him? And the next door neighbors who called the cops said, we have no fucking idea. We were inside our house. I mean you can ask them I guess, but I don't know. Now everybody remains near the front porch. Brian, Craig, Teresa, everybody but Monica who went back in the house. She went back in the house and sat inside on the couch alone. The cops don't show up for 15 or 20 minutes. She's still on the couch inside.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Just sitting there watching tv.

[James Pietragallo]

Sitting there just enjoying the quiet. Yeah. Not watching whatever show is going on in her brain at this point. So the cops arrive, they get here.

[Jimmy Wisman]

How did she do that? She's blind.

[James Pietragallo]

What?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Wait, no, she's not the blind one.

[James Pietragallo]

What am I doing blind? No one in the story's blind. What are we talking? Where did blind come from?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Never mind.

[James Pietragallo]

Earlier she couldn't see when she had an event when she was a teenager.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She can see that, right?

[James Pietragallo]

She can see and want forever. No, no, no. Just my. Wow. Okay. Yeah, that confused the shit out of me. Thank you.

[Jimmy Wisman]

This whole time I'm going, wait, is she still blind?

[James Pietragallo]

She was only blind for when she had her a little bit.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Got it.

[James Pietragallo]

So they get there, they're dispatched about 3:30. They've been drinking all day and it's 3:30. Holy PM not amazing. So imagine what this would have been like by midnight. Afternoon, afternoon. They got this is groundhog for breakfast type shit here, which is also West Virginia, which is.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Should be getting off. Should be. Shouldn't even be getting off work yet.

[James Pietragallo]

No, no, she should be going to hang out with the, with the groundhog for breakfast, guys.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

Because they're drinking purple drink and doing all this shit early in the morning. So they get there, they realize, holy shit, there's Walker lying on the front steps, half in the bushes, bleeding and not moving. So there's a Trooper Weekly, and he's one of the officers here. He was advised by the next door neighbor that I guess Monica shot him. That's what I heard because he only heard that because that's what Brian said when he came around the corner. So they then secure the home from the outside and they're like, well, where is she? Where is this Monica? They say, she's in the house. So they say, okay. They walk into the house, there she is sitting on the couch, calm as can be. Yeah. They're like, can you stand up? No problem. She's cooperative. Trooper Weekly asks her, where's the gun? Okay. Now, at that time, she was handcuffed, surrounded by the whole West Virginia State Police and Mercer County Sheriff's department. There's 10 cops in their trailer, living room, she's handcuffed and she was being escorted out of the house. So she's not free to leave or anything like that. And she's not been advised of her Miranda rights yet. She has not been read her rights. But he said, where's the gun? Okay. She answered by saying, the gun's on the couch. Okay. So they sent another cop in to look for it. And there it is on the couch. A.410, single shot shotgun.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Pietragallo]

So yeah, that's what she shot her with.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's it.

[James Pietragallo]

That's it. One shot. Boom. Loaded it once. Pow. That's the one. Now, Brian said that he gave the statement to the cops and he said it was about. They talked to him about 45 minutes after the shooting. He said that the last two hours before the shooting, they'd been drinking a lot and Michael Walker was running his quote, running his mouth all the time. God, Jesus, holy spirit. She threatened to do this. I didn't think she was going to do it. I heard her say, he's demon possessed. He's demon possessed. The county would be a better place if he wasn't here. I'm going to kill him. So that's why he went to the backyard. He's demon possessed. He's demon possessed. County be a better place. I'm going to shoot him. He's like, I'll go in the backyard. This is why we're divorced. So he said that he was just getting some sun, he heard the shot and he said he couldn't see the front door because of the foliage. So he ran out and he saw that Walker had been shot. He went to the next door neighbor's house, said, Call 911. He said he had the phone with him because he had called to he had planned to ask for a ride, so he had a cordless phone with him. It's all confusing. So now, other witnesses, they also say that, yeah, Monica had been threatening to kill Michael all day and actually called up a family member and was, like, going over the merits of killing him or not. Yeah, she was like, I feel like killing him, but I don't know. You know what I mean? Then she was going over, I mean, if I kill him, it'll be good for this reason, but bad for that reason. Yeah. Yeah. She did say, though, he does need to at least be removed from the county or killed because, quote, he was a demon from hell. Not just a demon. Demon straight from the fires. Yeah, and the county would be a better place without him. She told this relative she loved him, but finally saw who he was and killing him would protect her community, you know, from demons. The one cop said, after hearing all of this, this murder seems to be pretty cut and dry, but. But we still have a lot of work to do on it, they said. So is she gonna talk? Seems like she'd have a lot to say if they tell her.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She doesn't have to, though. She might not.

