← True Crime with Kendall Rae
Loading summary
Transcript167 lines
- [00:01]
Sherwin Williams Ad
Shop the Sherwin Williams Four Day Super Sale and get 40% off paints and stains June 6th through the 9th with prices starting at $29.39. It's the perfect time to transform your space with color. Whether you're looking to revamp your interior or exterior, we have you covered with bold hues, soothing neutrals and everything in between. Shop the sale online or visit your neighborhood Sherwin Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only some exclusions apply. See store for details.
- [00:30]
Kendall Ray
Foreign.
- [00:37]
Co-host
Hello everyone and welcome back to.
- [00:39]
Kendall Ray
Another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much as always for joining me. And if you are new to the show, then welcome. Thank you for stopping by. Okay, guys, so today we are getting into one that is beyond words, upsetting, devastating, completely unnecessary, ridiculous, enraging.
- [00:56]
Co-host
I feel that you were all going.
- [00:58]
Kendall Ray
To be, when you hear the details, as pissed off as I have been while researching this case. Today we're going to be talking about the murder of two people, actually, because we're talking about Melissa Lamish. And when she was murdered, she was very close to giving birth. She was nine months pregnant with her son Barrett, who never even got a chance to make it into this world. Barrett was going to be Melissa's first.
- [01:24]
Co-host
Son and, and she was very excited.
- [01:26]
Kendall Ray
About becoming a mother. And I truly believe she would have been a fantastic mother. Melissa was very down to earth, very capable, strong woman, also beautiful. And it's just enraging to think about how completely unnecessary this was. And it's also just wildly disturbing because of the circumstances of the murder. I mean, it honestly was just, there's no other way to describe it other than like demonic. Melissa and Barrett should be here today. Melissa should be raising her son. And they're not because of the actions of a truly sick, disgusting, vile waste of life. Human. And I don't even want to utter his name yet. We will wait until we have to. And I have no doubt that you guys are going to have the same opinion as me on this one. Let's just get into it, starting with me telling you more about Melissa. So Melissa was born on Mother's Day, May 10th of 1993. And God, I actually just realized her and I were less than a month apart. Start in age. She was one of five siblings to be raised by their parents, Dina and Gus in Mount Morris, Illinois. Her siblings, Carl, Cassie, Brian and Julia Lynn were all very close and they have nothing but positive things to say about their sister. Melissa was caring, very unselfish, strong, fierce, and she was Someone who would truly do anything for anyone.
- [02:48]
Co-host
And I love this way that they described her. They said that she was the perfect.
- [02:51]
Kendall Ray
Mix of sugar and spice. And those are the people in life I tend to be, you know, drawn to. Her mom says that the two of them were a lot alike, maybe even more so than either of them would like to admit. Specifically, when it came to her independence and her stubbornness. Melissa was also very outspoken. She was incredibly bright, funny, and was quite the perfectionist, actually. Her brother Carl says that everything she did, she did to a T. So. So it would make sense that whenever she applied herself to something, she did.
- [03:23]
Co-host
It well, which was exactly the case.
- [03:25]
Kendall Ray
When she decided that she wanted to become an emt, which is a perfect career for her, because it does require a lot of strength and passion and commitment and, you know, just going at it full force every day. And also, it requires the compassion and empathy to help people, which Melissa truly wanted to do. Now, how she ended up getting into this career field is kind of interesting. She had an incident in college that ended up with her in the ER, and she had a really good experience with the EMTs who helped her, and that's sort of what inspired her and sparked her interest into going into that career path. She had also been hosting trivia nights at a local bar where a lot of first responders went, and that also encouraged her to go back to school to become an EMT herself. And her family says that entering the paramedic program for her was really a defining moment in her life. And to say that they were proud of her would truly be an understatement. Melissa got a job working for Trace Ambulance in Tinley Park. And after graduating from her program In January of 2020, her mom says that she was part of the ambulance crew that transported the first COVID patient in Chicago. And I imagine that it must have been a truly crazy and chaotic time to get into that field right at the beginning of the pandemic in general. And it was also around this time that she found out that she was pregnant. And Melissa was very, very excited about this pregnancy, even though it was unplanned. She was 27 years old, and she had the full support of her family behind her, which was also a huge blessing, because the baby's father, Matthew Plody, felt the complete opposite and was very vocal in asking her to terminate the pregnancy. But, of course, that is not Matthew's choice, and she wouldn't do it. She was so excited about becoming a mom, and she didn't want to let his absence stop her from from going through with it and being the mom that she wanted to be. And in fact, everyone in her family agreed that Melissa was better off without him. She truly didn't need him. She was very, like I've been saying, capable, strong, smart, like she had all of the qualities, not to mention empathetic, loving, caring and just overall I think would have been an excellent mother if she had gotten the chance to be one. But what's interesting though is her family didn't actually know who he was. Melissa just wasn't very open with her family about who the baby's father was and it actually sort of drove them nuts for a while. But eventually though, they were able to figure it out on their own. Her sister Cassie was able to figure it out just by picking up on hints and going through Melissa's social media. And then others only found out who he was after what happened.
- [06:08]
Co-host
But for the sake of this episode.
- [06:10]
Kendall Ray
I'm not going to be hiding the fact that the father is Matt Plody. And I mean everyone knows it now.
- [06:20]
Sponsor
It is such a treat for me when I get to partner with one of my favorite brands even before they started sponsoring me. And one of those brands is Our Place. I got my first Our Place pan like four or five years ago and.
- [06:31]
Kendall Ray
It is still holding strong.
- [06:33]
Sponsor
It is still our go to pan in our house every single night when we're cooking we always reach first for that. But now we have a bunch of Our Place pans and a bunch of Our Place appliances as well. Now you may not know this, but most nonstick cookware still to this day, even though people are becoming more aware of it, contain harmful toxins. A study by the Ecology center in California found that 80% of nonstick pans contain Teflon, which is forever chemicals which can be released into your food, your home and your body. Also, a brand new study that was published in the Science of the Total Environment found that a single scratch on a non stick coated pan can release approximately 9,100 plastic particles which when I first heard that my mind was blown. But I don't have to worry about that because we use Our Place in Our House. Our Place makes high performance toxin free cookware. Products are made without forever chemicals like PFAs and PTFEs. So you can cook confidently without wondering what's in your pan except for what you're cooking of course. Also, I gotta tell you about my new favorite, the Wonder Oven. Oh my gosh, you guys. This is a revolutionary air fryer and toaster that has sold out eight times. It's made from stainless steel and glass offering an eco friendly high performance cooking experience. So stop cooking with toxic cookware and.
