Podcast
True Crime Couple
Hosted by True Crime Couple · EN
Join married couple Kay and John as they cover some of the lesser known true crime cases. In this bi-weekly podcast, Kay presents the case to both the audience and John at the same time, so they can react together. We pride ourselves on the research we conduct and the respect we show to victims. We hope you enjoy!
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 232: Judith Johnson and Brooke Sutton | Hidden in Plain Sight
Yesterday01:41:47Tap to summarizeThe stillness of the hot June morning in Barberton, OH was broken by the creaking of floorboards beneath the small feet of a six year old girl. She was unsure of what had happened or what she had suffered, she just knew she was scared. As she searched the home she was in, the brutality of the previous night revealed itself to her. Just hours earlier she had been laughing with her beloved grandmother and now she lay dead at her feet. Someone had slipped in their home in the middle of the night and destroyed a family’s world. And yet, the most haunting part of this story wouldn’t be the bloodshed itself, it would be the years that followed. Because the little girl who staggered through the neighborhood at sunrise, traumatized and barely alive, carried with her the only account of what happened inside that house. Her words would shape the investigation, divide a family, and eventually help lead to justice because the killer had always been right there…Sources:https://www.newspapers.com/image/296313955/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkinshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/297064102/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkinshttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32300943/judith_ann-johnsonhttps://www.cleveland19.com/story/6729058/prisoner-indicted-in-1998-murder-case/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.cbsnews.com/news/wifes-detective-work-frees-hubby/https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-26/segment/01https://web.archive.org/web/20140715131515/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17562131/ns/dateline_nbc-killer_instinct/t/killer-instinct/#.U63PM_boct4https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004/pdf/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004-2.pdfhttps://lawlit.net/adcrimlaw4/images/elkins_timeline-1.pdfhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1075753446/?match=1&terms=earl%20mannhttps://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/Innocence/elkins.htmlhttps://content.next.westlaw.com/Document/Ice513343a49311df952a80d2993fba83/View/FullText.html?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)https://innocenceproject.org/cases/clarence-elkins/https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/ninth-district-court-of-appeals/2003/2003-ohio-4522.htmlhttps://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914b1beadd7b0493475b518https://web.archive.org/web/20140403061401/http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/ff313_clarence_elkins/4.htmlhttps://abcnews.com/US/hicks-baby-adoptee-sold-georgia-doctor-50-years/story?id=32743492
Transcribe →
Episode 231: Suzanne Harrison, Gena Turner, and Bryan Boone | Before and After "The Kids"
2w ago01:33:26Tap to summarizeIf I were to tell someone from Wood County Texas to close their eyes and try to imagine what the tiny town of Hawkins, which sits at the intersections of Highway 80 and Farm Road 14 in the south east corner of the county, looked like in 1986 they would not have to use their imagination. Moving with a slow east Texas rhythm the town has not changed with time, but rather has found itself suspected within it. The town sits as an Americana time capsule, arrested to the last time that they knew the innocence, hope, and freedom they once prided themselves on for within hearts of the residence sits a wound that has never healed. Time is only measured in two ways in Hawkins, TX before what happened to them in 1986 and after…or as they refer to it…before and after, “The kids”. For this case I am bringing you into a town named Hawkins, in 1986, and to be honest the vibes of the town seem strikingly similar to another Hawkins you are all well acquitted with, time period and all…and there is one more similarity…high school students going missing. But in our case the disappearances are real and the effects of what happened to the children of Hawkins in 1986 have reverberated through the quiet roads ever since. So let’s step back in time…Sponsors:Rula.com/tccYou deserve mental healthcare that works with you, not against your budget!Avery After Dark PodcastSources: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/166/757/630178/https://texasstandard.org/stories/upshur-county-courthouse-gilmer-tx-jerry-mcfadden-jail-cell/https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/166/166.F3d.757.98-50485.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Walter_McFaddenhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653351/gena_lee-turner#view-photo=141666582https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653379/suzanne_denise-harrisonhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653334/bryan_drew-boone/flowerhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/639801109/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfaddenhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1314219208/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfaddenhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1205660661/?match=1&terms=suzanne%20harrisonhttps://barnwellmountainra.com/https://www.txexecutions.org/reports/191-Jerry-McFadden.htmhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/649944728/?match=1&terms=gerald%20mcfaddenhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/1158959852/?match=1&terms=Anna%20Marie%20Hlavka
