← True Crime with Kendall Rae
True Crime with Kendall Rae
Wife Survives Husband’s Lead Poison Attempt: The Hannah Pettey Case
00:49:43
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- [00:00]
Kendall Rae
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- [00:35]
Hannah Petty
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- [01:14]
Kendall Rae
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much for joining me today. As always, I'm so happy to have you here and if you're new to the show then welcome. Well guys, today we are going to be covering another Survivor story and I am so happy that I got such great feedback on the last Survivor story we did and the one before that as well because I love doing these stories. It's very uplifting. It kind of balances out some of the tougher episodes that I do and I think these stories are just so inspiring. And today I'm going to be telling you about the amazing Hannah Petty and the fact that she managed to survive. Man. Oh my God. I think you guys will agree with me it was nothing short of a miracle. And this week I really wanted my weekly donation to go directly to the victim in today's case. So Hannah, I'm not sure if you'll see this, but my team and I are going to work on trying to reach out to you because we would love to offer you a HOPE grant through my foundation, Higher Hope. And I think we can find a good way to support you. So you should be expecting a message from us shortly. And speaking of higher Hope today I want to just take a couple minutes at the beginning of this episode to give you guys a quick mid year update on everything that we've been able to do so far with Higher hope and I could not be more proud of the impact that we've been able to make. And it's truly thanks to all of you that we've been able to do any of it. So let me just run you quickly through a couple of numbers, and then, like I said, I do have a very exciting announcement and a way that you guys can get involved. So in 2025, so far, Higher Hope has processed 18 total grants. That breaks down to 10 Hope grants and eight Empower Power grants, for a total of 117, $441 in total funds dispersed. And I am so, so proud of that. I mean, Higher Hope has been able to do even more than I imagined it could. And I can't wait to see where we go from here. And we also just recently launched our new and improved website. So if you guys want to learn more about what we're doing, I definitely recommend giving it a look. And I'll of course, have that linked below. And also our Instagram account will be linked below so you can follow along with what we're doing there. Now, I also wanted to quickly highlight one of our incredible nonprofits that we've worked with this year called Our Rescue. And oh, my gosh, they are incredible. The work that they're doing is super inspiring and very, very impactful, and I'm really excited about this partnership. But I think you guys will be really interested to hear what they're doing and the way that we have gotten involved, which I have been wanting to tell you guys about for a long time. So, Our Rescue, if you've never heard of them, they work with partners and communities around the globe to provide essential services to people who have been or could be sex trafficked and exploited. Their efforts work to end sex trafficking and child exploitation, while empowering survivors to reclaim their lives. And our grant specifically went to their Global Electronic Storage Detection, or esd, Canine Program. And it's really amazing what these dogs do, you guys. ESD canines use their skills to help law enforcement find electronic storage devices like SD cards, external hard drives, and tablets during search warrants that could possibly contain csam, which is child sexual abuse material. And this was so amazing to me. I will never understand how they train these dogs to do this and how dogs just have this natural capability to be taught to do this. But they are specifically trained to detect a chemical scent that is found in the glue of the devices used to prevent overheating. And because these devices are incredibly small, authorities could obviously have trouble locating them. And so after Completing an initial search, ESD canines then do a search of their own, hoping to find key evidence that otherwise may not have been found. And in 2023 alone, our rescues canines led to a whopping 759 predator arrests and 230 victim rescues. And when I learned about all of this, I knew I wanted to get involved. So with the help of our Empower grant, we were able to fully fund a dog to trained and placed here in Colorado in Loveland. Now we actually don't have one in Colorado, which blew my mind. And I certainly wanted to make sure that my lovely state gets one. And these dogs, you guys, they're very expensive. So again, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your support over all the years that allowed us to fund this dog fully. And this is where you guys get to come in. We have the honor to name this dog and so we wanted your input. The Mile Higher Media team came up with a bunch of different names. It was really hard to narrow it down. And at this point in time, we don't know if the dog is a male or a female. So we have three male names and three female names that we settled on and we want you guys to be the tiebreaker, I guess. So the three male names that we came up with are Orion, Charlie and Ghost. And then the three female options that we came up with are Hope, of course, that's my personal favorite. Also Rebel, which I really love, and Luma. So I will have a Google form where you can vote linked in the description or show notes whether you are watching or listening to this episode. And voting closes on July 27th at midnight. I will also make sure that we have a little sort of explanation of our thought process behind the names as well. And the winning names for each gender will be announced on Higher Hope socials on Monday, July 28th at 12pm MST. And I also just wanted to thank everyone who has made a donation to Higher Hope at any point in time since we've launched, which we're coming up on one year year, really excited about that. But we have had some amazing reoccurring donors and some really big donors as well, and it just means the world to me. So if you are interested and in a position to make a donation, we would really, really appreciate the support and it will only allow us to do more and more for victims of violent crime and their families. Thank you for listening to all of that. I know that was a very long intro, but it was a lot of important information to Go over. But without any further ado, let's go ahead and jump into today's case.
