Episode 325

Summary

Sword and Scale – Episode 325 Summary

Podcast: Sword and Scale
Date: October 30, 2025
Episode: 325

Overview: A Modern Teenage Tragedy

This episode of Sword and Scale centers on the tangled and ultimately fatal conflict between two teenage girls, Brianna Barozini and Halia Culbertson, in suburban Ohio. Through raw courtroom audio, 911 calls, witness interviews, and chilling social context, the episode reconstructs the sequence of personal and group failures—escalated by social media and the culture of recording—that led to Halia’s death, Brianna’s conviction, and a community left reeling.

The main theme interrogates the line between victim and aggressor, personal agency, and the toxic influence of viral culture on real-life violence. The episode also offers a look at shifting self-defense laws and notions of responsibility in a digital age.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Courtroom Plea and Immediate Aftermath (00:12–03:10)

• Brianna, at 20, pleads guilty to causing Halia's death, waiving her rights in a tense, emotion-charged Ohio courtroom.
• The maximum sentence would be three years and a $10,000 fine; the crime is non-expungeable.
• Judge: "When you plead guilty, it is a complete admission…You're going to be convicted today and you're going to be sentenced on July 11th." (02:30)
• Both families sit in silent, tense opposition.

2. Reconstruction of the Night: 911 Call, Chaos, and Witnesses (05:02–13:42)

• Dalen Barich, Halia’s close friend (who calls her his “sister”), and friend Kenzie Adrian are present for the fight and attack outside a smoke shop in Columbus.
• Dalen films the altercation; Kenzie tries to stem Halia’s bleeding, gives information to police.
• Tension and chaos: “Dylan, her self-proclaimed brother, thought he was protecting her. But…he may have helped get her killed.” (12:54)
• The fatal altercation is captured in its entirety on Dalen's phone, which becomes key evidence.

3. The Fight: Social Context and Escalation (16:04–26:35)

• The actual footage shows Halia provoking Brianna, who appears to retreat, holding canned drinks, her boyfriend trying to intervene.
• Crowd energy and Dalen’s egging on help escalate the fight:
  Dalen: "Crunch her ass, Halia. Crunch her ass, Halia." (17:04)
• Brianna slashes Halia’s throat with a knife; the wound is initially unnoticed, and the fight continues before Halia collapses.
• Analytical insight: The fight wasn’t premeditated but a culmination of long-running disputes, social loyalties, and family rancor.

4. Backstory: Years of Bad Blood (18:13–24:22)

• The animosity between Brianna’s and Kenzie’s families traces back to Kenzie’s underage pregnancy with Brianna’s older brother, resulting in criminal charges and an ongoing custody dispute.
• Kenzie: "She doesn't like me because I don't let her or her family see my daughter... I have a restraining order on him." (23:01)
• For these teens, found families and alliances (like Dalen’s with Kenzie) weighed heavily in their identities and loyalties.

5. The Fight in Their Words: Interviews and Motivations (27:19–40:13)

• Brianna’s boyfriend and the smoke shop cashier both describe efforts to avoid confrontation, echoing that Dalen’s instigation amplified hostilities.
• Brianna routinely carries a knife, citing fear and the threat posed by Halia’s boasts about guns and violence.
• Both sides are steeped in social media-driven drama (TikTok, Instagram DMs, "obsessed" accusations).
• Revelatory evidence emerges: a text from Brianna two weeks earlier—"I would sooner slice Hylia's throat if she comes near me again." (41:59)
  This text acquires chilling retroscpectivity after Halia’s death, raising questions about intent versus in-the-moment panic.

6. Legal Responses: Investigation and Shifting Laws (44:18–54:36)

• Brianna is arrested and released on bond; defense lawyer Bob Craypants initially sees a tragic but plausible self-defense case.
• Bob Craypants: "It sounds to me like it was self-defense and more of an accident and unintentional, but also just a tragedy." (44:53)
• Ohio had changed its self-defense law: now prosecution must prove it wasn’t self-defense, and juries can't consider whether the accused could have retreated (the "duty to retreat" abolished in most settings).
• Surveillance and Dalen's video are meticulously reviewed. Detective Pryb asserts:
  Det. Pryb: "Brianna pulled the knife out 10 to 15 seconds prior to the smack…she holds it close to her thigh...after Halia slaps her, she turns and starts to walk away. That’s when Brianna...swings and hits her." (48:25)

7. Social Media's Toxic Role (54:36–62:09)

• The case is framed as a tragedy compounded by the compulsion to record and perform for an unseen internet audience.
• Dalen's decision to record, hype Halia, and stoke the drama is criticized as directly contributing to the escalation.
• Bob Craypants: "He egged it on while…waiting for Brianna to leave the store. He egged it on while it was happening." (55:17)
• The performative culture of smartphones, public fights, and viral spectacle distorts behavior and raises stakes dangerously.

8. Courtroom Aftermath and Sentencing (62:34–68:40)

• Brianna pleads to involuntary manslaughter just before trial; prosecution drops murder charges due to evidence complications.
• Emotional victim impact statements:
  Kenzie (Halia's best friend): "That night I felt like part of my soul, more like all of it, left when Halia left. I hope that her killer gets the maximum sentence." (64:39) Dalen Barich: "Bringing a knife to a fist fight is considered unethical, illegal, dangerous…Here we have a smart, college educated 4.0 student...Maybe she's just smart enough to play us all." (65:57)
• The judge sentences Brianna to the maximum three years.
• Detective Pryb: "Brianna chose to bring out a weapon and then to use that weapon in the course of that assault. So she escalated it." (68:08)
• Brianna's early release is granted; she will serve just one year.

9. Final Reflections: No True Winners (69:22–end)

• The episode's closing ruminates on how all parties made destructive choices, but the unique toxicity of social media, the urge to record, and the pressure to perform intensified every decision.
• Narrator: "Social media didn’t kill Halia…But it created the environment for her to die. It changed behavior. It added pressure. It made everything feel dramatic and impossible to walk away from."
• The story ends with no catharsis, only devastation and indictments on a culture of spectacle.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If I would have known she was getting stabbed tonight, I would have let myself got stabbed before her."
  – Dalen Barich (00:12)
• “Bringing a knife to a fist fight is considered unethical, illegal, dangerous.”
  – Dalen Barich at sentencing (65:57)
• “He egged it on while…waiting for Brianna to leave the store. He egged it on while it was happening.”
  – Bob Craypants (55:17)
• "She always carries knives because…a lot of people try to…attack her or just try to come up to her because the issues with Halia and Bri has always been a thing since November."
  – Brianna’s Boyfriend (33:29)
• "All it takes is for a friend to say, hey, you know what, let her go, let's get in the car…One person says that and maybe it derails the whole thing."
  – Bob Craypants (58:07)
• "When I look at who's responsible…I look at him [Dalen] and say, you know what? You had such a role in this thing, and it was so unnecessary and it was so childish and it was so dangerous."
  – Bob Craypants (60:43)
• “Social media didn’t kill Halia…But it created the environment for her to die. It changed behavior. It added pressure. It made everything feel dramatic and impossible to walk away from.”
  – Narrator (69:29)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Courtroom Plea and Sentencing | 00:12–03:10, 62:34–68:40
• 911 Call & Immediate Aftermath | 05:02–13:42
• Fight Footage and Instigation | 16:04–20:50, 30:34–32:41
• Family Feuds/Background | 18:13–24:22
• Detective/Legal Analysis | 44:18–54:36
• Social Media Analysis | 54:36–62:09
• Victim Impact Statements | 64:39–65:43
• Final Reflections | 69:22–end

---

Tone & Style

The episode is blunt, unsparing, and at times laced with harsh, biting social commentary. The narrative switches between raw emotional testimony, police/legal analysis, and the host’s sardonic take on “thug culture,” social media, and shifting language. This mirrors the podcast’s trademark mix of cynicism, tragedy, and forensic detail, while never glossing over the raw grief left in the wake of such deaths.