[James Pietragallo]

Who knows? Well, she's placed in a state police cruiser after she's arrested. She first declined to be interviewed after being advised of her Miranda rights. But later on, when one of the detectives checked on her, she changed her mind and said, now I do wanna talk.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, okay.

[James Pietragallo]

Now, neighbors told investigators that both Monica and Michael, quote, had mental issues that day and had been drinking all day as well. The one cop said, I believe Ms. Hartwell told me she was schizophrenic and bipolar. That'll do it. That's a lot, he said. Ms. Hartwell told me that Walker believed he was God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and that she did not believe that. Well, obviously, she's being. You know, she's logical. That's what it is. Until the next sentence, which is, quote, she believed he was possessed by a demon instead. So, you know something. It's some kind of entity. We're not sure where it's from, but it's something. So is she competent? That's the question.

[Jimmy Wisman]

That's the other thing. Can she be.

[James Pietragallo]

That's a big deal here. So the prosecuting attorney right away told the court during the first preliminaries that Monica was currently competent to stand or he did not think she was currently competent to stand trial. That's the prosecutor. I think she needs some work before we put her on trial. She's a little wacky. Hartwell's attorney, Ryan Flanagan, said his client had been, quote, in and out of competency, which means not competent. That's not competent is what that means.

[Jimmy Wisman]

In and out, in and out of confidence.

[James Pietragallo]

One minute she's confident, next minute she's not. Wow.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She never was.

[James Pietragallo]

They also said that there's a prosecuting attorney said that Monica had been drinking when the shooting occurred, so there was the issue of diminished capacity to be considered as well. So the judge said that the reports concerning the shotgun and autopsy, you know, are pretty, pretty damning as far as obviously he was shot and things like that. But, you know, you guys have to look all over this. They said that, oh, she's going to have two other. She's going to have at least two mental evaluations to determine her competency, blah, blah, blah. In jail, she attempts to commit suicide, by the way, which is not surprising. I mean, she's in jail, mentally ill. Who knows if she's getting any meds? We don't know. So now the state's evidence at this point, it sounds pretty open and shut. Until you really look at it, the only evidence that she committed the crime was because Brian Smith said she did. Really?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Pietragallo]

Brian Smith came around and said Monica shot him. Monica shot him. Nobody else saw Monica shoot him.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay.

[James Pietragallo]

None of that shit. So, yeah, I mean, the neighbor said we last saw her with the victim on the porch and they heard a gunshot and saw him in the bushes. But that's it. The gun, that's definitely the gun that killed him. They figure that out. So that's interesting. And she did say she thought he was possessed. That's the thing. The state of West Virginia's medical examiner testified that the distance between the barrel of the gun and the victim was less than two feet. Less than two feet with a shotgun.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Well, and a 410 isn't crazy, but it's. It's so two feet away.

[James Pietragallo]

Any gun is pretty crazy, you know.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And two feet away, that gives that opportunity to branch out too, and spread and really take your brutal head.