- [07:33]
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- [07:55]
Kendall Rae
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- [09:24]
Kendall Rae
All right, so like I was saying, today's episode is focused on the survival story of Hannah Petty. And all of this took place in an area of northern Al called Decatur. That's where she and her now ex husband, Brian Mann, were living with their two kids. Now, to my understanding, during the time that all of this was taking place, Hannah's primary job was raising their children, which is a very difficult job. But I have also seen some sources report that she worked part time as well as an esthetician, but I'm not totally sure on that. I couldn't get confirmation, so I guess don't quote me on it. Now, as for Brian, he was a chiropractor and ran the advanced chiropractic business up in Decatur. And it seemed like he was well liked and doing pretty well. I took a look at the reviews for Advanced Chiropractic and yeah, they were mostly positive. One of them said, I have been dealing with chronic back pain for 10 years. A co worker told me about Dr. Mann's office and said that I should make an appointment and that he could really help me. I made an appointment as quick as possible and I'm so thankful I did. My first experience with Dr. Mann and his staff was great. They are all extremely respectful and polite. Dr. Mann listened to my history slash complaints, and by the end of the visit, he had a plan ready to help me out. There's also this one, which is my personal favorite. Advanced Chiropractic is a professional and uplifting environment. The staff is friendly and easy to work with, including setting up appointments. My doctor who treats me is Dr. Mann, who is knowledgeable in his field and the only chiropractor I trust, and you should too. And obviously this person had no idea what lion man actually was capable of. And the irony is just kind of hard to ignore here because that son of a bitch is really the last person I'd ever trust. And from what I understand, nobody in Lion Brian's life really had any idea what he was capable of, including Hannah. I mean, she had no idea whatsoever that her husband, of all people, could be evil enough to do what he tried to do. I also do want to point out before we go any further that this case is sort of underreported on in my opinion. There are very limited sources available and some of them have conflicting information. So there's a pretty big discrepancy when it comes to the status of their relationship. And it's possible that I'm sort of overthinking the wording of things, but I do want to try to explain it. So I guess a lot of the reporting on this Case says that Hannah and Brian were going through a divorce, which, of course, in my mind and most people's mind, you would think that that would mean that they were actively going through a divorce as all of this is unfolding. But there's also a good amount of sources that say that she filed for divorce right after everything happened. So just not totally sure there. I guess it's possible that they were in the process of divorcing during all this, and then the paperwork was officially filed after. So maybe that's the case, but the wording is just unspecific enough that I'm not going to, you know, be super confident in saying that this is exactly what was going on in their relationship. So just be aware of that as I'm explaining. I will say, though, that based on what this did, he, you know, pretty clearly wanted to get out of this relationship. But rather than getting a divorce like a normal person and deal with it that way, Brian tried to kill Hannah, the mother of his children. So this all started in the summer of 2021. And Hannah was young. I believe she was about 23 years old. And Brian at the time was 34. And I would be curious to know how the conversation initially started. But my understanding is that Brian told Hannah that he had this multivitamin supplement that she should take that would help boost her immune system. And it sounds like it was something he was trying to tell her that he got through his chiropractic business, which, of course, made it seem like he truly cared about his wife's health, as any husband should. Right. And because she had no reason not to believe him, she began taking these multivitamins. But then starting in about August, she started to get really, really sick. And I'm not talking about, like, cold symptoms or nausea and some aches and pains, nothing like that. Hannah's health was declining rapidly, and in a very scary way. Between September of 2021 and January of 2022, she lost 40 pounds and at one point weighed as little as 84 pounds. She also experienced excruciating pain in her back and abdomen, as well as debilitating dizziness and extreme nausea. And I read that at one point, it even got so bad that she had to roll around in her home in, you know, just, like, an office rolly chair to get around, like, sort of a makeshift wheelchair. And I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to any of you, but Lion, Brian was super against the idea of her going to see a doctor, because, of course, he's a Chiropractor.