- [07:42]
Kendall Ray
Upgrade to our place today.
- [07:44]
Sponsor
Visit from our place.com TCKR and use code TCKR for 10 off site wide with 100 day risk free trial free shipping and returns. You can experience this game changing cookware with zero risk. It's really a no brainer guys.
- [08:00]
Kendall Ray
And he was actually someone that Melissa knew for a while before becoming pregnant. They met back in 2013 at one of those trivia nights that Melissa hosted and as I mentioned before, they were hosted at a bar where first responders tended to go well. Matt worked for the Carol Stream Fire District as a paramedic and volunteer firefighter and he was one of those people who frequented the bar. So they met there and became friends and they never dated in any official capacity and from what I was able to gauge, they were just friends with benefits. Basically they would just hook up from time to time. So when Melissa ended up getting pregnant, it was a surprise to both of them. But on her end it was a surprise that she was welcoming with open arms. Her mom Deanna says that Melissa was born to become a mother herself. And just by the way that she was preparing to bring her baby boy into this world, it's very obvious that she really would have been a great one. And to be a great mom, she knew that she would need the support of her family. So In October of 2020 she decided to move back into her childhood home with her dad. Melissa's parents had been divorced for a while, but they were both equally as excited about helping her in whatever way that she needed. And I'm truly thankful that Melissa had such a supportive family and from all the interviews I've seen of them, they all seem like wonderful people who were truly just there to have Melissa's back at every turn of her life. Now she had also had a few health related issues towards the end of her pregnancy, things like high blood pressure and fainting spells. So living with her dad was also just to make sure that both she and the baby were safe in those last few weeks. But no one could have ever imagined that Melissa and baby Barrett were far from safe because just two days before she was supposed to be induced and one day before Thanksgiving, the two of them were brutally killed. It was November 25th of 2020 and because of COVID and because she was about to give birth, her doctors recommended that she not spend Thanksgiving with a bunch of people. So from what I understand that Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the plan was that she was going to prep herself to head to the hospital the day after Thanksgiving and, you know, pack up all of that. And then the following night, that Thursday, she would just have Thanksgiving dinner at home with just her dad. But she never even made it that far. So let me explain. At 4:28pm on the 25th, a 911 call was placed by her father, Gus's neighbor, after they saw smoke pouring out of his house. And this, you guys, was no small house fire. When firefighters arrived and broke through the locked front door, they had to crawl on their hands and knees to make their way through the house. There was only about 5 inches of visibility in front of them. And they went in there under the belief that someone was inside. Not just because there was a car parked in the driveway, but because the fire chief, who happened to know Gus personally, called him to ask him if anyone was there. And Gus said that the chief sounded incredibly panicked when he asked if anyone was inside the house. And when he explained that Melissa was there, that's when he learned that the house was on fire. And can you imagine the panic that he experienced? And in those moments, trying to get back to the house after hearing that news, knowing that your daughter, who is about to give birth, is in that home? So he rushes home as soon as he could, but by the time he got there, it was too late. When firefighters crawled their way through the house, they found Melissa's body lying face down on the kitchen floor. And because of the smoke, they had to drag her out, hoping that they would be able to save her and the baby. But devastatingly, both of them were already gone. And during all of this, her mother, Deanna, got a similar, very frightening call. It was from her son Carl, asking if she had heard from Melissa that day, which she hadn't. And for a brief second, she didn't think anything of it. But then Carl explained that he wasn't just asking casually. He was asking because their dad's house, where Melissa was staying, was on fire, and no one could get a hold of her. And in that moment, everything just came crashing down. Deanna was with Melissa's younger sister, Julia Lynn, whose 17th birthday just so happened to be that day. And it was obviously not a day that they got to end up celebrating. They were actually at the store getting cake when they got the call. But the moment they heard about the fire, they dropped everything to rush to Mount Morris. When they were about halfway there, though, a call from her other son, Brian, came in and before even answering, she knew what it meant. Both she and Julia Lynn had a gut, sinking feeling that Melissa was gone. And they were right. And this was the same feeling that her older sister Cassie got as well. She and her husband were also at the store when Carl called. And Cassie just said that her whole world collapsed in that parking lot. Like the rest of her family, she rushed to the house as fast as she could. But like I said, Melissa and her baby were already gone. And as you probably could have guessed, the first order of business here was determining what started this fire, and more importantly, determining if the fire was Melissa's cause of death. Because at first, before any investigators were able to step inside the house, it was assumed that Melissa likely died as a result of smoke inhalation. You know, maybe it was a situation where she was cooking and had one of her fainting spells that she was experiencing in pregnancy and wasn't able to escape all that smoke, which, at the time, sounded reasonable enough. But the thing is, though, as soon as investigators and the fire chief were able to go inside, they realized that could not have been the case.
- [13:38]
Co-host
It was obvious right away that the.
- [13:39]
Kendall Ray
Fire started in the kitchen, based on how most of the damage was concentrated in that area. And you would think that this would confirm their theory that Melissa was cooking. A fire started, and she just somehow couldn't get out. But the closer they looked, the less this looked accidental. When looking at the stove, all of the burners were switched off and the oven was completely empty, suggesting that she wasn't cooking anything when the fire started. And then after that, experts looked at the circuit breaker. They wanted to see if there was some kind of electrical problem there, but it appeared perfectly fine. So it wasn't electrical, and it wasn't because of something that Melissa was cooking. So what happened here?
- [14:19]
Co-host
Because they could tell that the fire.
- [14:21]
Kendall Ray
Originated from the cabinet area just above the stove. And so, after ruling out any accidental causes, that left only one other option, that this fire was set intentionally. And what was also immediately strange was that this fire was described as a survivable fire, despite how bad it was, meaning that if someone were inside the.
- [14:44]
Co-host
House, they would have.