---

Takeaways

• A lethal fight among teenagers was stoked by long-standing feuds, social media drama, and the pressure of being on camera.
• All parties made decisions that pushed the conflict toward irreversible tragedy—escalated by performative recording and viral culture.
• Shifting self-defense laws complicated the justice process, resulting in a notably light sentence.
• The episode ends with a stark reminder: "No one wins in a story like this."

This episode is an unvarnished look at how impulsive teen drama, unchecked by mature intervention and inflamed by social media, can turn horrifyingly real—and how the desire for attention and documentation can outweigh the instinct for de-escalation, with irreversible consequences.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and.

[Judge]

Violence and is not intended for all audiences.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Listener discretion is advised.

[Dalen Barich]

If I would have known she was getting stabbed tonight, I would have let myself got stabbed before her.

[Narrator]

At just 20 years old, Brianna Barozini could pass for a teenager. But today in the courtroom, she looks even younger. Her blond hair falls straight down her back, framing a face drained of color. She stands motionless before an Ohio judge, a shadow of fear flickering behind her solemn eyes. The room is silent, bracing for the words she's about to speak. Words that seal her fate. Brianna is here to plead guilty to killing her former friend. Alia Culbertson.

[Judge]

You're now pleading guilty or admitting that you committed this crime. When you plead guilty, you waive or give up constitutional rights.

[Narrator]

Do you understand each and every right?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, you, Honor.

[Narrator]

Are you waiving those rights and are.

[Judge]

You pleading guilty knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, you, Honor.

[Narrator]

Only a year has passed since Halia was killed. It all happened so quickly on that March evening of 2023. It's been a year of legal battles, bond hearings and fear on both sides. But today, Brianna is admitting to what she did. And she will face consequences for Halia's death.

[Judge]

Prosecution's gonna push for prison. Your lawyer is asking for probation. I indicated I would likely send you to prison with the ability maybe to get out early. Is that your understanding of the discussions?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, your Honor. All right.

[Judge]

But I've made no commitment. I get to review the pre sentence investigation. I'm going to do that. I'll listen to both sides, but I'm inclined to do what I've told you. And you understand that?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, your Honor. All right.

[Narrator]

On the benches behind Brianna and her lawyer, the split is as old as the feud itself. Halia's family's on one side and Briana's is on the other. The bad blood didn't start with Halia's death, but it's curdled into something much colder now. Each side sits stiff, waiting for what comes next.

[Judge]

When you plead guilty, it is a complete admission you're guilty. You're going to be convicted today and you're going to be sentenced on July 11th.

[Narrator]

It'll be on your record.

[Judge]

It's a non expungeable offense if it carries up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Do you understand the nature of the charge to which you're pleading guilty and what the maximum penalties are?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, you, Honor.

[Narrator]

That is it. A maximum sentence of maybe three years and $10,000 for Halia Culbertson's life.

[Judge]

You have any questions for me about anything that we've gone over? Because if you do, now is the time to ask me.

[Kenzie Adrian]

No, your honor.

[Judge]

Are you pleading guilty to this crime I've outlined for you because you did, in fact, commit that crime?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes, your honor.

[Narrator]

All right.

[Judge]

Have a seat. Thank you.

[Narrator]

Brianna has no questions. This plea deal is the best outcome she could have hoped for. Because Brianna killed Halia Culbertson. That is a fact. But what that fact leaves out is everything that led up to it. What was said, what was seen, what was feared. And whether what Brianna did that night was premeditated or panicked intent. Brianna stole Halia's life. But now she gets to wait for her sentence from the comfort of her family's home in Westerville, Ohio. For the next month, Brianna will sleep in her own bed, eat her favorite meals, scroll through her phone and. And take long, hot showers. She's free for now. Halia, on the other hand, is dead. And her family lives inside a grief that has no end. Even if Brianna gets the maximum sentence, she could be out by the age of 23. She will step into a future where most people will never know. She's a murderer. She'll carry on with the very life she stole. No one in the courtroom is satisfied. No one truly understands how it came to this. If Brianna had stayed at home that night, maybe Halia would still be alive. Whatever happened between those two girls, it didn't start that night. But it did end in murder. Now let's rewind to about a year before Brianna stood in the courtroom. March 26th of 2023. The evening Halia died.

[Dalen Barich]

What's going on? My friend just got stopped at 161. Smoke, stop. Carry out. He said 161. What's the street? 161 can carry out? Smoke stop. Okay, Everybody's Columbus terrible. He said smoke stop. Okay, calm down. You said 161.

[Judge]

Carry out.

[Dalen Barich]

Slow stuff.

[Narrator]

It was almost midnight in Columbus, Ohio. Such a beautiful place Ohio is, I always say. In the desolate parking lot of a strip mall, Halia Culbertson's best friend, Kenzie Adrian, called 911. Desperate for help. Halia was sitting in the front seat of a Jeep that belonged to their other friend, D. Barich. Halia took labored breaths as blood spilled down her neck and onto her orange tank top and pants.

[Dalen Barich]

I know who stopped it.

[Judge]

I know who stopped who.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Is it that this is Brianna. Brianna. Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

Wherein he left in an affinity with Seattle. I don't know if he had last name, but they let the.

[Narrator]

Kenzie couldn't get the information out faster. She needed it to be known. Brianna Barozini stabbed Haleah. They all witnessed it. Okay, just.

[Dalen Barich]

Just stay on the line with me. We're going to get these officers out to help you guys, please.

[Narrator]

Dylen wrapped his shirt around Halia's neck, pressing hard to stop the bleeding. Kenzie clutched her hand, whispering to Halia. They waited, their ears straining for sirens, hearts pounding. Kenzie and Dalen were paralyzed by the helplessness of it all. Then the police swarmed in.

[Dalen Barich]

Just get back, boss. Just get back.

[Judge]

I know.

[Dalen Barich]

You're my little sister. I know, I know. I need you to stay back, all right? You gotta let them do their work, okay? Come on, guys. Let's get back.

[Narrator]

Let's get back.

[Dalen Barich]

Come on.

[Narrator]

Come on.

[Dalen Barich]

I understand.

[Narrator]

Let's get back.

[Dalen Barich]

Okay? I'm gonna get your information. Did you see it?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes.

[Dalen Barich]

Who saw it happen?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Me.

[Judge]

Him. Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

Okay. In the red hoodie? Yes. All right, I need you to get in a cruiser for me, okay? I'm gonna have to get you off your phone, all right? I understand that, but I need you.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Okay?

[Dalen Barich]

I need you to get in the cruiser, okay? I'm talking to a cop.

[Narrator]

Mom, I have to hang up the phone. The parking lot was utter chaos as police quickly assessed the situation amongst these cruisers, crying, red faced teenagers. The paramedics scooped up Halia into a stretcher and whisked her to the nearest hospital. Dalen and Kenzie were left in the parking lot, shaking from adrenaline and terror. The police officer guided Kenzie to his squad car, instructing her to hang up her cell phone and sit down.

[Dalen Barich]

Have a seat. You said that's your friend? Yes, it's my best friend.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Okay.

[Narrator]

What's her name? Kaliyah.

[Kenzie Adrian]

H A, L, I, A.

[Dalen Barich]

Hold on one sec, one sec.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

I know it's hard.

[Kenzie Adrian]

I can write it down.

[Narrator]

Kenzie sat looking up at the cop, her eyes wide and teary. She stroked the end of her long ponytail like a child with a security blanket.

[Dalen Barich]

Do you know where she lives?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

Where she lives? She lives in Sunbury, Ohio, but I don't know exact address.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Yeah, go ahead.

[Dalen Barich]

Actually, I need you here. We need to have a. I need you get that guy in the red hoodie. He saw it and this guy.

[Narrator]

I know.