- [14:32]
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He.
- [14:33]
Kendall Rae
He knows how to handle this situation. And I'm not sure how he convinced her not to, but if I were to guess, I would. I mean, he probably convinced her that she just didn't need the help or that he could help her or that this would pass or something. I think the fact that he was a chiropractor and, like, owned his own business, he probably was trying to say, like, I am the one who can. I can take care of you better than a doctor can. Like, these doctors are quacks. Some. I mean, obviously I'm paraphrasing and guessing, but that's kind of the vibe I get about Brian Mann. And I'm not just saying this for no reason. I mean, part of the reason I believe that is because Hannah has come out and said that while she was sick, that was the nicest, like, the most caring Brian had ever been to her in their relationship throughout their entire marriage, which, mind you, started in 2018. Those five or so months where she was sick was apparently the peak of his kindness. Now, like I said, we don't have a ton of insight into what their relationship looked like, but apparently he kept her pretty isolated. One article reads, quote, looking back, I was isolated. On the stand, she said that man did not want her to work and deleted her social media accounts after they were married in 2018. And based on that alone, I think we can all agree that, at the very least, there was some type of manipulation going on in their relationship. And, you know, we've talked about it in plenty of other episodes before. But isolating someone from their friends and family is a form of abuse. And also, forcing them to delete their social media can be a major control tactic and way to isolate someone. And the fact that Hannah was getting sicker and sicker and Brian didn't want her to get help tells me a lot about him. And I'm sure you are already starting to put the pieces together here of what's going on, right? So, thankfully, eventually, her mom had to really just put her foot down and say, you know what? You need to go to the hospital. Enough is enough. This is dangerous.
- [16:44]
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Kendall Rae
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Kendall Rae
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Kendall Rae
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- [18:13]
Kendall Rae
So In January of 2022 they went to the University of Alabama Burmington Hospital without Brian's knowledge, mind you. And it's a good thing that they did because Hannah was later told that if she had waited even one more day to come in, she would have already been dead. That's how bad things had gotten at this point. Now I learned that at first doctors thought there was a possibility that she could have even had stomach cancer. But within a week they managed to give her the diagnosis that forever changed her life. Hannah was suffering from extreme lead poisoning and they even ended up having to put her in a medically induced coma. And from start to finish she spent about two months in the UAB hospital and they literally described her X rays as looking like there was a glitter substance inside of her. And if you're watching this episode, look at that. I mean, I totally see what they're talking about. It does look like glitter. It reminds me of like AI Instagram glitter posts that I've seen. Except there is nothing pretty about these X rays, you guys. Those little specks are lead, which had accumulated over time. And what's so scary about lead poisoning too? And I didn't actually know this, but you don't feel the effects of lead poisoning right away. It really does have to build up in your body, and it takes time in order for you to start really experiencing the symptoms. And so obviously, it makes it that much more dangerous because by the time that you know you've been poisoned, you're likely already really, really sick or it's too late. And some of the symptoms include high blood pressure, joint and muscle pain, difficulties with memory or concentration, headaches, abdominal pain, mood disorders, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, and sluggishness and fatigue. Lead poisoning also impacts your brain and nervous system, kidneys, blood, heart, reproductive system, digestive system, as well as your bones and teeth. Although I'm sure it's not really surprising to any of you out there that lead poisoning can be so catastrophic. I mean, I think we all know at this point that lead is something we clearly need to stay away from. And I'm sure it's also a pretty well known fact that they used to put lead in paint, actually, and it was for many reasons, but one of which was the fact that it made paint more durable. And then people realized how dangerous it was. So in the late 70s, the US government ended up banning it. However, some older homes do still have it. So the effects of lead poisoning were and are still persistent to this day. And in Hannah's case, it was very clear that she had consumed a lot of it, and doctors were confused. One of her doctors even said that her blood lead level was in the 80s, which, for reference, a blood lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter is typically considered a level of concern. So the fact that her was in the 80s was just mind blowing. And sources say that she was also admitted to the hospital with acute respiratory failure, which undoubtedly had to have