- [14:46]
Kendall Ray
Should have been able to escape. And you got to think about the fact that Melissa was an emt, and there were several routes that she could have escaped from. So they had no doubt that she would have walked out of that house if she could.
- [14:57]
Co-host
Of course she would have.
- [14:59]
Kendall Ray
So all of that is suggesting that she was likely incapacitated before the fire was set. And obviously, they didn't Know this for.
- [15:07]
Sponsor
Certain at this point, but that was.
- [15:08]
Kendall Ray
Is definitely how it was looking. Plus, when lead investigator Brian Keter went inside the ambulance to look at Melissa, he realized that her injuries were not consistent with dying in a fire. So from that point forward, they had to consider that this could have been a homicide. So their next step here is to question her loved ones, to learn more about her life and see if there was anyone that they knew of who would have wanted her dead. And naturally, of course, the baby's father came up. Now, through their conversations with the family, it became clear that Matt was not supportive of her keeping the baby and that he had made zero effort at all to be involved. In fact, after he was pressuring her to terminate the pregnancy and she wouldn't, he just completely ghosted her, according to her family. Now, she would still include him in, you know, updates and what was going on with the pregnancy and the baby every once in a while, because she did want her son, at the end of the day, to have the option of having his dad in his life if he wanted to and if Matt wanted to. But didn't seem like Matt wanted that at all because he would rarely respond to any of that.
- [16:17]
Co-host
And to be perfectly clear here, it.
- [16:19]
Kendall Ray
Was not like Melissa even wanted him to be her boyfriend or anything like that. She, I think, knew the reality of who Matt was and that he likely wouldn't be involved much at all. But she wanted the door to be open for her son in the event that maybe he would change his mind and have interest in being involved in his own child's life. But he didn't. Not at all. And, of course, that felt like a huge red flag to investigators.
- [16:50]
Sponsor
So if you've been listening to my show for a while, you know how much I truly love today's sponsor, which is Nutrafol. And, wow, Neutrophil has completely transformed my hair.
- [17:00]
Kendall Ray
After gave birth to my daughter, I had.
- [17:02]
Sponsor
Oh, my gosh. I will never forget this moment where I was sitting in the shower while.
- [17:06]
Kendall Ray
I was standing in the shower, but.
- [17:07]
Sponsor
I was experiencing so much hair shedding, which is very common after you have a baby. But I didn't know what to do. I remember getting out of the shower, looking in the mirror, and just crying.
- [17:15]
Kendall Ray
Because I felt like I was already.
- [17:17]
Sponsor
Losing so much of myself. In that time, I barely knew who I was anymore. And then suddenly I also felt insecure about my physical appearance and especially my hair. It can be such an emotional thing. So I started looking into options, and that's how I found Neutral on my own way before they started sponsoring me and I'm so glad I did because I have now been on it nearly three years now. You may have hear Nutrafol's hair growth supplements and wondered do they actually work? And that's a fair question because many hair supplements over promise and under deliver. But Neutrophil, I promise you is different. As the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand, it's trusted by over 1.5 million people and it's clinically tested to deliver real results in just three to six months. I'd say it took about six months until I really started noticing it. But once I did, I can never go back because it, like I said, has transformed my hair and I feel so much more confident in it now. Everyone's root causes of hair thinning are different. So a one size fits all approach to hair growth just doesn't cut it. So Nutrifal Neutral has multiple formulas that.
- [18:11]
Kendall Ray
Are designed to give your body what.
- [18:12]
Sponsor
It needs to grow and support your hair's unique needs. Whether you're navigating postpartum menopause or a plant based lifestyle, or maybe you're even just simply looking to see less shedding, Nutrafol has you covered. So this summer stop worrying about your hair and start making memories. For a limited time, Neutral is offering my listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to neutral.com and enter promo code Kendall Rae find out why Neutral is the best selling hair growth supplement brand@ Nutriful.com spelled N u T R-A F o L.com promo code Kendall Rae. Once again, that's Nutri promo code Kendall Ray.
- [18:46]
Kendall Ray
But the biggest red flag though, at least in terms of what they learned in those first few hours, was what Melissa's sister Cassie had to say.
- [18:55]
Co-host
So it turns out that earlier that.
- [18:57]
Kendall Ray
Day the two of them were on the phone and they were actually two and a half hours into their phone call. And then out of nowhere, Melissa abruptly ended their conversation and said something like, like, you've got to be kidding me. Matt is here. I'll make this quick and I'll let you know what he wants. Now that's not a direct quote, but essentially Cassie's understanding was that Matt just showed up unannounced and that Melissa was going to see what he wanted and then give her a call right back. But that call of course never came. And that means that Matt was likely the last known person to see Melissa alive. And so of course they brought him in for questioning that same night, and in full transparency, they couldn't yet call him a person of interest at this point. And the point of bringing him in.
- [19:41]
Co-host
Was really just to gauge his story, Hear what he had to say, See.
- [19:46]
Kendall Ray
If they could learn anything new. And right off the bat, Matt's energy was strange, to say the least. And to explain what I mean by that, Just an example. When investigators told him that melissa was dead, Meaning his baby was also dead.
- [20:02]
Co-host
He just sat there for a few.
- [20:03]
Kendall Ray
Seconds, and then, I mean, he was just sitting there in silence, and then suddenly goes, okay. Like, that's all he had to say, which is just shocking to see someone act this way. Whether you wanted this baby or not, Whether you wanted to be in melissa's.
- [20:16]
Co-host
Life or not, you, would think that.
- [20:17]
Kendall Ray
Someone that you had just stopped by to see the day that they died and who was in your life in some capacity, you, would have a bit more emotion. Now, melissa's brother carl, did call matt that evening to let him know that there had been a fire and that someone had died. But carl didn't say who it was.
- [20:50]
Co-host
So I guess you could maybe say.