[Dalen Barich]

I'm here.

[Narrator]

Okay?

[Dalen Barich]

All right. Just sit down.

[Kenzie Adrian]

We have to tell them what happened.

[Dalen Barich]

Oh, that's fine with my sister. I need to separate you guys, okay? Just for integrity of the story. Okay, I got you.

[Narrator]

I'm over here.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Okay.

[Narrator]

The parking lot pulsed with street lights and the flashing blue of cop cars. D stormed towards Kenzie, begging to sit with his sister, but an officer blocked him. No one knew exactly what had happened yet, and right now they needed calm, not a shirtless, panicked Dalen tearing through the scene.

[Dalen Barich]

All right, what happened?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Brie Berrazini stabbed her. They were getting into a fight. I was sitting in the Jeep because I cannot be around Brie Berrazini because her baby dad, her brothers and my baby dad and me and her have issues.

[Dalen Barich]

Do you know how to spell barazini?

[Kenzie Adrian]

B A, R, O, Z, Z I.

[Dalen Barich]

N I, Z I, N, I. Okay, so we have 31A Pine Oak.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Port, west of Alaska Pilots.

[Dalen Barich]

Where she lives? She lives in Westerville.

[Narrator]

You think?

[Kenzie Adrian]

I know she lives in Western.

[Judge]

She lives in Western.

[Dalen Barich]

Said they got in a fight. Go ahead.

[Kenzie Adrian]

They got into a fight. And as Halia walked to the front door of the Jeep, I saw she.

[Dalen Barich]

Had a gash on her.

[Kenzie Adrian]

She got in the car and she goes, I'm getting nauseous. I hopped out the car. I called 911 because I didn't see the fight. I was sitting in the Jeep, looking away.

[Narrator]

Kenzie was in shock, scrambling with her words. But what she knew was that Brianna Barrazzini had stabbed Halia. Kenzie had issues with Brianna from the past, so she stayed away from the fights between the girls. The next thing she knew, Halia was bleeding from the neck.

[Dalen Barich]

You didn't see the actual fight?

[Kenzie Adrian]

No, but I know who Brie Berrazini is. I know her mother and I know her address.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

Okay. All right. Hang out for me.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Okay?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Okay.

[Narrator]

As Kenzie nervously puffed on her nicotine vape, the officer marched towards another kid who had witnessed the fight.

[Dalen Barich]

I kind of saw the angle. I didn't see her get stabbed at all.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

It just looked like they were throwing punches. Okay. Do you know either of them? I know her. That was it.

[Narrator]

Who?

[Dalen Barich]

Kaliyah, the one that got stabbed. Okay, you know her, but you don't know? I barely. Like, I know I worked with Dalen for a little bit and I was hanging out with him tonight. I need. I need you. Where did it happen at?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Yeah, that's here.

[Judge]

Take that.

[Dalen Barich]

It's right here in the front. Like in the front of the smoke shop?

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Yes, sir.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Okay.

[Narrator]

The officer continued collecting pieces of the story and fragments from the teenagers. The fight had happened in the strip mall outside of a smoke shop that sold vapes, snacks Drinks, you know, all the things that keep teenagers alive. Next, the officer headed to the store, kicking oblivious customers off the property as he made his way inside.

[Dalen Barich]

Hey guys, I have to shut this off. Somebody just got stabbed and I need to basically close your doors. I'm sorry. Okay, Even better. Just don't let anybody come out this way, okay? Go out the back.

[Narrator]

The officer closed the smoke shop and patrolmen started taping off the entire parking lot. Outside, another police vehicle a few yards away from where Kenzie sat waiting. Dalen was pacing towards another officer. You were standing right there.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

All right?

[Judge]

Is that. Is that.

[Narrator]

Okay?

[Dalen Barich]

All right, come on.

[Narrator]

Is your sister that got got cut? No, she's not.

[Dalen Barich]

She's not blood related, but I've known her since she was 12.

[Narrator]

It's a good friend of yours?

[Dalen Barich]

Yeah, man.

[Narrator]

What's your first name? Dalon's bare chest was covered in Halia's blood. He cried as he walked with the officer, giving him all the information without question. He kept calling Halia his sister even though they weren't actually related. It's the kind of thing that made sense in his world when where closeness didn't need blood to feel real. They'd been friends for half his life, which for some like Dalen, felt like forever. Long enough for him to believe he had a duty to protect her, right?

[Dalen Barich]

But what did you see?

[Narrator]

What happened?

[Dalen Barich]

I got that on video, man.

[Narrator]

Dylan stood up and pulled out his cell phone, holding up the screen for the officer to see. He had the entire fight on video, every brutal second. He even posted it on Snapchat. Dalen, her self proclaimed brother, thought he was protecting her. But what he didn't realize was that he may have helped to get her killed. Because buried in the footage, beneath the shouting and the blood, was something that no one had noticed. Something that changed everything.

[Judge]

Looking for your next go to Smoke Shop. Stop scrolling. I've got you. Headshop.com is the number one online smoke shop already trusted by over 100,000 happy smokers. Just like you. They've got it all. Dab rigs, vaporizers, glass bongs, smoking pipes, even THCA flour, all in one place. Need a new daily driver? Grab a smooth glass bong or a classic smoking pipe. More of a concentrate fan. Their dab rigs, E rigs and wax accessories are designed for smoother, harder hitting sessions. And yes, they've even got legal THC flour. Best part, every order ships fast and discreet, which is why thousands of smokers keep coming back. So don't waste time hopping between shops shop the best in dab rigs, vaporizers, glass bongs, smoking pipes and thca flower right [e-mail] the number one online smoke shop. Headshop.com has what you need. Check it out today. Oh, and because you're listening right now, you get 10% off your next order when you use the coupon code HSHOP at checkout. Go to headshop.com now and smoke smarter.

[Narrator]

Outside of a smoke shop in a strip mall in Columbus, Ohio, an opening that clearly tells you Nothing good's coming. 18 year old Brianna Barazzini that stabbed 17 year old Halia Culbertson during a fight. When police arrived on the scene, they found a group of distraught teenagers who had witnessed the brawl and one boy, Daelyn Barich, had filmed the entire thing on his phone. Brianna had fled the scene after the fight and as another troop of officers headed to her house to track her down, the ones on the scene continued talking to the witnesses. Haleah's best friends Dalen and Kenzie. After all, Dalen had the whole fight on his cell phone. Through tears, he passed his phone over and started playing. In the clip you see Halia, she towers over Brianna by about a foot. Haliyah is walking towards Brianna with her arms out shouting.

[Dalen Barich]

Hey, get off my sister bro.

[Narrator]

Hale charges towards Briana, yelling who's obsessed over and over. Briana backs up. She's got two canned drinks in her hand and her boyfriend is beside her. He holds her arms and tries to guard her, being cautious not to touch Halia at all. In the background, Dylan starts to tell him to get off his sister.

[Dalen Barich]

Hey, if you touch my sister again, I'm gonna have to put my phone down, bro.

[Narrator]

My dad's gonna come with me.

[Judge]

Bitch.

[Dalen Barich]

That's locked up. Watch your fucking Halia. Crunch your ass to get it over with, bro. Crunch your ass to get it over with.

[Narrator]

Oh great, more thug culture. Alia keeps charging forward screaming in Briana's face as Dylan keeps yelling. That's when some say Briana pulls out a knife from her pocket. Others insist it was already in her hand. Haleah keeps thundering towards her. That's when Haleah's open hand slaps Briana across the face. The fight ignites.

[Dalen Barich]

Yeah, crunch your ass Haliyah. Crunch your ass Haliyah. Crunch your ass Haliyah. Bitch, you better get your girl before she get fucked up even more. You just leaked her ass.