been related. So the big question here became, how did she consume so much lead and why didn't she seek help sooner? And the answer to both of these is Brian Mann. Now, it does sound like some people suspected him literally right off the bat. But of course, with law enforcement, they needed proof first. And so the Hart Cell Police Department took on the investigation. And they did so after they were notified of Hannah's condition by the Morgan County Department of Human Resources. And their natural first course of action was going to the home to see if they could figure out where the lead was coming from. Which brings us to Brian acting like he had no clue how she had gotten so sick. According to court documents, quote, brian led investigators through the house and assisted in looking for something that may have been in the Home. Brian told investigators that he only knew of Hannah to take one vitamin capsule, one prescription pill, one gummy, and one prescription powder. Brian also said that Hannah always ate fast food and would pick up at different restaurants in town. And so, obviously, with the whole fast food thing, it's very clear what he is trying to do. Trying to shift blame for that high of a blood lead level to fast food companies around where they live. I mean, come on, dude, you really tried to do that, okay? But of course, these officers were like, what the hell are you talking about? And they're thinking, okay, this has to have come from the home, right? And of course, they were very concerned about that because there were two young kids living in the home. So they did a search of the house, and they don't end up finding anything. Then just a few days later, they searched the home again, and this time with the Alabama Department of Public Health. And it's reported that some samples were taken from the house. However, all of those results came back negative. And even if it didn't appear like he was coming from inside the home, they still wanted to know, of course, if Brian or the kids had somehow also been infected. So of course, they advise him to go ahead and get tested and get his kids tested as well. And at some point, he ends up telling the police that his kids tested negative, but he was still looking for a place to get tested himself, which, okay, dude, very, very illogical. Surprised you even tried to go with that lie, Lion Brian, which you're think you're very good at lying apparently, but it's so obvious. I mean, if the kids were able to get tested, why wouldn't you have been able to get tested at the same place? Like, come on, it's not that hard. It feels like he was just stalling at the end of the day, trying to drag this on as long as could, which will make more sense later. But when you hear this, I think you'll agree that that's the likely scenario.
- [24:17]
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Kendall Rae
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Kendall Rae
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Kendall Rae
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- [25:46]
Kendall Rae
Whole Foods, Kroger and H E B. Now, it is a little unclear when exactly this happened, what span of time it was, but at some point, Brian shows up at Decatur Morgan Hospital and he tells a nurse that he had done an X ray on himself which showed that he had a substance in his colon. And I'm sure some of you out there might be wondering, how did he do an X ray on himself? That's something that the average person doesn't have access to do. Well, remember, he is a chiropractor and he had an X ray machine at his chiropractic business. And I'm sure the nurse was like, okay, that's great that you were able to do your own X ray, Brian. A little DIY on your own time. But. But we're gonna do a X ray here at the hospital with our equipment. Okay? But of course, when she tells Bryant that they needed to run their own tests, he became, quote, visibly nervous and she actually thought that he might just leave. But luckily he did finally just agree to go ahead and be tested. But he clearly had made an issue out of it. It wasn't an easy process, but once they did, they actually did find a substance in his stomach. But get this, you guys, they could tell that the substance hadn't been in there. For that long. Not only that, but he also wasn't showing any symptoms. And as I explained earlier, it does take a little while for the symptoms associated with lead poisoning to actually show up. So that confirmed also that it hadn't been in there for very long either. And so ultimately, the Hart Cell Police department came to the conclusion that, quote, Brian intentionally. That's right. Ingested lead to provide the impression that he was also being poisoned. Investigators have determined through witness interviews that Hannah has been sick for several months and Brian has not been sick. And big shocker here, but by the time they came to this conclusion, Bribry had gone from responsive and helpful to unresponsive and unhelpful. And here's the real kicker, okay? His motive was not hard to figure out. Not at all. Because just days after Hannah's left the hospital was when she filed for divorce, which I sort of mentioned earlier. What I didn't mention, though, is that this is when she dropped her murder allegations against him. And she had detailed in paperwork that Brian had taken out multiple life insurance policies on her without her knowledge. And are we shocked? This is how it always goes down.