- [20:52]
Kendall Ray
That it wasn't a big shock to him because he had already figured that melissa had died in the fire. But even still, I mean, there's really no excuse for it. He was way too casual about the whole thing, and alarm bells were going off for investigators Right off the bat with him. There were no tears. There was no, sorry, I need a moment. He didn't even ask a single question, didn't even show any emotion or shock. Just nothing. Nothing. He just proceeded with the interview as if everything was normal. Like, they just told him that subway was closing down. I don't know. Like, the lack of reaction here is shocking. And not only is it just shocking in the way of, like, why would any human act this way? But also, just how stupid do you have to be if you are trying to come across as innocent to have. Like, most people, Even when they have committed a murder, Will try to drum up some emotion, Put on a little act, a little show to try and make themselves seem less guilty. But matt didn't even do that. And he was cooperative in answering questions, but his demeanor and his words were just cold. I mean, the dude literally used the term deadline to describe the pregnancy, which, to me, says so much. I mean, a deadline for pregnancy. Who says that? I mean, most people, I think, Are familiar enough with how pregnancy works to understand the term due date. Like, I have never heard someone say deadline, And I think that really tells you everything you need to know.
- [22:21]
Investigator
When did she notify you that she was pregnant? Have you been in any doctor's appointments or anything else with her?
- [22:33]
Matthew Plody
No, I have not. Okay.
- [22:36]
Investigator
What was. I guess what was the situation? You notified me or April or May that she's pregnant.
- [22:44]
Matthew Plody
We didn't have a good relationship for a while. There was lack of communication. Talking with my parents in the last two months, just trying to. And there's a deadline for. For that. So we were.
- [23:20]
Investigator
The deadline for.
- [23:21]
Matthew Plody
For pregnancy. There's a deadline.
- [23:26]
Investigator
Were you guys considering an abortion?
- [23:29]
Matthew Plody
I asked her about it, and she said no. Okay.
- [23:33]
Kendall Ray
If you ask me, the type of person who would talk about a due date as a deadline is the type of person who isn't expecting a baby to be there at the end, Almost like it's a deadline for himself to.
- [23:46]
Co-host
Take care of it.
- [23:47]
Kendall Ray
And the more investigators dug into Matt both during the interview and after, they also realized that the deadline he was talking about wasn't Melissa giving birth. It was his own personal deadline for making sure that she didn't. But during that interview, he said what he could to make it seem like he went over there for innocent reasons. He actually tried to say that the reason he went over there in the first place was because he had come around to the idea of being involved. Like, really, dude? Like the day before she's supposed to be induced or two days before, that's when you decide to be involved. How believable is that just in the first place? But he claimed that he dropped by to talk about finances and things like that. And he also said that after talking in the kitchen for about an hour, they proceeded to have sex and just take a listen.
- [24:36]
Investigator
So what did you guys talk to talk about today?
- [24:42]
Matthew Plody
My name is. We talked about it before, and I'm. Previously, I wasn't really on board, but today, last couple weeks or so, I wanted to be involved. And so today I been wanting to revisit that and be more involved. I know my parents want to be involved.
- [25:18]
Investigator
Where was the conversation at?
- [25:19]
Kendall Ray
In the house?
- [25:22]
Matthew Plody
We decided to get to till and then her cat was all around.
- [25:33]
Investigator
Was there anybody else in the house.
- [25:35]
Matthew Plody
When you were there? No.
- [25:38]
Investigator
Anybody in between, come and go? Why?
- [25:43]
Kendall Ray
Any.
- [25:43]
Matthew Plody
Anybody knock on the door, stop over.
- [25:47]
Investigator
Say, conversation, Kitchen table.
- [25:51]
Matthew Plody
For about an hour. Then what? We had sex.
- [26:08]
Investigator
Which is how.
- [26:11]
Kendall Ray
Now the idea that the two of them had sex just really didn't add up to investigators, especially when they thought about what her family had said. They had told investigators that her pregnancy, especially in those Last couple weeks was really, really tough. She was hardly eating anything and spent most of her time asleep. So the idea that she and Matt had sex just did not seem very likely at all. However, despite all of their suspicions, at this point, they really had no reason to hold him. So Matt was allowed to leave. And what they needed in order to move forward here was the results of her autopsy. Investigators needed to see, one, if she had soot in her airways, and two, what levels of carbon monoxide were in her blood. Because both of these would tell them whether or not she was alive when.
- [26:59]
Co-host
The fire was set.
- [27:00]
Kendall Ray
If she was alive, of course, that that might rule out homicide. But if she wasn't, that would pretty much confirm that someone had killed her. Now, that autopsy, or at least the first one, which I will explain, took place on November 27th. And the problem was it was going to take 10 to 14 business days.
- [27:26]
Co-host
To get the results back.
- [27:27]
Kendall Ray
And they really didn't have time to wait around, because every minute in a murder investigation counts. So they decide that they were going to bring a vial of her blood to the local hospital to quickly screen for carbon monoxide. And within five minutes of doing that, they learned that her levels were completely normal, which, of course, strongly suggested that she died before the fire was set. And this was further confirmed after the second autopsy that was performed on December 8, because during that autopsy, they learned that Melissa's true cause of death was strangulation. Yes, you heard that right. A beautiful, wonderful woman who was nine months pregnant was strangled to death right before she was about to give birth to her first child. A medical examiner found evidence of severe petechial hemorrhaging in her neck and in her cheeks, as well as signs of blunt force trauma. Plus, and this is horrible, you guys, but it was determined that she'd likely also been sexually assaulted. Now, as we know, Matt did tell investigators that the two of them had sex, but based on her other injuries, they were not convinced at all that this was consensual sex. So they performed a sexual assault kit and collected swabs from under her nails as well and sent that all out for testing. And by this point, Matt was their number one suspect. But they didn't want to rush to an arrest. And even if they wanted to, it's not like they could, because even though it might have been the end of 2020, and I can't remember how bad things were towards the end of 2020, and obviously, there were a lot of. Of ups and downs during the pandemic, but Covid, at This point was still slowing things down significantly when it came to getting lab results. So even if they wanted to arrest him, they couldn't. And quite frankly, this was a huge disappointment to Melissa's family. By this point, with everything they knew, they felt very confident that Matt was responsible. And to just know that he was out there living his life, it was terrifying and infuriating. Matt was someone who was supposed to be out there saving lives, yet he was responsible, allegedly, at this time, of taking two, one being his own child. And I don't think there are enough words in the English language to describe how disgusting you need to be to do that to a pregnant person, let alone someone who is pregnant with your child. And it's really just devastating to think about how excited Melissa was as she was gearing up to give birth and then become a mom.