[Narrator]

The motion is lightning fast, but that's when Briana swings the knife up and slashes Haleah across The throat. But Haleah doesn't stop. She keeps yelling. She keeps swinging her fists and throwing her body towards Brianna as blood spills and canned drinks go flying onto the pavement and explode. Which raises a chilling possibility. Did Brianna even realize the knife connected? Did anyone? For a moment, it seemed like no one had been hurt at all. The fight breaks up and Brianna's boyfriend pulls her away. Halia stumbles towards Dylan and the video cuts out. The fight is crystal clear, despite how short and frenzied the whole ordeal was. But what isn't clear is why it all started. But for that information, the officers first turn to Daling what it all start over.

[Dalen Barich]

So, all right, so Kenzie, Kenzie's baby dad is Bree's older brother, right?

[Narrator]

Who's Kenzie?

[Dalen Barich]

The one in that. Oh, right here. Yeah, the blonde. The blonde. Okay, that I called.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Who called?

[Dalen Barich]

Right, so her brother. Her baby dad is her brother and her. Okay, Kenzie's baby dad. Yes, Kenzie's baby dad. Okay, so the girl here, she has a baby dad and then baby dad is Bree's older brother. Older brother, got it. They've had beef for the. The child's going on four years old, so they've had beef for almost five, five years type shit, you know what I'm saying?

[Narrator]

Brianna's older brother is the father of Kenzie's child. This relationship went very sour. Halia, being Kenzie's best friend, sided with her and developed a hatred for the entire Barrazzini family, as did Dalen. After all, Halia and Kenzie were his so called sisters.

[Dalen Barich]

I look at like Kenzie's mother adopted me. Like not legally, but my mom kicked me out from the ages of 14 to 17 and Kenzie's family took me the fuck in. Okay, so I'm very protective over Kenzie and whoever Kenzie affiliates with.

[Narrator]

Dalen was a classic latchkey teen, untethered, looking for something to hold onto. After his own mother kicked him out, he found a sense of belonging in Kenzie's world. Her family became his anchor and he clung to that feeling of home with everything he had. Fiercely loyal, but emotionally adrift, Dalen absorbed every ripple of drama between Kenzie, Halia and the Barazzini family. To most adults, it would have seemed like none of his business, but to Dylan, it was everything. He didn't just insert himself, he dug in, rooted himself in the chaos, convinced it was where he was meant to be. Dalen wasn't just going along for the ride that night. He was steering the ship and when the fight broke out, he didn't step back. He stepped in. He stepped up, I guess you would say, with his cell phone in one hand and vicarious vengeance in his heart.

[Dalen Barich]

But, like, that's my little sister and I've always been protective over her. And Bray Barazini, the girl who did the shit, she just, always runs. She just sits there and she talks shit. She talks shit. And I saw the. I saw the knife drop, but I didn't think it got used, bro. Brie and Halia were supposed to be fighting while they were in the Columbus, like a plan thing or what? No, it was random as fuck. She came in while we came in.

[Narrator]

The whole fight was spur of the moment. Halia and Brianna had known Beef for months. According to Kenzie, it was just a normal evening at the smoke shop, joking around with the store's owner that they all knew. Then Brianna and her boyfriend walked in.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Brie walks in with her friend Iyad. And I didn't notice until Halia goes, that's Bri fucking Barazini. I said, oh God. I turned around and I saw her. She looked at me, I looked at her. I turned around.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

How do you guys know her?

[Kenzie Adrian]

I know Bree because she's my baby dad's sister.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Okay.

[Kenzie Adrian]

And I've known Bri since middle school. And I'm not allowed legally. I don't go around her or her brother or her family.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Why not?

[Kenzie Adrian]

I was 15 and her brother was 19 when I got pregnant.

[Narrator]

Okay. When Kenzie had a relationship with Brianna's older brother, she was a minor and he was legally an adult, which made the situation a problem. A big one.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yeah. Cause I didn't know he was 19. He told me he was 17. Figured out he was turning 18 and then he turned. He was already 18. Then he turned 19. I got pregnant when I was 15 in April, when he was 19 that year. So I was like, oh, that's great.

[Narrator]

When Kenzie's family found out Brianna's brother was 19, they filed criminal charges against him. This caused a major rift between the two families. Still, Kenzie allowed Brianna and her parents to visit the child on one condition. The child's father was not allowed to visit. Everything was going alright until they disrespected the rule and allowed Brianna's brother to sneak a visit.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Because beforehand they would be like, yeah, and they'd come over and they'd see her or they would drop stuff off, but they just obeyed everything. And I caught them in a lie. And I saw them out in public with him and I picked up my daughter and I said, you are all fucked and lying. And they're like, you can't tell me what to do. I said, this 19 year old's gonna tell your 35 year old ass what I can do. Put my daughter in my car. And I left.

[Narrator]

That's when Kenzie banned anyone from the Barrazzini family from seeing the child, including Brianna. Resentment grew between the two girls.

[Kenzie Adrian]

She doesn't like me because I don't let her or her family see my daughter. I guess her brother's not a good person. I have a restraining order on him. He's legally not allowed to be around me or my family.

[Narrator]

This battle of custody, restraining orders and accusations had been going on for years. So when Kenzie saw Brianna enter the smoke shop on that March evening, she immediately wanted to get as far away from her as possible. But Halia had other plans.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Her and Bree start going at it. Cause Bree gets behind us in line and Haleah goes, you obsessed or what? Because repost tik toks about Aaliyah all the time. Just saying, like, they were friends at one point. I don't really know what happened.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Do they go to school together?

[Kenzie Adrian]

I don't know what issues they have, but they have like. Like they hate each other.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

They've got something.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Breeze called Halia cokehead. Halia called Bria cokehead and was talking about her abusive brother and was talking about her family being shitty. And then Bria. Brie was talking about Jaliyah's mom. And then Jaliyah was like, well, I'll catch you outside then. Come outside. And Brie goes, all right, bet I'll be outside then. So I got into the jeep in the front seat and I was looking forward because I'm not part of this fight.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

So that all happened in the store?

[Narrator]

Yeah, where they were, where Bri was.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Like, come on outside. And Helia was like, I'll be outside.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Bree said she'll be outside. Helia told her to come outside.

[Narrator]

I'll catch you outside. All right. Bet. Why do kids sound like retards these days? We've already got a language. You don't have to make up new definitions for existing words just to make yourself feel special. You're already plenty, plenty special. Trust me. Anyway, according to Kenzie, it was that simple. Briana and Halia started arguing, and the store then agreed to continue things outside. Kenzie said that Briana had posted nasty things to TikTok about Halia, that their feud may have been fueled by Halia's loyalty to Kenzie and her situation, but that they had their own fight independent of her problems with Brianna's family. This wasn't a premeditated showdown. It was a chance encounter that spiraled fast. But even in spontaneous fights, there's a history. And this one had years of it simmering just below the surface. No one's saying Haleah deserved what happened, but this wasn't a clean cut case of victim and villain. Both girls carried grudges, and when the moment came, they each brought their rage with them. Helia and her friends waited outside in the dark while Kenzie sat in the Jeep to distance herself from Brianna.

[Kenzie Adrian]

They were outside of the jeep and I was like, I'm not part of this shit, guys.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

I'm going.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Fucking car. You can do whatever the fuck you want, but I am not part of this shit. And then I. All I heard was him fighting. I didn't really see anything. I didn't see anything at all until he was walking up to the front door, like to the driver door of the car. And all I can see is that she's bleeding. I. I'm holding her wrist and I'm trying to check for a pulse. And she peed her pants. And her eyes, she was non responsive.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Did you see Helly with any weapons?

[Kenzie Adrian]

No, she didn't have anything.

[Narrator]

Okay.

[Kenzie Adrian]

I had all of her stuff. I had her pepper sprayer, I had her keys, I had it all. She didn't have anything on her except hands.