[James Pietragallo]

This show, Small Town Murder, is sponsored by better help betterhelp.com you know it, Jimmy. And I'm telling everybody right now, yeah, the days are getting shorter. It's getting dark earlier. It's a little gloomy or out. That doesn't mean that you have to feel like that on the inside. That's the thing. Outside and inside they don't have to match up like that. This is a good time to know that you're not alone. We all are. We all need to know that now. And so it's, you know, it's tough. So this November, Better Help is encouraging everyone to reach out, check in on your friends, reconnect with the loved ones and remind people in your life that you're there. It's helpful just to know somebody's there and you'll be happy that they're there as well. It's a nice thing to do and it helps out a lot. And you'll end up saying, why didn't I do this sooner? I should have done this earlier. Human connection is really what you need. And that's kind of what therapy's, that's mostly what therapy is all about. It's a human connection to make with somebody. And honestly, there's nothing bad about therapy. It is good for everybody. Everybody could use it. And BetterHelp is the place to get started with that. BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct. They're fully licensed in the US the thing about matching with a therapist is huge because that's a tough thing. You never know if you're going to vibe with somebody. BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals. Just a short questionnaire helps identify your needs and preferences. And then they use their 12 plus years of experience and industry leading match fulfillment rate. It means they usually get it right the first time. But if you're not happy, switch therapists at any time for no additional cost. You can't beat that. They want you to get help and really, honestly, it's the best way to do it. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the one of the world's largest online therapy platforms. They've served over 5 million people globally and it really works. With an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars for a live session based on over 1.7 million client reviews, they do good work. And this month don't wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend or reaching out to a therapist yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step. Plus, our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] Smalltown Murder that's betterhelp.com Smalltown.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Murder now back to the show.

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[James Pietragallo]

It's brutal. Here's the thing. Monica, when they went in and grabbed her, she had no blood on her body or clothing. I don't know how you would shoot somebody from two feet away and not get any spread any blowback on you. Nothing. Not a drop. It seems unlikely, right?

[Jimmy Wisman]

Seems not easy.

[James Pietragallo]

I'm not a physicist, but it seems like there would be some spatter coming back at you because if you hit them with a fucking hammer from that distance, you'd get some spatter on you. So I would assume a bullet would also have that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

This is a. Depending on which. What's in that gun? If it's a slug, you're getting tons.

[James Pietragallo]

Oh, tons. But even if it's fucking bird shot.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Something, there's gotta be something. Yeah. That just tears flesh apart.

[James Pietragallo]

Little pieces of blood on you, little droplets, even mist. I mean, because they do it with the black light and all that, the sploom and all. They'll see anything on there. Now also, her team claims, and they don't have any tests to disprove this, that she did not have any gunshot residue on her hands either. So she can shoot someone from two feet away without getting any blood or gunshot residue on her, which is pretty impressive.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's a straight up assassin, man.

[James Pietragallo]

That's impressive. Now Monica's legal team also claims, and we have not been able to figure out the veracity of this, that the only person on the property out of the four people hanging around, or five people, meaning two neighbors, the dead man, Monica and Craig. Only person with gunshot residue on their hands during a test was Craig, the ex husband. Okay, now what the fuck? That's interesting. So the trial comes up, they end up taking her to trial. So I'm sorry, yes, Craig. Okay, now I'm sorry, Brian, not Craig. What am I talking about? Brian the ex husband. I keep calling him Craig. Brian is the one with gunshot residue on his hands, not Craig. Craig's the neighbor. He's making wood. Shit. He has no gunshot residue. So the neighbor testifies. This is the actual neighbor, Craig. He testifies at trial. I was just cutting wood, man. I don't know what the fuck happened. We were sitting and talking. They were talking loud. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He said on the stand that Monica was talking about demons and that Walker would be leaving soon. And the neighbors said that she usually spoke like this. Before Walker would go to the hospital, Michael would sign himself into a psychiatric institution every few months. And the lawyer asked him on the stand, and he was talking out of his head, which is a very weird legal thing. And he said, so he was talking out of his head. And Craig said very badly, out of his mind. So Craig also said that he spoke with Walker that day and advised him, you should go back to the hospital. Hey, man, you just said you're the holy spirit. Maybe it's time to check back into the hospital. What do you say, buddy? He said whenever he was talking to himself on the steps, it literally seemed like two or three voices were coming out of him, which is scary. Yeah, he said, adding that at one point he thought that Monica was with Michael, but Michael was talking to himself. Actually, he thought that there was a conversation between multiple people, and it was just Michael with different voices coming out of his head. So he's either, you know, the guy from fucking police Academy, name, coincidentally, is also Michael.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Michael.