Transcribe →
Episode 230: Dawnia Dacosta | Riding with the Devil
May 501:35:55Tap to summarizeAfter a late night church service Dawnia Dacosta began the familiar half and hour ride home. She had done the drive so many times she could have done it with her eyes closed. But as she cruised down I95 she felt her car sputter then slow. She had run out of gas. As she eased onto the shoulder, she may have thought of her mother and the lessons drilled in long before moments like this ever came. Be prepared. Stay alert. Know what to do. So Dawnia followed those rules. Windows up. Doors locked. Hazards flashing. From where she stood, she could see the glow of a Texaco sign just off the exit ramp, not far at all. As she clutched an empty gas can, she stepped into the night, convinced it would be a quick walk… she’d make it. Sources:https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1720973.htmlhttps://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/347254/file/02-1590_AmdInit.pdfhttps://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc02-1590/02-1590amdinit.pdfhttps://www.iexitapp.com/exits/Florida/I-95/North/686https://www.newspapers.com/image/229834760/?terms=dawnia%20dacosta&match=1https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/12/13/hundreds-celebrate-life-of-slain-nursing-student/https://www.newspapers.com/image/638261922/?match=1&terms=Roderick%20Bullardhttps://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/us/florida-murder-rape-cold-case-dna/index.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090830185850/http://www.fadp.org/news/Sun-Sentinel-20040115.htmhttps://cbs12.com/news/local/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023https://www.newspapers.com/image/238640528/?match=1&terms=melissa%20floydhttps://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=699893&TypeSearch=AInewspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-gina-marie-moore/9867526/
Transcribe →
Episode 229: Lee Ann Smith Mangrum | Where the Water Lies
Apr 1901:44:38Tap to summarizeThe stillness of a warm September morning in the South was broken by something that didn’t belong: a bright red Jeep, abandoned and half-submerged in the murky edge of a quiet creek. Not far from it, drifting in the same dark water, was a young mother of two. What should have been a peaceful start to the day instead became the beginning of a mystery as clouded as the water itself.For the detectives called to the scene, nothing about this case came easily. The deeper they looked, the more the details seemed to twist. Unanswered questions, unsettling circumstances, and relationships that were far more complicated than they first appeared. But as the truth slowly surfaced, it revealed something far more disturbing than anyone had been prepared to face.SponsorsVisit Rula.com/tcc to get affordable, high-quality therapy that’s actually covered by insuranceSources:https://www.newspapers.com/image/244437525/?match=1&terms=18%20years%20later%3A%20What%20to%20know%20about%20Lee%20Ann%20Mangrum%27s%20killinghttps://www.newspapers.com/image/276089133/?match=1&terms=%20Lee%20Ann%20Mangrumhttps://www.tncourts.gov/press/2013/03/27/supreme-court-affirms-convictions-upon-finding-no-prosecutorial-misconducthttps://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2011/m2009-01810-cca-r3-cd.htmlSnapped Season 24, Episode 25
Transcribe →
Episode 228: Kaci Woody | Trapped in the Web
Apr 901:59:48Tap to summarizeThe danger of a predator that stalks their victims online, the one that moves silently through glowing screens, is that they use cunning to trap those they prey upon. They study the patterns of their victims, learn their rhythm of life through late night posts and quiet confession. To them vulnerability isn’t a tragedy but rather a signal. With unsettling precision they are able to step in and be or say whatever they need to to become whatever their target needs. They lead with understand, compassion. They listen, they mirror, they comfort. They are exactly what their target craves or needs. Pieces by piece they build trust, an assurance of safety. But behind the carefully chosen words and curated personas lies something sinister. It had been orchestrated in a way that by the time the illusions cracks their victim has already been trapped and the cage that has been so meticulously built around them has consumed them. The greatest weapon of the 21st century against the safety and sanctity of our homes is the internet, because it has allowed predators an opportunity to be stealthy enough to prey on your children and infiltrate your home…from the comfort of theirs. Sources:Newspaper articles accessed through Newspapers.com from 2002-2021. Papers include:The Sun and The Mountain Echohttps://arkansasgravestones.org/view.php?id=821033Caught in the Web: Four Part Series by Cathy Frye for the Arkansas Democrat-GazetteInvestigation Discovery: Web of Lies Aired 1/15/2014https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-07-na-slay7-story.htmlhttps://www.fbicollector.com/historybaltimoreinnocentimages.htmlhttps://katv.com/community/good-morning-arkansas/officer-shares-personal-tragedy-to-warn-families-and-children-about-online-dangers?fbclid=IwAR3TIHuLlb56dvkRSQ9xaLc0LXJHrz8OmNrIs4LdxOIF8AA2UIv00U84ByE
Transcribe →
Episode 227: Joel Kirkpatrick | Screams in the Night