[Narrator]

Kenzie and Dalen told the same story. The fight wasn't planned. It started in the smoke shop. Just another chance encounter that got out of hand. Briana agreed to meet Halia outside to finish what they had started. Briana had a hidden knife. Halea had nothing but her two hands. She looked like a victim of an unfair fight. But looks can lie. Because at the same moment, another group of officers were at Briana's door. They had found her and her boyfriend inside. Brianna had showered and her bloody clothes were in the wash. The knife was hidden upstairs at the station. Brianna's boyfriend sat down with the police.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

To talk or just start like, how did you get up there? Who were you with?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

So I was with Bri and we headed there just right after a car meet. We, we got there at around 11:30, 11:40. As soon as we got in, we noticed Halia and a girl named Kenzie and some guy never seen before. We tried to move out the way because there's always been issues between us ever since November.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Between who specifically?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

So it's Always been issues between me, Bri and Halia.

[Dalen Barich]

Okay.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Kenzie has had some, you know, long term issues with, with Brie and her family.

[Judge]

Yeah, yeah.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Halia said something Brie called her obsessed. And then it started an argument. The guy over, over the counter, Ben, he said he doesn't want anything to do with this. So he got Halia, Kenzie and her friend outside and then Halia was yelling a lot. And then Bri, the whole time was just, you know, just trying to say, I don't want to fight you.

[Narrator]

Brianna's boyfriend had a feeling there would be trouble when he saw Halia, Kenzie and Dalen. So they tried their best to avoid them. But Halia started shouting at Briana, instigating a loud and vicious confrontation. The cashier kicked Halia, Kenzie and Dalen out of the store. When police spoke with him, he confirmed this. The cashier told police that when the altercation in the store heated up, he knew he had to take action and remove Halia and her friends.

[Dalen Barich]

So I told my co worker like, I'm going to defuse this. So I stepped outside and was talking to her. She referred there.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Which one?

[Dalen Barich]

The one that got stabbed.

[Kenzie Adrian]

The one that got stabbed.

[Dalen Barich]

You were talking to her? I was trying to tell her like, I got. Got this business. Yeah, just go.

[Narrator]

But they didn't go. Dalen started egging Halia on, riling her anger into a frenzy. He pulled out his phone and started filming.

[Dalen Barich]

He's standing right there and he's recording everything. And so she's getting upset, thinking the two telling me to go out there to stop her. One really is don't want no incident to happen here, period, point blank. The one I was recording.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Was he with the girl that got stabbed? Yes, he was with her.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Okay.

[Dalen Barich]

So he instigated it when I just calmed everything down. Even though she was still upset.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Dalen Barich]

Really?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Yeah.

[Dalen Barich]

And recording everything.

[Narrator]

So. Footage of the smoke shops outdoor camera showed Halia, Dalen and Kenzie being escorted out of the store. They disappeared into the parking lot. Then about two minutes later, you see Halia come back to the front of the store. She's pacing like a bull, yelling and waving her arms, taunting Brianna. From outside in the corner, you could see Dalen following her around with a cell phone, filming. Here's that recording.

[Dalen Barich]

Julia, what you about to do, bro? Come outside the door. Where's she at, bro? Where's she at, bro? She's scared, bro. She scared at least and drag her out the storm Buzz.

[Judge]

I'm outside.

[Dalen Barich]

Like what? No, we waited Right here till you get your ones. I've been waiting to see her ass get beat for a minute.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Bro.

[Narrator]

You should get arrested just for that laugh. That's when the cashier came outside again, telling Halia and Dalen to go home.

[Kenzie Adrian]

So he wasn't helping the situation at all.

[Dalen Barich]

Nobody was helping. No one. Like it was a dead silence. The two girls, girls was talking to me. The other two were shopping. And once they had their words exchanged, nobody was trying to say, chill, calm down, no nothing. I'm the only one telling them like, just, just go chill out. Go ahead, go leave the store.

[Narrator]

According to the smoke shop cashier, it was Dylan who took the situation from bad to worse. The boy who was so hell bent on protecting his so called sister was the one who egged on the needless fight that ended in murder. Brianna's boyfriend said the same thing.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

The male who was with her just kept instigating, just trying to make them fight. I try to push away Bernie and Halia because I'm sort of like, I don't personally like Haleah, but I don't have the biggest problem with her. Yeah, just trying to basically end things without, you know, getting anybody hurt.

[Narrator]

You've heard the video. Anytime that Brianna's boyfriend tried to pull the two girls apart, Dalen inserted himself and threatened violence.

[Dalen Barich]

If you touch my sister, girl, I'll have to put my phone down, bro. Halia, crunch her ass and get it over with, bro. Crunch your ass to get it over with. Halia.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

But he's basically saying don't, don't touch her.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Yeah. And the whole time I don't have a flavor. The video shows this, but I was trying to back them up from each other. It was polite, like back of the hand. So obviously he didn't like it. So I tried playing Breathe and that's when everything escalated. Basically, if that. If he didn't instigate Halia to start the fight, none of this would have happened.

[Narrator]

Brianna's boyfriend said that the stage stabbing happened so fast he barely realized it until he noticed a sticky liquid on his own body. Still, the police needed to know why Brianna brandished that knife. Why was she even carrying one in the first place?

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

When did you know that Bri had a knife?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

She's been carrying knives.

[Narrator]

She always carries a knife.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

She always carries knives because just a lot of people try to, you know, attack her or just try to come up to her because the issues with Halia and Bri has always been a thing since November.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

What happened in November?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Haliyah Was just using me and Bri, you know, saying she has a kid, she doesn't have a kid. Basically using that as an excuse to get money or anything really, to just get as much money as she can, saying she needs to pay for gas and she doesn't even drive. It just became a whole mess. We just left it at that. And every once in a while, either Halle would call me, I would typically ignore, or she would just message Bri on Instagram just talking crap. It just happens like every couple of months just randomly started scalding again.

[Narrator]

No one could really explain what had gone down between Brianna and Halia to make their friendship curdle into hatred and violence. But it was all petty, silly teenage stuff. Lies, manipulation, Instagram DMs and TikTok gossip bullshit.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

But did Halia have any weapons or anything? Did she have a knife out or anything?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

I don't recall if she had a knife out, but I know she does carry, typically, typically carries a knife. And then she always talks about carrying guns and all that. That's why we take her threats very seriously because she always talks about either having guns, hanging out with people that have guns, saying that she can kill us. It's just been a whole mess.

[Narrator]

Halia may have used big bad threats about knowing friends with guns and saying she was going to kill Brianna. But Brianna was the one who brandished the blade and sliced it across Halia's neck. But Brianna's boyfriend said there were many reasons why Brianna always carried a knife.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Another reason is that her ex boyfriend is abusive, always pulls up around 161 and just that 161 is not the best area to be in. So she always carries a knife because first of all, she's small, she can't really protect herself in any other way. And the way most of these people fight now, they fight to kill.

[Narrator]

After the fight was over, Brianna and her boyfriend left the scene. They drove back to Brianna's house where her brother was waiting, the one who fathered Kenzie's child. Brianna's boyfriend said that he washed the knife and gave it to her brother.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

So I took it to the bathroom because it was still dripping blood, clinging as much as possible. And then I gave it to Cameron in the living room.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

You gave the knife to Cameron?

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

Yeah. So you actually cleaned it up some? Yeah, cleaned it up some because it just kept dripping off the actual knife and we didn't want to get it all over the place.

[Narrator]

Brianna's boyfriend and brother had hidden a murder weapon, but no one knew Halia was dying. After the stab, she kept swinging and screaming. She didn't stop or surrender. Not until Brianna was gone and she sank into Dalen's car. Did her friends realize how deep the damage went? Stalen's phone marked the fight at 11.48pm By 12.24am, Haleeyah was pronounced dead at the hospital. According to the autopsy, the knife struck a critical zone in Halia's clavicle, damaging a major artery. Over half a gallon of blood poured into her chest. She didn't stand a chance. Still, Brianna insisted her violence was all a panicked reaction to Haleah's confrontation. It was all just a blur. She premeditated nothing.