[James Pietragallo]

Michael W. As a matter of fact, too. Michael Winslow. That's pretty impressive. Or he's this now Brian Smith here. The defense attorney asked Smith, did you shoot Michael Walker? Did you? And he said, I did not shoot Michael Walker. No, not the shooter. So that's what we have. They're saying you don't have any proof that she shot him other than this cop saying, where's the gun? And she pointed it out. So in closing, the prosecution here, I mean, they're asking the jurors, look at all the evidence. Use your common sense. He said, immediately after the shot, where was Monica? What did she do? Where was she at? It was a small house. She had to have heard the shot. She stayed in the house while everybody in the neighborhood was outside. She knew what happened, which is a fair statement.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Sure.

[James Pietragallo]

Everybody else ran over there. There's cops and everything. She just sits on the couch. That seems weird. Also, Monica told the troopers where to find the shotgun. And. Yeah, so there you go. And she can Blame Brian Smith all she wants, but his account of the shooting has stayed consistent from the second we started. And we don't know what's up with her. Now, the defense said that. Oh, no. They also said, by the way, the prosecution said that Brian Smith could not have fired the shotgun, put it in the house, then run back outside so quickly and then like around the house to come out and say, hey, they shot him. Craig, the next door neighbor, said that he was in his house when the shot was fired and was outside talking to Brian within 30 seconds. But again, it's a small house. You could easily drop the shotgun off, go out the back door, run around the side and come out in 30 seconds. You could do that. That's very possible. Now, the defense in their closing said there's no credible evidence showing that Monica committed the crime. There's no credible witnesses, no fingerprints on the shotgun. Wow. No fingerprints on the shotgun. No blood on her clothing, no gunshot residue on her hands.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Okay. If they figure this out, that is very impressive.

[James Pietragallo]

That is wild. He said there's reasonable doubt that she was the one that shot Michael and that it's possible that Brian Smith is the shooter. She said, ladies and gentlemen, we just talked to you and told you that there's no evidence. At the very least, it's reasonable doubt. And as the judge just instructed you, if you find reasonable doubt, the law requires you to find her not guilty. Now, prosecution rebuts and said that, oh, wow. The defense is saying that Brian Smith ran out, shot this guy, threw the shotgun down, ran around the side of the house and oh boy, she shot him. Quote, Brian Smith must be Superman.

[Jimmy Wisman]

He'd be flying.

[James Pietragallo]

It's a. That's less crazy than being the Holy Spirit, I guess. Who knows?

[Jimmy Wisman]

He's faster than the speeding bullet, James.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, he is. Now, they said to be the shooter, he would have to shot the gun, did all that, ran outside, did all the shit that we just said. Because Smith was also the person who first called 911. The prosecution says, why would Brian shoot this man right in front of her? Does he not expect her to tell the police? Okay, now the verdict comes in. The jurors go in at 1:30 in the afternoon, and less than an hour later, they have a verdict.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Got it.

[James Pietragallo]

So they understand what happened, I guess. Or they think they do, and they find her guilty of second degree murder.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Bingo. Wait.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah. Yeah. So members of her of, by the way, Michael Walker's family didn't even attend the hearing. None of. They couldn't find them. They Said that a county probation department could not contact any one of his relatives. This poor man had nobody.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Had nobody.

[James Pietragallo]

He literally had nobody that would come watch his murder trial.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Unbelievable.