- [28:16]
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- [28:16]
Kendall Rae
No, we are not. And you guys, oh, he's such an. An idiot. These people that do this just. I will never understand how they're so stupid. Oh, my God. In total, this guy had five policies on her, which totaled $1.3 million. Okay. And there were even two more policies for 1.5 million, but those were luckily denied. The first one was taken out in 2020, and I believe she may have known about that one, but the rest he got in 2021, literally leading up to her going to the hospital, like, dude, you are such an idiot. People that take out these life insurance policies, especially right before they try to commit murder or commit murder and think they're not going to get caught. Like, there's just no thought behind these people's eyes. There's no brain in their heads. I don't know how they are, like, functioning as human beings if they really think this is a solid plan. And for how stupid Brian is, he is much, much more evil than he is stupid. Because can you imagine actually wanting someone that you loved at one point, hopefully, and had kids with, was the mother of your children, pushed them out of her body. You want her to suffer slowly from lead poisoning. You're so sick. And poor Hannah. She actually said when she woke up from that coma, she had a hard time believing that Brian could have been the person responsible for putting her there. And I just can't imagine having to come to terms with that. I mean, to wake up for a coma and learn that your husband, of all people, might be the reason why. Especially since she had just talked about how in the time leading up to this, when she was sick, like, he was the nicest he had been to her. He was the most caring and loving and, you know, supportive that he had ever been in their whole marriage. And to learn that that was, all of a sudden, he was secretly trying to kill her in one of the most painful, evil ways possible. I don't know how you ever get over that. So her family also kept him away from her and the kids after all of this, rightfully so, which was reportedly tough for her to deal with, and I can see why. But the reality is, the only change in her routine during that time was the addition of those multivitamins, which were given to her by him. And like a little sicko, he would lay them out on her bedside table every night, along with a glass of water, and remind her to take them at the end of the day. It just really couldn't have been anyone else. And there was nothing in the house to suggest that the lead had, you know, gotten into her system by accident, especially at those levels. I mean, come on. And here's something else that's super messed up. Apparently, in the doctor's visits leading up to her actual hospitalization, Brian was more concerned with health insurance covering her expenses than her actual health. And this. Oh, my God, blew my mind. I was telling Josh about it this morning, my husband, and he was just like, wow, this is scary stuff. So he would make her wear ankle weights while she was being weighed at the doctor's office to cover up the fact that she had lost so much weight. Which I guess in hindsight also kind of makes sense when you think about the fact that he's taking out these life insurance policies, Right? He needed her to appear to be healthy in order to get the coverage that he did. And I'm sure he was telling her at the time, like, he had to come up with some reason to convince her to wear the weights, right? So I'm sure he was, and this is just my speculation and guess, but I'm sure he was saying something like, like, we need insurance coverage, and they'll only cover if you're healthy. So we've got to do this like some kind of manipulative like that. And I'm sure this will come as a huge shock to you, but Brian was actively denying his involvement. And in April of 2022. He claimed there was no probable cause for the investigation. He even said that this was just his wife's way of extorting him for money. Nice dude, but Brian is the only criminal here. And if they didn't already have enough evidence to absolute nail his ass. A call from someone that Brian knew just sent this case right over the edge. In the summer of 2022, the Hart cell police got a call from a guy who said that he had worked on a construction project at Brian's chiropractic office. And this project, you guys, it involved installing lead into the walls of his X ray rooms. Now, some of you probably already know this, but if you don't, X ray rooms need lead in the walls because it's effective at reducing or blocking radiation exposure. So basically this guy tells police that he installed the lining. And when he was done, Brian told him that he would take care of the leftover lead. And I'm sure at the time the guy was thinking, why would you want to take care of the leftover lead? Very strange right now, he said this was done in 2021. And and big shocker, it aligns exactly with when Hannah started getting sick. And so finally, In September of 2022, almost a year from when she started experiencing symptoms, Brian was arrested and indicted for attempted murder. However, he did manage to post his five hundred thousand dollar bond and within five days he was able to return home. Thankfully though, Hannah and the kids had moved into an apartment, which partially makes me sad that her life had to be uprooted. And same time, I'm not sure I'd want to be in the same house or my husband attempted to kill me. Oh. And by this point, she had decided to put a pause on the divorce proceedings so that the investigation could take full priority, which I think was smart. I choose function because it's the only.