- [29:51]
Co-host
She was so excited about her future.
- [29:53]
Kendall Ray
And had so many plans for herself and her son, only for it to be taken away before it ever began. And she was actually keeping Barrett's name a secret from her family, which is very, very common. Most people, it seems to me, most people will keep their baby's name a secret until they announce it after the baby is born. Sometimes families know, of course, sometimes they don't. It's a surprise for everyone. And I don't know what. What her reasoning for that was. I know for a lot of people, it's like they don't want anyone to put doubts in their head about the name that they have chosen. But for whatever reason, she was really excited to eventually tell them the name that she had decided on. Now, her family did know that his nickname was going to be Little Bear. So they had been taking guesses, but it wasn't until after she died, when they were going through her things, that they learned what it was actually going to be. Police had given them access to the house a few days after the fire, and when they were going through her stuff, Cassie found a note that confirmed that his name would be Barrett. And as devastating as that is to think about what that moment must have been like for them, I'm very thankful that they had the opportunity to learn what his name was going to be and get to know him, like, the tiniest bit, since they never got to actually meet him while he was alive, at least. And I cannot imagine what it would have been like going through that house, especially because, I mean, this was a family home for them. There were so many memories, and then for it to become this place of tragedy and to see all of Melissa's Belongings, all of the baby toys that she had already picked out, blankets and, you know, things that she was planning on building, memories with her son that she never had the chance. And with all of them, I mean, I cannot imagine what a heavy situation that would have been. Everything was covered in soot, if not completely melted. And in those moments, the weight of losing both of them was even more painfully real than it already was. And then there was the funeral, which took place on December 14th. And because of COVID they only did a small family service. And they did decide to have an open casket. And this is heartbreaking, you guys, but Deanna said that she wanted to hold her grandson's hand, knowing that her daughter, his mom, never had the chance to do that herself. And she said she practically gasped when she touched him the first time. But once she did, she never wanted to let him go. Deanna was actually the last to leave the cemetery. After all was said and done. And the strength it took for all of them to carry on each day after this was beyond difficult. But they weren't going to give up their fight for justice, Even if the reality was that it was going to take a while, which they knew it probably would. But they called investigators at least once a week while they were waiting for the arrest to be made. And that was a drastic difference from Matt, who never once reached out about the investigation. Which also tells you a lot, right? I mean, if he were innocent, you would think you would hope that he would want to know who killed his child and the mother of his child, right? But no, he didn't seem to give a fuck. All Matt cared about, because he is a selfish pig, is moving on with his own life at this time. And that's exactly what he did. Investigators got a search warrant for his and Melissa's phone records to see if there was any communication between the two of them that stood out. But honestly, it was his communication with other women that stood out even more. Because it turns out that Matt over.
- [33:23]
Co-host
Here was quite the player.
- [33:25]
Kendall Ray
Shocking, I know. Especially when you consider, you know, his face. But, yeah, despite him not being the best looking lad out there, it looked like in addition to Melissa, he had a number of other women that he was sleeping with, including a girlfriend who it appeared he was living with. And once they saw this, investigators started to piece together a motive. I mean, it was all coming into place here. The picture was being painted. What if Matt killed Melissa because having a baby with her would prevent him from living there bachelor lifestyle that he currently had, which is ridiculous and stupid. Logic on his part, because she wasn't even forcing him to be in their lives. That's what's so mind blowing about this case, is nobody was asking him to give up literally anything because somewhere in his stupid little rat brain, he thought that killing her would make him better off. And thankfully, investigators were closing in on him, even if it was taking a while. So six months after the DNA and sexual assault kit was sent off for testing, testing, the results showed that there was male DNA under Melissa's fingernails, which is a telltale sign that a victim fought back. And there was also male DNA found in her vagina. And it didn't tell them whose DNA it was. But they got a search warrant to swab Matt because they strongly believed it came from him. But they didn't actually go and get that swab right away because first they wanted to talk to his fellow firefighters. And I'm sure most of you know that you're. I don't know the correct term, but you're, I believe, squad, your fire squad, your team, you all spend a lot of time together. I mean, they are spending overnights together, days on end, and fire units end up becoming very close fire departments. Maybe I should say, sorry, I don't know the correct terminology there, but I know I do have a friend who's a firefighter, and I know how much he spends with his. His fellow firefighters and how close all of them are. And more specifically, they really wanted to talk to his captain, Robert Schultz. And what they learned from Rob was very interesting. It turns out that nobody at the fire station, despite how close they are, they should have been right, knew anything about Melissa or about her pregnancy and the fact that he was the father. Now, Matt, I guess, was known as being one of the quieter guys, but still, this is a group of men who celebrated fatherhood. So when Rob found out about all of this, he was in, I mean, shock. He was in disbelief. And he also just couldn't even wrap his mind around the fact that Matt was being investigated as a suspect. I mean, he at first thought investigators maybe had the wrong guy.
- [36:13]
Co-host
But then it all really clicked for.
- [36:14]
Kendall Ray
Him when he looked back at the calendar and saw that on November 25, Matt had called out of work that day. Something about a leg injury, which obviously was a lie. But that just all clicked for him in that moment. I mean, the whole thing, he said, made him feel sick to his stomach, especially because it had now been nine months since everything had happened, and nobody at the station knew a thing about it. Not about Melissa, not About the pregnancy. But even more shocking, he hadn't told anyone that both of them had died in a house fire, of all places. I mean, they're a fire department, and he doesn't even mention this. And it wasn't just the guys at the fire station that he didn't tell. It was everyone. I mean, he didn't tell a single person in his life about Melissa or.
- [37:00]
Co-host
The baby or the fact that they.
- [37:01]
Kendall Ray
Died, including his own parents. But his parents actually did know about it. And it turns out that Melissa was the one who initially told them.
- [37:09]
Co-host
And she said she did this because.
- [37:11]
Kendall Ray
She wanted them to have the opportunity to be part of their grandchild's life. And I'm guessing she also wanted there to be a possibility of her son knowing his grandparents. And I guess Matt was pissed at her when she did that, which with his track record, is not shocking, right?
- [37:28]
Co-host
But the fact that this was kept.