[James Pietragallo]

That's sad, man. That's really sad. I feel bad for him. So the prosecution here, the prosecuting attorney judge, asked the prosecution if the state was taking any position about sentencing. And the state said that the court was aware of her admissions to law enforcement and psychiatrists and would leave the sentencing to the court. Basically, we don't know what to do with her, she said. The prosecution said, we believe she needs to be sentenced to the penitentiary and receive treatment there. As far as duration, we will leave that to the court. Usually they have a real good idea exactly how long they want somebody in there. So for this they're like, we don't know what the fuck to do with this. You figure it out. This is on you. Her attorney filed motions for a new trial and all that kind of shit. He also told the court that Monica had been a productive member of society before she came ill, became ill, and that she has been battling mental illness her entire life. He asked the court to have a pre sentencing evaluation on her mental condition. Monica's sister said Teresa said, quote, monica does not know how to load a shotgun and never had a shotgun. I do know my sister is a very loving person. And she also adds that this is a case where the mental health system has failed because failed completely. Two people, both. Both her and him. Monica stands up and reads a statement to the court.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, what is this gibberish?

[James Pietragallo]

There you go. Thank you. I love it. Thank you for using it. She recalled her childhood as she worked at a grocery store and kept the garden and carried the five gallon buckets up from the river. How her grandfather taught her to fish and trap and her grandmother taught her how to cook and make dresses. All the stuff we talked about, she brought all that up.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah, that was nice.

[James Pietragallo]

As she read her statement, she said that Walker. She said she wasn't on her medication and sometimes she wouldn't be because Michael Walker would hide her medication because he didn't want either of them to be on meds that day because he was going loopy. And she said she still does not remember what happened the day that he was shot. She said, I don't remember what happened. She asked the judge for mercy so she could be with her family. She said, quote, you, Honor, please have mercy on me. I pray you'll have mercy on me.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She is begging to be let out of jail because she also doesn't remember.

[James Pietragallo]

I feel bad for everybody here because I don't think anybody could help with anything that went on today. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Wisman]

I think she may be beyond help.

[James Pietragallo]

That does.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's. You never. She thinks that there's mercy to be.

[James Pietragallo]

Given, and we're not even positive she did it, for Christ's sake. That's the other thing. Like, it's crazy.

[Jimmy Wisman]

What the fuck?

[James Pietragallo]

The judge said there was limits as to what he could do in cases involving mental illness. He's like, I can only do so much here. He said, my hands are tied about what I can do with mental health. Yeah. He can't cure her, I guess. He said that he couldn't put her on probation. Obviously. She murdered a guy. He couldn't send her to any other place but a penitentiary. He said, I haven't heard any reason why this man was killed. None other than he was fucking annoying and he was spouting. So he sentences her to, you, ma', am, may fuck off. 40 years in prison.

[Jimmy Wisman]

40 years.

[James Pietragallo]

40 years with 789 days credit for time served. 2 years. So she was 2 years before they could get her on trial.

[Jimmy Wisman]

She's only got 38 more to go.

[James Pietragallo]

Wow. Also, she's assessed all court costs which must be paid within one year of her release or her driver's license will be suspended. Which is hilarious. You're saying she'll have a driver's license when she gets out of jail in 38 years. And they'll immediately say, you can't drive. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

50S.

[James Pietragallo]

68. So she's. Yeah, she's in her 50s. So when you get out in your 90s, you better pay that or we'll take your driver's license away. They also, the judge suggests that a physician provide the maximum amount of mental health treatment while she's incarcerated. He says, I certainly believe she needs to get help in the penal system. The maximum amount they can give her, whatever they got, just give it to her. Now she appeals this based on. They say that the court erred in denying a motion to suppress, press Trooper Weekly's testimony about her telling him the location of the gun because she was not Mirandized. But she was in custody. They said they had her. She wasn't free. She was cuffed and surrounded by cops and being walked. So that is in custody at that point. You ask anything you need to do that. But there's extenuating circumstances because there's a loose gun in the house.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Right.

[James Pietragallo]

So the prosecution's whole thing is the question of where's the gun? You know, the defense says that's a custodial interrogation at this point. Whereas they're saying, no, no, no, that's a matter of safety.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Safety for the county.