[Kenzie Adrian]

And they're screaming at me. And then the dude tells Halia to run up on me. And she's walking up and I keep telling her, I'm not fighting you. Back up. Said, you're not worth it. Keep telling her to back up. And I get my knife out in my hand and I'm holding. I said, back up. And she attacks me. She first slapped me. She was pushing me. Well before that, Yad was trying to, like, push her away from me, but the other guy said was yelling at him not to touch her or else he was going to do something to him. I don't know what exactly happened, but I went like this. And then she dragged me by my hair on the ground and like, there was just blood in my eyes. I couldn't see anything.

[Dalen Barich]

Crunch her ass, Haliyah. Fuck her up. What's up, bitch? You better get your girl before she get fucked up even more. Or her.

[Kenzie Adrian]

I don't think I hit her or anything because I was on the ground getting blood out of my eyes. I had no idea what was going on. I was just in shock at that point.

[Narrator]

It's chilling how clear it is on video. Halia charges at Briana, who retreats, murmuring that she doesn't want to fight. But Haleah keeps coming. Dylan records it all, his voice rising with every shout, not warning them, not breaking it up, just feeding the fire. Dylan wasn't a bystander. He was the catalyst. But then Briana flashes the knife. Halia slaps her. Brianna swings and blood splatters all over the pavement. Still, Haleah yanks her to the ground and unleashes brutal blows, dragging her like a rag doll. Had she survived, there's no question Halia would have won that fight. She kicked Briana's ass even with a hole in her neck. Now I'm turning ghetto. So during the fire, when she was hitting you? What happened? With a knife during that time?

[Kenzie Adrian]

It had dropped on the ground. It was no longer in my hand.

[Narrator]

Did you know she had been cut at that point?

[Kenzie Adrian]

I didn't know if it was me or her because they were yelling, saying that they were laughing, saying that she made me bleed. So I was like, maybe there's a cut on me. But then I was looking all over my skin myself. When we got in the car, I was like, it's. I don't think it's me.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

What does this all stem from? Like, what's the animosity?

[Kenzie Adrian]

Halia used to be a really good friend of mine. And then I found out a lot that, like, she's just a really bad person. So I stopped being friends with her. My friend Iyad stopped talking to her. And then after that, she pretty much just went crazy, like, saying she was going to kill us and slash his tires and do all these things, like she does to most people.

[Narrator]

To her friends, Halia was fearless. The kind of girl who would never back down to Briana. She was dangerous and unhinged. Two versions of the same Halia, told by people who loved her and people who feared her. Was Briana the victim of Halia's rabid aggression? Was this simply self defense? But there was one thing no one had seen yet, not even the police. It was something buried in the digital noise from two weeks before the fight. A text message from Brianna to her friend, tossed off like a joke, maybe even forgotten. After a long rant with her friend about Halia's behavior, Brianna signed off with this message. I would sooner slice Hylia's throat if she comes near me again. Just words. Just teenage anger. But now, with Halia dead from a single stab to the neck, these didn't feel like just words anymore.

[Judge]

Looking for your next go to Smoke Shop. Stop scrolling. I've got you. Headshop.com is the number one online smoke shop already trusted by over 100,000 happy smokers. Just like you. They've got it all. Dab rigs, vaporizers, glass bongs, smoking pipes, even THCA flour, all in one place. Need a new daily driver? Grab a smooth glass bong or a classic smoking pipe. More of a concentrate fan. Their dab rigs, E rigs and wax accessories are designed for smoother, harder hitting sessions. And yes, they've even got legal THC flower. Best part, every order ships fast and discreet, which is why thousands of smokers keep coming back. So don't waste time hopping between shops. Shop the best in Dab rigs, vaporizers, glass bongs, smoking pipes and thca flower right [e-mail] the number one online smoke shop, headshop.com has what you need. Check it out today. Oh, and because you're listening right now, you get 10% off your next order when you use the coupon code hshop at checkout. Go to headshop.com now. Smoke smarter.

[Narrator]

17 year old Halia Culbertson had died from a single stab wound to the neck during an impromptu street fight with her former friend, 18 year old Brianna Baranzini. The two girls had been feuding for months, each claiming the other was just a bad person. But Halia's friend Kenzie also had big problems with her and her family. Kenzie had become pregnant when she was 15 with Brianna's older brother who lied to her and told her he was a minor too, when he was not. Drama ran through that friend group like a river, a big river. And on the night of Haleah's murder, it finally overflowed. Brianna was arrested on March 27 for the murder of Halia. She was taken to the county jail immediately following her police interview. The Baranzini family quickly took action and obtained a lawyer named Bob Craypants.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

For the last 20 years I've been a criminal defense attorney practicing out of Columbus, Ohio, trying cases in state court, federal court, and representing people charged with really everything from speeding tickets to aggravated death penalty murder.

[Narrator]

Brianna's bond was set at 750 grand, but she only spent two days in jail. Her family bonded her out as fast as they could and she went home under strict conditions from the court. That's when Bob stepped into the picture and got to know her side of.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

The story when the family came in. And then Breonna had a chance to explain what happened from her viewpoint. You know, there's a lot of thoughts that kind of go through your head. First one being, you know, how accurate is this account and what other evidences are going to be out there? I never really believe, I think, that a client comes in and tells me 100% of the truth accurately. Not because they're lying, but they remember it a certain way. But my initial thought was, wow, this sounds to me like it was self defense and more of an accident and unintentional, but also just a tragedy. Just young girl sitting in front of me, very, very young and another young woman dead. So it was just, I hate to say senseless, but even at the first moment I thought this is just tragic.

[Narrator]

It was tragic. The Fight that never should have happened. Brianna may have been fortunate enough to have been bonded out, but when she met her lawyer the first time, the prospect of going to prison for the rest of her life weighed on her heavily.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

My memories, it was a Saturday morning in my office, and she was there with her family, very quiet, very timid. You know, she didn't just gush out with the account. I had to kind of, you know, ask specific questions and she would get to it. But very quiet, very scared, very concerned, very, you know, overwhelmed. I mean, she had just been released from the jail, I suspect within a day of coming to my office. And her whole family, just supportive, but scared and appreciative of just how serious this was.

[Narrator]

And what about that text message? The one where Brianna said she would slice Halia's throat if she came after her previous texts showed that Brianna was upset because Halia had allegedly been driving past her house and making threats against her. Bob argues that the text had nothing to do with what happened that night.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

I would argue to the jury that's irrelevant to what happened that night. It would be relevant if my client went looking for her. It would be relevant if my client said, there she is. I'm going to do what I said I'm going to do in that text. But she didn't go looking for her. They ran into each other purely by accident. Bad luck, just by chance. So despite the text, those words, her actions that night spoke louder. She backed up. She said, I didn't want to fight. She tried to avoid it.

[Narrator]

Brianna may have been backing away as Halia charged, screaming. But according to lead detective Timothy Pribe, Brianna made one move that raised questions. She had a weapon, Haleah didn't. And what Brianna did with that weapon gave the police pause when it came to her innocence.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Halia was unarmed. She was clearly unarmed. She did assault Brianna one time, open handed. Smack. And then she turned and she walked away. I believe it was Brianna pulled out her knife 10 to 15 seconds prior to the smack. So there's more of an intent to harm on her part. And if she's pulling out a knife with an intent to do harm, that's a felonious assault. And then that harm causes a death. That's a murder.