- [37:29]
Kendall Ray
Kept a secret only made the investigators theory seem much more likely. So they decide to bring him in for a second interview, hoping that maybe they could get him to just confess. I mean, with how long things in the lab were taking, they knew that getting a swab from him and matching it to the DNA was going to take a while. So they were just hoping that with all the circumstantial evidence they had against him, maybe they could just get him to talk. But Matt being Matt, did pretty much just the opposite of that. On August 28, 2021, he was pulling out of his driveway with another woman in the passenger seat when he was stopped by investigators and told to come into the station. And by this point, he had already been put on administrative leave at work, so he likely knew that the walls were closing in on him. Despite that, though, he stayed almost completely silent during that seven hour interview. And they did not take it easy on him. They straight up accused him of murder. And at no point did he ever deny it or try to defend himself. He just sat there like a bump on a log, staring at them or staring at the floor.
- [38:33]
Investigator
Was it an accident? As a man, just. Let's talk. Verbalize with me then, please. Can you. Can we. Can we look at each other, please? All right, I'm giving you. We've given you courtesy. We're talking to you as adults, right? As men, all in this room. Can you at least look at me and verbalize? Can you do that for me, man? Yes.
- [39:21]
Kendall Ray
Can we talk.
- [39:39]
Co-host
Now?
- [39:39]
Kendall Ray
I apologize to any of my audio only listeners for all that silence in that clip, but that. That tells you exactly how it went, if it wasn't already obvious, that was Matt not responding to anything that the investigators were asking. And I could play 50 clips, probably more, that sound exactly like that, but I think you get it. Matt was not going to confess.
- [40:01]
Co-host
And to be clear, he wasn't mute the entire time, but he was still very selective about when he chose to speak. And at one point, they even asked him if he intended to kill Melissa, to which he responded, I had no intention of hurting Melissa. Which, of course, isn't technically an admission of guilt, but investigators definitely took it as him saying that he hurt her in some capacity.
- [40:24]
Detective
Your answer was, no, I didn't intend to hurt her. That's what your answer was.
- [40:28]
Kendall Ray
Okay.
- [40:31]
Matthew Plody
Okay.
- [40:31]
Detective
So was this an accident then? Was her death an accident? Yes or no.
- [40:45]
Kendall Ray
Matt?
- [40:46]
Detective
Was this an accident? Yes or no? Yes or no, Matt?
- [41:00]
Investigator
Would it be easier for you to nod? Was this death an accident?
- [41:17]
Co-host
There was even a point where he was going over the timeline again, and he mentioned that when he was leaving, that Melissa was about to go make some food, which obviously, he is just trying to set up the scene, right? He is trying to set up a story of how the house caught on fire. But keep in mind, I'm sure you already are, that he is a firefighter and he has the knowledge on how to set a fire and make it look like an accident. And, I mean, that alone is just something you can't ignore. But one thing that really popped out to me is what an idiot he had to be to have all the experience he has in that industry and to not realize that they are going to quickly realize that she didn't die in the fire since she didn't have any carbon monoxide in her system. He just really wasn't doing himself any favors with this whole interview. And it only ended after seven hours.
- [42:08]
Sponsor
When he asked for an attorney.
- [42:10]
Co-host
And I'm surprised it took him that long to do so. And by that point, you can just tell how pissed those investigators were.
- [42:17]
Detective
You think you'd like to talk to an attorney, or do you want to talk to an attorney? Because I think I'd like a ham sandwich right now, but I don't see a ham sandwich anywhere around here. So do you think you want to talk to an attorney, Matt, or do you want to talk to an attorney?
- [42:41]
Matthew Plody
Yeah.
- [42:43]
Investigator
Yeah, what?
- [42:44]
Detective
Yeah, what?
- [42:45]
Matthew Plody
Yes, I would like to talk to an attorney.
- [42:48]
Detective
Yes, you would like to talk to an attorney?
- [42:50]
Matthew Plody
Yes, have the same seat.
- [42:52]
Co-host
Now, after that, they did decide to go ahead and take those DNA swabs. But once Again, it was going to be a waiting game. Unfortunately, the lab was moving at what felt like slower than ever, and her family was understandably growing impatient. And quite frankly, so are investigators. And they weren't moving slowly for fun or because they were being lazy. They wanted justice, but they had to do this right. But they had one final trick up their sleeve that they hoped would. Would seal a confession. They basically knew that Matt was never going to confess to police, but investigator Keter thought maybe he would confess to someone he trusted. So in late August, they decided to give Robert Schultz a call. And this time, they asked him if he would be willing to wear a wire. And at first he said no, which I get where he was coming from. It's understandable to agree because he didn't like the idea of getting in the middle of it. And I think more than anything, he knew that if Matt was capable of killing someone, that this could potentially be a dangerous situation for him. And I think having hesitations about it is natural. But Rob really seems like a good dude. And at the end of the day, after he had time to think about it, he realized that even if he didn't want to do it, it was something that needed to be done. Because even if there was a chance that it could help Melissa and her family, he was willing to take that risk. So on September 9, 2021, Rob called Matt into the station to talk. Investigators put a listening device on his.
- [44:13]
Kendall Ray
Phone, which he called just.
- [44:14]
Co-host
Just sat down on his desk, and then had a few guys in an adjacent office just in case things went south. But once again, Matt sat there practically in silence. And I don't know if it was because he guessed that maybe there was a wire or because he was so ashamed of himself or. I. I don't know what his deal is, but at one point, Rob was just pleading with him to come forward, but he didn't even flinch. He just sat there emotionless, with his head down like a big. And waited until it was over, which was really unfortunate because that just left investigators with no choice but to wait out the results of the DNA test. And this is also really interesting because I had no idea that the Amazon devices like the Echo and the. I can't remember the other names for them. I don't have.
- [45:12]
Kendall Ray
It's Alexa. Alexa, Right.
- [45:14]
Co-host
Like any of those Alexa devices. I don't have any of those, but I didn't realize that they actually record audio. And there was an Amazon Echo at the house, and they collected it from the scene. So they were also waiting for the contents of that to be searched. And they thought that it was possible that maybe it picked up some of the audio of what happened. And I kind of got my hopes up when I first heard about that, but. But I'll let you know now that it didn't end up picking up anything.
- [45:37]
Kendall Ray
Which was very unfortunate.