[James Pietragallo]

Yes, for the county.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Keep this county safe.

[James Pietragallo]

Keep this county safe from this gun. So they're saying, safe, county and all that. Now, in custody is a very. As we've talked about before, is a very precarious. Yeah.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Because you can be detained and not be in custody.

[James Pietragallo]

Well, it's also about the letter of the law, is about whether the person feels they're in custody. So sometimes it's not even about the actual whether they're in custody or not. It's whether they are under the impression they're in custody. So what they're saying, the defense is being in handcuffs, surrounded by cops and walked somewhere. You think you're in custody. Whether you are or not, that's custody. You know what I mean? That's custodial interrogation at that point. So you know, what the fuck. Basically is how they're saying it. And that kind of makes sense, but they're saying that. So they're calling it a response to custodial interrogation. Telling him where the gun is and finding it. By the way, Brian. They question Brian more on this. The ex husband. That's his gun. The shot.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, no.

[James Pietragallo]

He sleeps on the couch and keeps the shotgun between the cushions of the couch.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Real.

[James Pietragallo]

So that's.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Where does he. Of them is he.

[James Pietragallo]

Dude.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

Either that or they should be scared of him. One of the two. But he.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Why don't you guys kick him out? He has a shotgun in the couch.

[James Pietragallo]

We can wake him up and within five seconds he could be shooting us. That's why. So he keeps it in the cushions of the couch. And his thing is. Well, I kept it there. It doesn't mean that I did it. That just means she knew where the gun was.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Yeah.

[James Pietragallo]

So anyway, they're asking for the whole thing to be overturned based on that, which I guess you could say that now they're saying what's critical to the resolution of the case is that the trooper testified without contradiction at the time he asked the petitioner, where's the gun? The officers had not yet secured the weapon. The prior to their entry into the home, officers knew only that the victim had been shot on the front porch and that the petitioner had apparently gone into the house immediately after and that she had not been seen again by Mr. Smith, Mr. Young or Ms. Horn during the 15 to 20 minutes it took for law Enforcement to respond. No one actually saw her go into the house. Rather, Brian Smith said he heard a gunshot, rounded the corner, and saw the front door closing. So they didn't even know if she was in there. Thus, after the petitioner exited the house and had been can cuff the officers still did not know whether there might be someone else inside who had access to the weapon. That's what they're saying. So they're saying they asked her, where's the gun? For immediate safety purposes, not for interrogation purposes or interrogatory purposes. So they said they didn't know whether she had left the weapon in the house or during the interval of time, that it elapsed, thrown it from a window or back door into the unsecured environs of the property, where it might be found by a passerby or an inquisitive child. So they're saying, unless they asked her, where's the gun? Before reading her her rights, which takes 15 seconds, a child in that 15 seconds would have walked by, picked up the gun and blew his brains out.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Obviously, that's an inquisitive child for you.

[James Pietragallo]

That is a very inquisitive. They said a passerby or an inquisitive child. Which means if it was an inquisitive child who was passing by, he would have taken it for sure. There's no doubt about it.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Fucking inquisitive kids.

[James Pietragallo]

Inquisitive kids. They were also trying to say that Trooper Welkey's testimony that the response to the question was it's on the couch. Was inadmissible, hearsay, based on that. But the court says it's well established, beyond a dispute, that the defendant's own statements are admissible against him or her as admissions of the party opponent. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He's allowed to say that. Now, she cites no rule or cases to the contrary, and thus we reject the hearsay argument and they affirm the conviction. So it is affirmed. She's currently being housed at the LCC facility. Her ID number is 365-4659. She looks like, from what it says here, her parole. Next parole hearing is in 2030. Wow. So that's not. That's only, you know, it's four and a half years away. It's July of 2030.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So that's amazing.

[James Pietragallo]

Her projected release date is 2040, which I guess because it was 40 years. I don't know if it's an automatic. Whatever. I don't know. They expect her to be released in 20 apparently so. There you go. That's when she might be released. So she won't be that old. She might want that driver's license. So she better start saving up for court costs.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You better pay these. Pay these fees, lady.