Mar 2201:48:11Tap to summarizeTwo screams pierced the silent, unseasonably warm and windy night of October 13, 1997 in Lawrenceville, Illinois. The first, was that of 10 year old Joel Kirkpatrick as he desperately sought help against the person who had entered his room in the black of night and had attacked him with a knife. The second scream was that of his mother’s as she ran to her neighbors house and pounded on their door desperately seeking help. She begged for them to open up. “They’ve got Joel”, she bellowed into the closed door, “They took Joel.”Once the shock of what had happened settled, and the years went on the question that lingered was whether or not the person that hurt Joel was the least likeliest suspect or the dangerous stranger that had rolled into town with that warm wind.Trigger warning: violence against a childSources:https://www.greatnorthinnocenceproject.org/news/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-another-subjective-science-convicting-innocent-people/https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/2004/06/26/court-overturns-rea-convictio/118184118/https://www.uis.edu/illinoisinnocenceproject/julie-reahttps://nationalpublicdata.com/people/r/julie-rea/tn/martin/pd06p1qslq5zi0nmlilw2zf05nyb8p17/https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/https://www.propublica.org/article/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-jury-wrongful-conviction-acquitted-exoneratedhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/84706396/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrickhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/84742918/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrickhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/84769767/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrickhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/84769827/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrickhttps://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/https://www.facebook.com/ABC2020/videos/julie-rea-recalls-what-happened-night-her-son-was-killed-2020-goodnight-mother/854470515223652/https://wwws.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/documents/nulawreporterwparticle.pdfThrough the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells by Diane Fanning
Transcribe →
Episode 226: The Shakespearean Tragedy of the Robards Family
Mar 901:44:47Tap to summarizeIn Shakespeare’s Hamlet, guilt does not stay buried. It festers beneath crowns and costumes, slipping through rehearsed smiles and whispered prayers. A kingdom rots from the inside, not because of the murder alone, but because of the secret that follows it, heavy and impossible to silence. “O, my offence is rank,” King Claudius confesses, discovering that even a throne cannot shield a poisoned conscience. In the bedroom of a teenager, centuries later, those same words would land a little too close to home.In this case we will explore a modern tragedy shaped by Shakespearean shadows: ambition without a crown, desperation without a dagger, and a confession that would echo far beyond the pages of a play. Because sometimes the most dangerous poison isn’t poured into a cup, it’s carried in the heart, waiting for its moment to speak.Sourceshttps://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/poisoning-daddy/https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/3/https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/243671https://www.newspapers.com/image/644815133/?terms=Marie%20Robardshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/823666883/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robardshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/644815129/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robardshttps://www.newspapers.com/image/646308983/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards
Transcribe →
Episode 225: The Murder of Seath Jackson
Feb 2301:44:18Tap to summarizeIn today’s case a similar situation to the one we covered in Episode 224 arose in central Florida in the Spring of 2011, but this time with a 21st century twist. The teens exhibited the same type of behavior we saw in 1965 in Tucson but this time social media was present to fan the flames of an all too familiar fire caused by jealous, and hierarchical, high-conformity behavior…and just like last time someone would lose their life. Join me as I tell John the case of Seath Jackson. SponsorsFactor Mealsfactormeals.com/truecrimecouple50off and use code truecrimecouple50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a yearNOCDGo to NOCD.com to schedule a free 15-minute call with their team and find out more about how they can help.Sources:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1557636/#:~:text=Rather%20than%20a%20sense%20of,Steinberg%20&%20Silverberg%2C%201986).https://psychcentral.com/lib/click-or-clique-positive-and-negative-teen-social-groups#:~:text=Members%20are%20discouraged%20from%20being,are%20valued%20for%20their%20individuality.&text=Natural%20leaders%20may%20emerge%20but,t%20find%20mutually%20trusting%20relationships.https://www.marionschools.net/parents__students__and_community/parents/Student_Enrollment/your_zoned_schoolhttps://www.circuit5.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/soto-sentencing-5-30-12.pdfhttps://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2012/09/05/man-charged-as-accessory-in-seath-murder-case-ruled-incompetent/64312725007/https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=U46099&TypeSearch=AIhttps://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2018/03/20/guilty-plea-to-accessory-in-murder-of-seath-jackson/12948232007/https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/17/charlie-ely-wins-freedom/42153993/https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2011/04/21/facebook-posts-show-troubled-relationship-before-murder/64298523007/https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/state/2016/02/23/amber-wright-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-a-second-time-for-summerfield-murder/31892000007/https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1866390.html#footnote_ref_2"Seath Jackson - Sleeping With a Killer (Season 1, Episode 12)". Apple TV. 2021. Retrieved February, 2026.