- [45:39]
Co-host
They also had to wait for the fire marshal's report, which ultimately confirmed that the fire was set intentionally, Specifically with the intent of concealing a homicide. So that was good news for investigators, but it wasn't enough. They really just needed that DNA to come back as a match to Matt if they were going to arrest him anytime soon. And finally, in March of 2022, it did. And it turns out, no big surprise here, but the DNA under Melissa's fingernails was a match to Matthew ploty, indicating that she struggled with him, she fought back as he was taking her life. The DNA from the sexual assault kit also came back as a match to him. And given her injuries, they did not believe that this was a consensual encounter like he was suggesting. So on March 8, the warrant was issued for his arrest, and on the 9th, they finally got his sorry ass. In total, he was facing 10 counts, including four counts of first degree murder, three counts of intentional homicide of an unborn child, one count of residential arson, one count of aggravated domestic battery, and one count of concealment of a homicidal death. They held him on a 10 million dollar bail, which he unsuccessfully tried to get reduced in April of that year. And it didn't matter if he had no prior convictions. The judge recognized the threat that he posed to society and was not willing to risk letting him get out, even if it was just temporari, which was a decision that their family was very grateful for, and I'm sure the whole community was as well. Overall, they were happy to know that Matt was behind bars and he was actually arrested on her dad's birthday, which I thought was kind of cool. But obviously an arrest is just the start. They knew that there was a lengthy judicial process ahead of them, which was anything but straightforward. In November of 2023, over 19 months after his arrest and three years after the murder, Matt still hadn't even gone to trial yet.
- [47:28]
Kendall Ray
And this is when he and his.
- [47:29]
Co-host
Attorney tried to get the charges thrown out altogether. They argued that too much time had passed between the alleged crime and Matt's arrest. But luckily the motion to dismiss was denied because it is just absolutely ridiculous. And a trial date was finally set just shortly after that for March of 2020.
- [47:47]
Kendall Ray
4.
- [47:47]
Co-host
Now, to you and I and to all of her loved ones, friends, and family, it was pretty damn obvious that he did this, right? But his defense attorneys definitely tried. Tried being the keyword to paint a different picture. They tried to say that Matt was an upstanding citizen who served his community as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic. And why would someone like that all of a sudden turn around and take the life of a pregnant woman? They also pointed out that as a firefighter, he would have set a better fire if he was truly guilty. Which is honestly kind of funny that they tried to make that argument, because they were just basically pointing, he is an idiot, that he doesn't know what he's doing, even though that's his job. But, yeah, they basically tried to argue that he would have set a fire that would have completely burnt down the house, the. All of the evidence, leaving no room for doubt. They also tried to say that the prosecution falsely painted him as a monster and zeroed in on him without even focusing on other suspects. But, guys, just look at this man. This is a monster. And with everything we know about him, it's ridiculous for them to say, oh, you tried to paint him out to be a monster.
- [48:56]
Kendall Ray
He's this great guy.
- [48:58]
Co-host
Sometimes I hear the arguments from the defense, and I'm just like, do they really think that this is going to work, that the jury is going to be stupid enough to buy this? And do I need to remind you that nobody else had any motive whatsoever to want Melissa dead? And Matt had a very clear motive. And that was a big part of the prosecution's argument. I mean, Matt was the only person who benefited from Melissa's death and the death of his own son. They argued specifically that he killed her in order to protect his playboy bachelor lifestyle, which would have been hindered by having a baby. And let's not also forget that he told nobody in his life about her, which prosecutors argued was strategic. Basically, they're arguing that his mindset was, if nobody knows that he's having a baby, nobody will ask when the baby doesn't arrive. Now, in terms of testimony, the prosecution called several witnesses to the stand over.
- [49:53]
Kendall Ray
The course of three days.
- [49:54]
Co-host
And I won't go through it all, but I'll give you some of the highlights, starting with the main fire investigator who determined that this fire was intentionally set. His name is Michael, and he testified that there was no evidence to indicate.
- [50:07]
Kendall Ray
That the fire was electrical or related.
- [50:09]
Co-host
To some kind of cooking accident. Now, the defense, of course, cross examined him pretty hard because his report used words like most likely and it is believed. And they tried to argue that that.
- [50:20]
Kendall Ray
Left left room for doubt.
- [50:21]
Co-host
They even brought in their own fire inspector, who contradicted Michael's testimony. But he did admit that he never went to the scene himself, that he just reviewed evidence through pictures. Both of the forensic pathologists who conducted her autopsies also testified, and they confirmed that Melissa was killed before the fire was ever set. There was no soot in her airways. Her carbon monoxide levels were completely normal. The injuries to her body confirmed that her cause of death was strangulation. And one of the pathologists actually said that Melissa's body had most petechial hemorrhages that she had ever seen in a strangulation case, which just tells you the force that this maniac used on her. And God, dude. Just thinking about what had to be going through her mind in the moments that she was being strangled, knowing that there was nothing she could do to try and save her baby.
- [51:12]
Kendall Ray
I mean, she fought back as hard as she could, but to just. So vile.
- [51:18]
Co-host
I don't know how you could do that to someone, let alone someone who is carrying your child. I think to do something like this, you have to be completely demented. You have to be evil. Like I said earlier, he's. He's a demon. And then I also wanted to mention that a neighbor also took the stand because on the day that Melissa was killed, he actually witnessed a man entering her house. He said that the guy was wearing a hat, and he didn't get a.
- [51:43]
Kendall Ray
Good look at who he was.
- [51:44]
Co-host
But at first he thought he was like a salesperson or something like that. But then. Then he watched Melissa let him inside, which he thought was strange. He even talked to Gus about this shortly after the murder. And he thought it was weird, too, because Melissa was on strict orders not to be around other people before she gave birth because of COVID Now, the last piece of testimony I want to go over, because it is extremely important, was from Melissa's sister Cassie. If you remember, the two of them had that phone call on the day that she died when Matt unexpectedly just showed up at her door. And Melissa said she would call her sister right back after seeing what he wanted. But as we all know, Melissa never made that call back to her sister. And that's what Cassie testified to. And I'm sure you all understand why what she had to say was so important. Clearly, Melissa would have called Cassie back if she could have, but she couldn't. Because the person who interrupted their call killed her before she had the chance. And Cassie's testimony was actually heavily disputed before the trial even began. During a preliminary hearing, the defense tried to get it thrown out because they said it was hearsay, but. But the judge obviously allowed it because why wouldn't they? He also allowed four hours of that seven hour interrogation to be played. And boy, was that powerful. The defense was super against this because they felt like prosecutors were trying to make it seem like Matt's silence was some kind of admission of guilt, when in reality, of course, he did have the right to remain silent.