- [34:18]
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- [34:40]
Kendall Rae
And I'm sure a lot of you.
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Kendall Rae
A lot of low energy, some fragile.
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Kendall Rae
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- [35:53]
Kendall Rae
Now. As far as Brian's bond conditions went, they were relatively strict at first. He had to turn over his passport, wear an ankle monitor, and also hand in any of his weapons. You know, pretty standard stuff. But of course this dummy claims that he couldn't find his passport and therefore he just couldn't turn it in. And that ended up getting him rearrested within about a week, which is pretty awesome. And I guess it became a bit of an ordeal. But. But his lawyers basically tried to assure the judge that he wasn't a flight risk. And I guess his dad even had to file a report with the State Department demanding that Brian's passport be declared as missing. And apparently the judge was like super on the fence about letting him out. And one of the issues that was brought up though was the fact that if Brian remained in jail, he wouldn't be able to keep up with his alimony payments, which he was already like 8, 000 behind. So the judge did just end up agreeing to release him again, but he was super clear that he had had enough of Brian's shit and if he had so much as a speeding ticket while he was out, he would be immediately put back behind bars. And he also set out new rules that he had to follow which were much stricter this time. This time Brian was not allowed to leave his house between the hours of 6pm and 8am and he had to return to jail every weekend between 4pm Friday and 8am Monday and he also had to wear an ankle monitor. He also obviously wasn't allowed contact with Hannah, and he was subject to drug and alcohol testing, so he had to remain sober. What's crazy and confusing to me, though, is who in their right mind is going to let this man be their chiropractor, continue going to his practice knowing that he was out on parole for attempted murder? I mean, I guess he's probably just hoping some of his clients wouldn't know or like, new people would come in and they wouldn't know. I don't know what he was thinking. So, yeah, I don't really understand how he was planning to make money, but I guess him being out was better than being in, at least in the judge's eyes. And of course, we do want Hannah to get her alimony payments. Now, I'm sure you guys are wondering about Hannah and how she is doing after all of this. And I was grateful to learn that she was able to regain her strength as she navigated what her life now looked like. So in a Facebook January of 2023, she wrote. A year ago today, I was admitted into UAB Hospital. I had been very sick for nearly six months before I had my mom drive me to uab. The doctors told me if I would have waited even a day later to come, I would have already been dead. About a week later, prayers were answered and the doctors were finally able to diagnose me. Looking back a year ago, I never thought I'd be where I am today. I was so sick for so long. But God saw fit to spare my life and I could never thank him enough. A single mom and sole provider for two babies is hard, but to be able to say I'm doing it feels amazing. I just want to thank everyone for all the prayers and support this year. I can't wait to see what the future holds for my little family. These pics aren't flattering, but they're real and raw. It's important for me to remember what God has brought me out of, to remind me that he's able to carry me out the rest of the way. Which to me is a really inspiring post. I am, am very, very impressed with her and her strength. I don't know if I would have the strength to recover and then go back into mom mode the way that she has. I think it's, yeah, very, very impressive and inspiring. But that being said, and I'm sure some of you know this, Hannah will always have to live with the effects of having been poisoned by lead to My understanding, she still experiences pain in her hands and she'll never be able to get pregnant again. And I'm sure time will tell what other side effects she has to live with. From what I learned, though, it really does seem like a miracle that she's been able to function in the capacity that she is now. When it came to Brian's defense leading up to the trial, they really tried their best to push back on the evidence and specifically how it was collected. They argued that the lead that was extracted from Hannah's urine was extracted using a five gallon bucket and a strain, and that it was strained in the back of a police station parking lot. And because of possible contamination and lack of chain of custody, that evidence should be thrown out. And I know that does sound pretty wild that they did that, but it does appear that that was a method that was used during the trial. Police Chief Alan McDearman testified that before they got the search warrant for Brian's office, they got a stool sample from Hannah. And because