[James Pietragallo]

Pay these fees and fines and for that matter, court costs and meds. She's going to Brian's.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Never.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Never fucked with about this.

[James Pietragallo]

Nope. They just. Just said it's her. That's that.

[Jimmy Wisman]

So my.

[James Pietragallo]

We don't know what happened. I don't know if he. If some dude pinned a fucking crime on a crazy lady. Yeah, because she's too crazy to figure and was having a breakdown or.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Crazy lady so crazy she blood doesn't even remember.

[James Pietragallo]

Yeah, that's the other thing. Who the fuck knows? Also, it's fucking rural West Virginia. So maybe these people didn't look too well. I do not. I don't trust this investigation one fucking bit, to be honest with you. Who knows?

[Jimmy Wisman]

So I don't trust much of this story, to be honest with you.

[James Pietragallo]

That's. Who knows. That's what I mean.

[Jimmy Wisman]

I don't even know if she was ever blind.

[James Pietragallo]

We don't even know if she could. Maybe she walked just fine back in the day. So, by the way, quick update. That Alaska case we did a couple weeks ago where we were waiting for the sentencing on Halloween night. Moses Blanchard's sentencing was delayed. That's why it didn't come out.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Oh, okay.

[James Pietragallo]

It didn't come out till the next day. And also.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And you know what else is delayed?

[James Pietragallo]

You people need to chill the fuck out.

[Jimmy Wisman]

People in Alaska's understanding how little we give a fuck what you think.

[James Pietragallo]

Dude, you went there to run away from society. We don't care. Stay there. Fuck off.

[Jimmy Wisman]

And also, your reactions to things on Facebook have not been fixed.

[James Pietragallo]

No.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There's a man death.

[James Pietragallo]

Same thing. Doing the same shit to prove that you wouldn't do that. That was the wild part.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Fucking idiots.

[James Pietragallo]

It was insane. You burned a house down to prove that you don't like to play with matches. That's what you did. And it's crazy. That shit was nuts.

[Jimmy Wisman]

There's a dead man who by all intents and purposes is fucking innocent, wasn't convicted of anything. And. And you didn't like hearing about it.

[James Pietragallo]

Nope. That's. Thank God there's only 14 people in Alaska with Wi Fi. Fuck all 14 of you, by the way. Yeah, they. And I did some research and look back on it, by the way, there was a couple of things from, like, the 70s that the old man got arrested for indecent exposure one time and stuff like that. But I found nothing that he was like the town rapist or anything. So that was crazy, you guys.

[Jimmy Wisman]

You can't hurt.

[James Pietragallo]

That was wild.

[Jimmy Wisman]

Perhaps he was drunk and his dick was out. It sounds like that's common up there.

[James Pietragallo]

That seems very common. So either way, there you go. That is West Virginia. Hope you enjoyed that. If you did, definitely go to whatever app you're listening on. Give us five stars. It helps a lot. Shut up and give me. Murder.com is a website. You can get tickets, but no tickets are left right now. Tickets will be available for 2026 in December, so keep an eye out for that. Also Patreon or social media actually you want to follow on Instagram, Smalltown Murder on Facebook, Smalltown Pod. Patreon.com CrimeInSports is where you get the bonus material. Anybody $5 a month or above. You get it all, a whole back catalog, hundreds of episodes you've never heard. New ones every other week, including this week, crime and sports Team relocations Part two, Small Town Murder, American Prison system, the whole thing from where it started, where it is now. And then we're do Charles Stark weather in two weeks after that. That's going to be a lot of fun. Can't wait for that. And you get everything, of course. And you get everything ad free and you get a shout out at the end of The Regular Show. Patreon.com CrimeInSports do that. Head over to ShutUpAndGiveMemurder.com if you want to follow us on social media. All the dropdown menus take you where you want to go. That said, thank you so much everybody. It's been amazing and until next week, everybody, it's been our pleasure.