[Narrator]

Detective Pry says that when they watched that video of the fight relentlessly, and not just their investigative team, but Pryb's boss and his boss's boss analyzing every millisecond to make sure they weren't seeing things the wrong way, he says that Briana pulled the knife out Prior to being slapped by Haleah, she holds it close to the side of her thigh and the blade is out of the switch that made all the difference in his eyes.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Well, she keeps it concealed at her, down at her leg mostly. She. She pulls it out in a very comfortable manner and holds it down. And then after she slapped and Halia is, is walking away, that's when she charges her. The key portion of this incident or this altercation is that after Halia slaps her, she turns and starts to walk away. And that's when Brianna then, you know, starts to swing her knife and she swings and misses. And then you see her come over the top and, you know, hit her right, you know, right at the top of the chest.

[Narrator]

Detective Prib says that it wasn't the fact that she had a knife that showed intent, but the manner in which Brianna used it.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

She doesn't want people to see that she has a weapon out and ready to go. That's how I'm looking at it, because she's not threatening her with it. She's not trying to back her off with it. You know, she's not protecting herself with it. She's initiating the assault with a weapon.

[Narrator]

You can watch the whole video in our bonus content and we encourage you to. The footage of Halia's death is haunting, but it also brought clarity. Every second of the raw, unfiltered truth was captured for both sides to examine. The state indicted Brianna on three murder, murder committed during a felonious assault and voluntary manslaughter. She was looking at 15 years to life for the murder charges and another three to 11 years for the manslaughter. As the media grabbed hold of this sensational girl fight and did what they always do, Bob worked on his defense, preparing for an intense and very public trial.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

When I first look at it, I say this is, you know, pretty classic self defense. Now, Ohio law changed somewhat recently. It used to be that to claim self defense, the defense would then have the burden of proving that the person was in fear of imminent serious bodily harm or death and that they did not use disproportional force to repel the attack. That was the burden of the defense. That changed back in 2019. There was a House bill that passed and signed by the governor. And as a result of that, the prosecution now has the burden of proving that it is not self defense.

[Narrator]

Ohio was the 37th state to pass this law switching the burden of proof in a self defense claim from the defense to the prosecution. To compound matters legally, Ohio passed another law in 2021 concerning self defense cases.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

And that was a change in the law regarding your duty to retreat. It used to be that if you had a duty, you had a duty to retreat. Unless of course, you're in your home or your vehicle, then you did not have a duty, but otherwise you had the responsibility. If you could safely get away from the situation, you had to get away from the situation. And if a jury determined that, yes, you were in fear of imminent serious bodily harm or death, yes, yes, you used reasonable force to repel the attack, yes, you did not cause the situation that gave rise to the affray, but you had an out. You could have left out the back door of the bar you were in, or you could have run across the street from the field you were in. If they found that you had the opportunity and ability to escape without exposing yourself to more harm, you could not claim self defense. Between those two changes again fairly recently, you know, it changes the dynamic a little bit about how you look at self defense cases because now a jury is going to be instructed they are not even to consider whether or not the person could have escaped, could have left, could have fled the situation. It's nothing for them to consider. They don't get to determine, well, geez, that didn't have to happen. She could have left. Nope, she doesn't have a duty anymore.

[Narrator]

These changes to Ohio law were a clear win for the defense. Now it was the state's burden to prove that Brianna wasn't acting in legal self defense. And the jury couldn't fault her for staying in the parking lot before Halia struck first. With the video of the fight and the cascade of witnesses who all told the same story, it was looking like Brianna had a solid self defense case. Tensions were high as Bob worked on his defense and the prosecution prepared their arguments. Halia may have started the fight, but she didn't walk into it expecting to die. No one ever does. I guess she didn't think Brianna would swing a knife. Who knows what was running through her mind when she slapped Brianna across the face. But I'd bet the last thing she imagined was dying in a hospital less than an hour later. Because like Brianna's boyfriend told the detective, a fight isn't just a fight anymore. Not these days, that is.

[Brianna's Boyfriend]

And the way most of these people fight now, they fight to kill.

[Narrator]

Khalia's family was grief stricken, giving very few interviews to the media. Kenzie posted videos on TikTok about how much she missed her best friend. The guilt must have weighed so heavily on her. Could she have done something to stop this? Maybe if she'd been the only friend with Haleah that night, none of this would have happened. As for Dalen, he was quiet all of a sudden. But Brianna's lawyer, Bob was zeroing in on him because Bob had reviewed the case inside and out. And according to him, Dalen held as much responsibility in Halia's death as Brianna did.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

But I recognized right away that this Dalen kid who was recording this and encouraging may not have happened had he not been doing what he was doing. People don't act the same when they know they're being videoed. They perform, okay? And this young man was the oldest of anybody there and he could have stopped us so easily. But he egged it on while they were waiting for Breonne to leave the store. He egged it on while it was happening. This process of events, all of these little decisions that were made in the span of, call it, 10 minutes that evening. At any given point, one day, different decision. And this doesn't happen. Khalia's alive today.

[Narrator]

If Halia had been alone in the store that night, she might have just flipped Brianna off and gone home to rant about it on social media. But she wasn't alone. She had Dalen. Her self proclaimed brother, her hype man, her fierce defender, her peanut gallery. I could go on and on. And with him by her side, everything changed. Dylan, with his tears and loyalty, his dramatic storytelling and ride or die energy. He was the one who hit record. Halia wasn't just showing off for Dylan and his phone. She was performing for the entire Internet. That's a lot of people. She knew this clip would hit social media. She knew this would be on sort and scale. Now she didn't, but you get my drift. She wasn't just in a fight. She was on a stage with an invisible crowd ready to judge her, mock her and meme her. Y' all motherfuckers are vicious. That kind of pressure warps everything and anything. Maybe that's why she didn't back down, even when a knife was flashed inches from her face. Maybe that's why she kept threatening Brianna, acting harder than she felt. Because fear in a viral video looks like weakness and nobody wants to be weak. And Brianna, maybe she didn't pull that knife out to win the fight. Maybe she pulled it out because she knew losing would be captured, replayed and ridiculed endlessly. Maybe the blade wasn't about fear of Halia. Maybe it was about fear of becoming a Joke on the Internet. The girl who got wrecked and went viral for all the wrong reasons, that sort of thing. And it still happened anyway. But by hitting record, Dalen changed the entire course of these girls lives.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

All it takes is for a friend to say, hey, you know what, let her go, let's get in the car or I'm going to put my phone away, I'm not going to do this. Or you know what, let's go. You know, whatever. She's not worth it. One person says that and maybe it derails the whole thing. Maybe the decision by my client Brianna stay in the store longer. Now I don't know if she even knew Halia was waiting for her or when she did see her, maybe retreat back into the store or don't pull the knife out of my pocket or don't open the knife. Okay. I mean there's many, many decisions that were made by multiple people and any one of them a different decision. I think this thing goes a different direction.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

Look at Brianna's boyfriend. I mean, yeah, he was standing next to her the whole time and he was kind of sort of trying to stop it. But if he, he was the biggest dude out there. I mean if he could have just walked her to the car and put her in the car, that was always an option, you know, but they, they stood out there and I get it, it's, it's a situation that you can't, you know, you necessarily don't know what you're going to do when you're in that situation. But so many things that people could have just made decisions to step in and de escalate it.

[Narrator]

Many people could have stepped in, but they didn't. It really came down to Hylia, Dalen and Brianna who each played a part in and how this night unraveled. They all had choices and they all made the wrong ones. Feeding off of each other's fear, ego and adrenaline. Idiots. Wildin on TikTok Someone should really do a study on how much harm and literal death social media has inadvertently caused. The results are probably terrifying, which is why we'll never get one. That and the fact that morons love to change the meaning of words. Kind of like these kids, often to suit their own narrative. So, harm? What Harm? What do you mean by harm? Never heard of it. What's your definition of harm? That sort of thing. Utter bullshit. The whole mess was a chain reaction. Helia paid with her life. Briana faced prison. And Dylan, well, that innocent doe eyed stoner boy with a magical cackle that resonates throughout the vape store, strip mall parking lot, and a heart of gold. Well, he walked away scot free, like just another witness. When Bob said he was so much more.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

So when I look at who's responsible or who played a part in his death, I look at him and say, you know what? You had. You had such a role in this thing, and it was so unnecessary and it was so childish and it was so dangerous, and it's just so maddening that right away I'm thinking, you know, I can understand Khalil. I can understand Brianna. I can't understand Dalen.