they couldn't find a lab to test it, I guess they used a strainer to separate the stool from. And I think the point was that they were going to compare the lead from inside Hannah to the lead at the office. Although what's interesting is it doesn't look like that test was actually ever performed. And I'm not totally sure as to why. But as you can imagine, the defense brought that up in trial. And since I'm already kind of telling you about the trial, let's just go ahead and get into it. So the trial began with jury selection, of course, on June 9, 2025, and. And it was not a very long trial at all. Hannah was the first to take the stand, and there isn't any footage of it, but I can imagine her testimony had to have been very, very emotional. I know that she did talk about the progression of getting sicker, as well as the fact that she was unaware of the life insurance policies that had been taken out in her name. And it's really pathetic. I'm surprised they even tried to do this. But the defense did try to argue that she did know about these policies because. Because her signature was on the documents, but that signature was electronic. And we all know how easy it is to forge that. Clearly they had been forged by Lion Brian. And then she also talked about how Brian discouraged her from seeking medical help and when she started getting sick, and how he had been trying to keep her family from her as her condition got worse. She also said that there were points where he was begging her to stop investigating him, but obviously it's a good thing that she didn't. And another key piece of testimony actually came from their insurance agent. He talked about the policies that Brian had taken out and how he believed that it was strange that she had more policies than he did. I'm sure a lot of you know this, but typically the breadwinner, or I guess the person who makes more in the relationship is the one with the higher policy. And that way, in the event that they pass, the other person who makes less income or no income would be left with more support. So right off the bat to them, seeing that Hannah had significantly more coverage than Brian was a big red flag. And not only that, he didn't just have policies with the same agency, he had them with multiple agencies. Hence why it took a little bit of time for them to connect the dots. Now, what's interesting and was quite frustrating when trying to put this episode together is I couldn't totally figure out how to. They realized that the lead was actually coming from the vitamins. I mean, it seems just incredibly obvious, right? But you would think they would have had to prove that in some way. And I'm sure there was some sort of testing that happened. And every source that I looked at reported that it is just a known fact, but none of those sources. And I looked at, like, every available source on this case. No one explained how they actually determined that or if the pills were tested, which I thought was strange. And apparently the hospital had asked Brian to bring in the bottle of vitamins while she was still in the hospital so that they could test them. But he only ever brought them a picture of the bottle. How convenient. But his defense attorney did claim, which I don't know if I believe this, that all he was ever asked to do was bring in a photo of the bottle, which, I mean, mean, that could be possible. I feel like I actually there have been several times at doctor's appointments where they just. Especially when I was pregnant, they wanted to know what, you know, supplements and vitamins I was on. And I remember a picture was fine. But also, this is a lead poisoning case, so you'd think they'd want to see exactly what she was being given. I don't know. It's strange to me, but I guess it could be true. However, I will say I did see it reported that the nurse was very clear that she had asked for the bottle. Bottle. And he never brought it in. So I guess there is a possibility that he could have just chucked the Bottles. Once he started getting worried that the jigs up here and they're asking to see everything, and he's obviously probably starting to freak out a bit. He probably got rid of them, right? And then that's why they weren't able to find them in any of the searches and test them. It's probably what happened. Right? And since her taking those vitamins was literally the only thing to change in her routine, I'm sure they just assumed that that was how he was poisoning her, which, to be very clear, I believe is true. And it really is the only thing that makes sense. But I also learned that it's not hard to get your hands on lead. Unfortunately, in this scenario, as I explained, they do believe it came from the contractor for the X ray room, but you can just as easily buy lead powder online. But thankfully, the jury ultimately agreed that Brian had obtained it one way or another and used it to try and kill Hannah. And so, after seven witnesses for the prosecution testified and zero witnesses for the defense did, it only took them a few hours to come back with a big guilty verdict.