- [53:06]
Kendall Ray
And they basically tried to say that.
- [53:08]
Co-host
His silence meant nothing and that jurors should recognize that Matt had always been forthcoming about why he went to her house in the first place. Place because he wanted to help out with the baby. But ultimately the jury was smart and.
- [53:20]
Kendall Ray
They sided with the prosecutors.
- [53:22]
Co-host
After five days of testimony and only two hours of deliberation, Matt Ploty was found guilty on all 10 counts.
- [53:30]
News Reporter
Matthew Ploti, the man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, the mother of his unborn child, is found guilty of first degree murder. Friday evening. After nearly two hours of deliberation, a jury convicts 36 year old Ploti on all 10 charges, including premeditated first degree murder and intentional homicide of an unborn child. Ploti is showing no emotion as the verdict is read to the court. This comes after four days of witness testimonies. The state's final argument maintains Ploti was the only person with the motive to kill Melissa Lamesh and their unborn child. Lemesh's mother, Deanna Said, says there is no coming back from the loss of their daughter and grandchild.
- [54:10]
Co-host
And I'm sure you can imagine that when that verdict was read, Melissa's family was just overcome with a massive sense of shock and relief. And I just. The emotions had to just be unbelievable for them. I mean, for years they didn't even know if he was going to be arrested. So finally getting a guilty verdict that they had hoped for all of this time was just. There really are no words for what they were feeling, I'm sure. And what's difficult though is they did really think that this was the end. Deanna explained in an interview that she thought once he was found guilty, the hearings and motions and all that stuff would end too. But sadly, that wasn't the case. In April of 2024, Matt and his attorneys tried to petition for a new trial. They basically were upset about the admission of certain evidence, but this motion luckily was dismissed. But even still, it was hard for her family to Feel like they were being back into it when they thought.
- [55:04]
Kendall Ray
It was all over.
- [55:05]
Co-host
Thankfully, though, it was over for real this time in June. On June 27, 2024, Matthew Plody was sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 75 years. I mean, they came down on him hard. And I am so happy to see that Melissa's loved ones had the chance to read victim impact statements before this. And it always really inspires me to see how much courage these families have. I mean, to sit there and speak directly to the person who is responsible for killing your loved one.
- [55:37]
Kendall Ray
It takes a lot of bravery.
- [55:39]
Co-host
I'm sure there is so much emotion. And to maintain your composure in those moments, I'd imagine is incredibly difficult. Not only that, they also had to listen to Matt who spoke. And this sicko, this monster, actually had the audacity to say that he shares in their pain of losing Melissa and.
- [56:05]
Kendall Ray
Barrett, like literally shut the up. I can't even believe he had the.
- [56:10]
Co-host
Nerve to say that. And if I was in that courtroom.
- [56:12]
Kendall Ray
If I was a family member, I.
- [56:14]
Co-host
Would lose my damn mind. To try and make yourself seem like a victim in this as well is just truly mind boggling.
- [56:24]
Kendall Ray
There.
- [56:24]
Co-host
There's just really no words for Matt. No one believes you're sorry ass, and you're really only making things worse for everybody. And I'm sure you will not be surprised to hear that Matt has tried to appeal his conviction since then, but for now, his efforts have been unsuccessful. And I don't see that changing. I hope not. For the sake of Melissa's family, I.
- [56:46]
Kendall Ray
Hope it stays that way forever.
- [56:48]
Co-host
Now, the way that her family has chosen to honor her memory is truly beautiful. And also the memory of baby Barrett, it's something that I was just blown away by. So before wrapping up today, I wanted to tell you about what they've done. For starters, they've collected children's toys and made donations to local homeless shelters in Barrett's name. And I thought this was especially beautiful. But they also have made donations to the no Kill animal shelter where Melissa got her cat, Antonio. And it's always really hard to share information like this because I know a lot of you are really sensitive about hearing about animals who die as well. But I should probably let you know that her cat also died in the fire. And aside from her son, Antonio was really like her baby. I mean, she loved that cat. So her family wanted to give back to the shelter where she got him. It's called Animal house shelter. And I'm actually going to leave the link to their website in the show notes in case any of you guys want to make a donation in her memory as well. Another thing that they have done is sponsored a tree at the Morton Aboratorium which is a tree focused botanical group and research center and this was one of Melissa's favorite places to go. So they sponsored a beautiful magnolia tree that will be lit up during the holiday season every year for her. They were also able to get a memorial stone put in nearby which has a quote from her favorite band, which is also one of my favorite bands, the Script and it says Love is.
- [58:09]
Kendall Ray
Why we do it.
- [58:10]
Co-host
Love is worth the pain. Love is why we fall down and get back up again.
- [58:14]
Kendall Ray
Love is where the heart lies.
- [58:15]
Co-host
Love is from above. Love is this, this is love. They also previously started to go fund me to help raise money for the efforts as I mentioned above and I'm going to link it below because with what they've lost, I know that additional funding will still go to good use. But as wonderful as all of this is though, nothing will bring back Melissa or give Barrett a chance at life. Melissa was a kind, fierce, strong and independent person who deserved so much more than what she got at the end of her life. And at the very, very least, I am so glad that the monster who stole her her sons will spend the rest of his miserable existence behind bars where he belongs.
- [58:58]
Kendall Ray
That is going to be it for me today guys.
- [59:00]
Sponsor
Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts.
- [59:05]
Kendall Ray
It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video.
- [59:07]
Sponsor
Version of this show you can find.
- [59:09]
Kendall Ray
It on my YouTube channel which will.
- [59:10]
Sponsor
Be linked or you can just search Kendall Ray.
- [59:12]
Kendall Ray
I will be back with another other episodes soon, but until then stay safe out there.