[Narrator]

We looked up Dalen's record, of course. By 21, he'd racked up nine arrests. Drunk driving, assault and firearm charges. You know, like a gangsta. Half came before Haleah's death and the other half came after. Like clockwork. Daelon was astray, cut loose by his own family, absorbed into Kenzie and Haleah's orbit like a ticking time bomb. Maybe he knew what he did. Maybe the arrests, the violence, the reckless spiral, they weren't just all accidents. They were confessions written and chaos.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

I'll be honest. When I first met the prosecutor, my first suggestion was to charge that guy. But they felt that after interviewing all the other witnesses, they felt that, you know, Khalil was going to do what Khalil was going to do, and he didn't really spill the blame over to Dalen. I see it differently, but, you know, that's. That's not unusual. To me. There's some responsibility that should have been.

[Narrator]

Placed at his feet, but that wasn't going to happen. Still, Brianna was the killer, not Dalen. She was on trial for murder. And Bob had a big task ahead of him. Despite the law changes that swayed in his direction, Brianna made the choice to pull out that knife and swing it. She killed Halia. End of story.

[Bob Craypants (Defense Lawyer)]

Yeah, I thought we had a problem with the weapon, and I also thought that we had a problem or difficulty with just the sadness of the thing. There is a family who is grieving and rightfully so. There's a girl there who is young and dead, and it's horrible. And juries feel that they see sympathy and it's normal. As humans, we want somebody to answer for this tragedy. We want somebody to be responsible for this tragedy. And the only person on trial is Brianna. My whole approach was my client didn't want to fight. She wanted to back up. She kept backing up. She wanted to get out of there. And that at some point, I would have argued to the jury that the most timid of animals, when you corner it, it has no choice but to lunge forward to do something to try to get out of that situation.

[Narrator]

But the trial would never come because in early June of 2024, just before Brianna's murder trial was set to start, the prosecution suddenly dropped the charges and offered Brianna the chance to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. That was the plea you heard her accepting in the beginning of this episode. The evidence was too strong for the defense to argue that this was intentional murder. It was very clear that no one went to the smoke shop that evening with the intent of Halia losing her life. When that fateful sentencing day came, Halia's family huddled on one side of the courtroom while the Baranzinis were on the other. Brianna stood in front of the judge and accepted her guilt for Halia's death. Before the judge relayed her punishment, Halia's family had a chance to speak. Kenzie stood up first, barely able to get her words out between sobs. After describing what a tough yet sensitive girl Halia was, she got into how this had all changed her life.

[Kenzie Adrian]

I'd rather be standing at her wedding and giving a speech or her graduation. But I'm here and I know Halia and I know her killer. The past six years of my life I've dealt with her killer, her family. And when I finally thought I was getting away from these people and I finally got my family away from these people, Helia's killer did this to the most important person in my life. That night I felt like part of my soul, more like all of it, left when Alia left. I hope that her killer gets the maximum sentence. I hope you realize or understand somewhat who Alia really was in this world. A daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend, a student, a co worker, a granddaughter, a niece, an aunt. She was someone's child that got taken too soon. And she is now forever 17 years old.

[Narrator]

The blame that Halia and her supporters placed on the entire Baranzini family was palpable. Especially when Halia's mother got up to speak.

[Kenzie Adrian]

In most scenarios, bringing a knife to.

[Dalen Barich]

A fist fight is considered unethical, illegal, dangerous. It's crucial to approach conflicts with a mindset of de escalation and consider the potential consequences of of introducing a weapon into a physical altercation.

[Kenzie Adrian]

The right course of action usually involves seeking a non violent resolution to ensure.

[Dalen Barich]

Your safety through legal and ethical means. Here we have a Smart, college educated 4.0 student with so many recommendations from friends and family for the pre sentencing investigation. That sounds like someone that should know the difference between. Between right and wrong. Maybe she's just smart enough to play us all.

[Narrator]

Like Bob said, in a senseless tragedy like this, everyone is searching for someone to blame. Halia's family blamed Briana, and Briana's family blamed Halia. But both girls bore some responsibility for the way that that night transpired. That didn't make it fair, but it was the cold, harsh truth. Before the judge relayed his decision, the prosecution made one last plea to the courtroom, arguing that Brianna reacted with disproportionate rage and intent, not fear. It is reasonable that those actions would anger Brianna Berazini. However, none of those actions justify Brianna.

[Dalen Barich]

Barazzini taking a knife and plunging it into Helios clavicle.

[Narrator]

Rather, that is an act of unjustifiable rage.

[Dalen Barich]

A stabbing is a disproportionate response to a slap.

[Narrator]

The prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence. Brianna stood up and apologized for what she did, saying that she will live with the guilt for the rest of her life. Then the judge reminded the court that she was facing three years in prison and a $10,000 finish fine. That was the maximum. Then he gave it to her, reminding her to stay out of trouble behind bars. Brianna was taken away to prison.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

When it comes down to it, it all in reality should have been, was just a fight. Just, you know, a fist fight of some sorts. And then the guys would have stepped in hopefully and just broke it up and they would have yelled at each other, they would have went on their way, you know, and they're, you know, nobody would have lost their life out of it. Cops probably wouldn't even have been called for it. But you know, Brianna chose to bring out a weapon and then to use that weapon in the course of that assault. So she escalated it. And that's, that's how I look at it.

[Narrator]

The video Dalen captured still haunts Halia's family. These were her final moments. And they were nothing like the Haleah they knew and loved. And then she was gone. Brianna currently sits in jail. She filed a motion of early release and it's been granted this August, which means she will have only served one year for the death of Halia Culbertson. One year. Detective Prybet knows that what happened that night was a series of bad choices by every person in that parking lot. But he believes Brianna got away with murder.

[Detective Timothy Pryb]

She's the one who brought a weapon into the fight. She brought a knife into a fist fight. And I think that there should have been more consequences for that.

[Narrator]

There were a lot of bad decisions made that night. Halia made one when she escalated the argument with a slap. Brianna made one when she pulled out a knife in the middle of the fist fight. And Dalen, Well, Dalen made his when he chose to hype up Hylia and film the fight instead of stopping it. Because Dalen is an asshole. Once that camera comes out, everything changes. This wasn't just a fight anymore. It was a show. And all three of them knew it. They weren't just teenagers in a parking lot finally forced to face their Internet fights in the real world. Now they were performers playing to an invisible audience on social media. A bunch of bored assholes that are taking a shit. That's what raised the stakes. Social media didn't kill Halia. That's not what I'm saying. But it created the environment for her to die. It changed behavior. It added pressure. It made everything feel dramatic and impossible to walk away from. A modern teenager's world is already so insular, impulsive and emotional, trapped behind a screen where reality is half baked. But when performance becomes instinct and every reaction is subconsciously shaped for an audience, even real danger can feel like just another scene to play out. And in the end, Halia died, Brianna went to prison, and Dalen walked away with no charges whatsoever. Just a ghost in the margins of a murder he helped set into motion. No one wins in a story like this, because the truth is, it didn't have to happen. But when teenagers are raised in a world where everything is filmed, where attention is currency, and where the pressure to show off never shuts off, even a fist fight can turn into a performance. This time, that performance ended in death. It's not just tragic. That's the cost of a culture that values footage more than the fallout. Speaking of footage, we got a lot of it. Sword and Scale television. [e-mail]. i know you want it, you cheap. Go get it. It's only 20 bucks. And you can get 20 episodes. Right now they're an hour long each. That's a lot of true crime.

[Kenzie Adrian]

Sam.