- [45:37]
Hannah Petty
Hannah and Brian's family broke into tears after the verdict was announced. Hannah had to step out of the room with her mother.
- [45:44]
Kendall Rae
And she told me she.
- [45:46]
Hannah Petty
She wasn't expecting to get that emotional.
- [45:48]
Brian Mann
He had kind of glanced over at me when the guilty verdict was announced, and I just kind of lost it from there. Just kind of wasn't expecting my reaction. So, of course, you don't want to see somebody taken away in handcuffs, you know, of course you want justice to be served, but also, you don't want to see someone go away for a long, long time that you've known and cared about for so long.
- [46:10]
Kendall Rae
Now, what's so interesting to me is that the defense talked this big game about how there was no hard evidence against his client, but yet they had no one to testify. Interesting how that works. And what makes it even more interesting is they even said that they had seven witnesses ready to testify, whatever that means. But they didn't put them on the stand because they believed that the state failed to prove their case. They just didn't need to. Brilliant move, guys. Sounds to me like they were just scared or dumb. Probably both. But right now, I am happy to say, and again, we're gonna have to see how this shakes out. But Brian is facing a sentencing of up to life in prison. But that hearing actually isn't until August 27, 2025.
- [46:55]
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- [46:56]
Kendall Rae
And at this time, he wasn't given bond, so he is sitting his ass in the Morgan County Jail until that hearing takes place. Now, as for the divorce, I'm not super clear on the status of things there, there, but I'd imagine that they're hopefully through all of that by now. Now, this is totally just my opinion, but even from jail, I personally don't believe he deserves to have any contact with his children. Of course, that is not a decision that is up to me. That is, you know, up to the court system ultimately, but also Hannah and the kids. I guess I just feel that.
- [47:34]
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- [47:34]
Kendall Rae
Don'T know, you don't really deserve to see your children ever again after you tried to kill their mother in a very, very brutal, sick way. But I don't know, like I said, it's not my call. This is not my family, not my kids. And maybe they want a relationship with him, maybe they don't. Maybe Hannah wants them to still have a relationship with him. I don't know. That is going to be up to them and the courts to decide. That's all I'll say on that. But another thing that I thought was really, really interesting, and I think this is just because it's such a small town, but the judge for the divorce case is the same judge for the criminal case, so he knows everything. Which you would think Brian's team would probably want to have him recused for the divorce portion of things, but I don't know. I. I don't know what the status of that is. I think that's, I don't know, very rare. I guess I'll say that, but I don't know. I mean, ultimately I hope that means that, that things favored Hannah in the divorce, but at the end of the day, I'm just really grateful that this attempt in her life was a failed one because it was very close to not being the case. And of course, like I said, we don't know how severe the long term effects are going to be on her body, but I really do hope with my all my heart that those remain minimal. And then the really scary thought crossed my mind at one point while while researching this case is what if he had tried to poison the kids as well? I mean, he poisoned himself. I'm glad he didn't take it that far to poison the kids because, you know, it would have made it look a lot more like something was going on in the house if the kids had lead poisoning as well. And thankfully, you know, they're okay now. I definitely want to hear your thoughts on this case as a whole, and I really want to hear what you think the appropriate sentence would be. I've got to say, in my opinion, I think he deserves life in prison. I don't think someone who is capable of trying to kill their wife and mother of their children deserves another day of freedom. I mean that is just. That is so evil. Slow to be able to slowly poison someone like that, slowly watch them suffer and go to the extent of like making them wear weights. I mean he's just so sick. On another level, I think he needs to finish out his life behind bars. But that's just me and we'll have to see what actually happens. But let me know your thoughts. Of course. And man, my heart truly goes out to Hannah if she sees this again. We would love to get you a HOPE grant. So please, once we get in contact with you, please reach out to us and we can have some conversations and see how we can help you. That is going to be it for me today guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the.
- [50:28]
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- [50:30]
Kendall Rae
It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode.
- [50:39]
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Brian Mann
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Kendall Rae
Of fish, but breakfast is for sausage biscuits. McDonald's breakfast comes first.