Transcribe →
Episode 224: Alleen Rowe and Gretchen and Wendy Fritz | The Pied Piper of Tucson
Feb 802:07:04Tap to summarizeBy the summer of 1965 three teenage girls had gone missing from Tucson, AZ. When the truth would finally come to light the members of the community would be forced to question everything they knew to be true…and also what their children had been up to.Join me as I tell John the cases of Alleen Rowe and Gretchen and Wendy Fritz. Patreon.com/truecrimecoupleSponsors:NOCDIf you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started:https://learn.nocd.com/TCCSources:https://altsclass.weebly.com/uploads/3/8/8/0/38808759/lifemagazinepiedpiper.doc.pdfhttps://tucson.com/morguetales/article_db508906-e3de-11df-af58-001cc4c002e0.htmlhttps://tucson.com/morguetales/article_0826e27c-e245-11df-b65f-001cc4c03286.htmlhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166810356/james_mcilroy-fritz#view-photo=162428330https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1973/1720-0.htmlNewspapers.com Access to the Daily News,Arizona Daily Star, and the Los Angeles Times from 1966-182
Transcribe →
Episode 223: Nancy DePriest | Austin's Pizza Hut Murder
Jan 3101:40:02Tap to summarizeThe city of Austin found itself in a predicament in late 1988. A horrific crime was committed against a young mother in broad daylight, in a well known establishment on a busy street. The unsolved crime would largely impact the city’s reputation for having the lowest crime rate of all of Texas’s great cities…so it was time to solve the murder of Nancy DePriest, let’s see how they did it.Instagram: TruecrimecouplePatreon.com/truecrimecouple | Join for ad free episodes and two bonus episodes a month!Sponsors:True Crime Society PodcastSources:https://exonerationregistry.org/cases/10386https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/third-court-of-appeals/1991/4881.htmlhttps://www.newspapers.com/image/649638052/?match=1&terms=nancy%20depriesthttps://www.newspapers.com/image/364054228/?match=1&terms=nancy%20depriesthttps://www.newspapers.com/image/363966719/?match=1&terms=nancy%20depriesthttps://www.facebook.com/groups/742034912983989/posts/2019627575224710/https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/hector-polanco-andre-causey-false-confessions/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/burden/innocents/danziger.htmlhttps://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/03/09/facing-her-daughter-s-killer-at-lasthttps://www.justice.gov/archives/dag/file/877741/dl?inline=#:~:text=Forensic%20hair%20examiners%20generally%20recognize,Forensic%20Examination%20ofhttps://nij.ojp.gov/nij-hosted-online-training-courses/crime-scene-and-dna-basics-forensic-analysts/history-and-types-forensic-dna-testing/polymerase-chain-reaction-pcr/dq-alphahttps://www.kvue.com/article/news/crime/true-crime/austin-police-hector-polanco-yogurt-shop-murders/269-160c495f-9212-420c-ad47-edf02bea3d5ahttps://law.wisc.edu/fjr/clinicals/ip/https://innocenceproject.org/about/#:~:text=We've%20helped%20free%20more,and%20advance%20the%20innocence%20movement.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jun-21-me-confess21-story.htmlhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/261908704/richard_edward-danziger
Transcribe →