Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

PhD Chemistry student poisons 'noisy' neighbors. News team covering armed robberies experiences one. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rex Heuermann has been housed in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility since his July arrest for the deaths of three women. Asa Ellerup, his estranged wife, filed for divorce six days later. Since then she has not visited Heuermann, until now. Bob Macedonia, Ellerup’s divorce attorney, confirmed Asa Ellerup met with Rex Heuermann at the Suffolk County Jail. No word on how the meeting went or what was said. She has now also attended a court hearing for the accused Long Island Serial Killer. A crew for the Peacock network accompanied her after the family signed a deal worth at least 1 million dollars to take part in an upcoming documentary. We've also learned that Heuermann has become a pen pal behind bars, writing to another serial killer, the "Happy Face Killer. In the early 90s Keith Jesperson, a long hall truck driver, killed many women. When someone else took credit for one of his murders, he started sending letters to the media and police with information only the killer would know. He put a "happy face" on each of his letters and was dubbed the Happy Face Killer. DailyMail reports that Jesperson wrote a letter to Heuermann encouraging him to confess and offering some advice. Rex Heuermann reportedly writes back, thanking the Happy Face Killer for the advice, and then complains about the food in jail and the exercise yard. Joining Nancy Grace Today: John RayDr. Bethany Marshall Joseph GiacaloneKeith Rovere Charlie LankstonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Armed bystander takes down shooter. Community soccer player headbutts the ref over a call. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Alex Murdaugh get a new trial? So far the possibility is up in the air, as allegations of jury tampering have been levied against Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca (Becky) Hill. Hill has denied any wrongdoing. At the same time Hill's son, Jeff, has been arrested and is facing charges related to wiretapping. SLED agents accuse Jeff Hill of illegally recording conversations of deputy county administrator Meagan Utse. She served as a liaison between the county and the court during the Murdaugh murder trial. Jeffrey Hill is the technology director at Colleton County Administration. New information is also coming in on the death of Stephen Smith. The 19-year-old was found lying in the middle of the road. His car was found three miles away. The coroner's office ruled the death a hit-and-run. After having her son's body exhumed and a new autopsy performed, we learn Smith was killed by blunt force trauma. Forensic Pathologist Dr. Michelle Dupre, who oversaw the exhumation, reveals the findings Joining Nancy Grace Today: Ronnie RichterCaryn StarkTodd G. Shipley, CFE, CFCEDr. Michelle DupreJennifer WoodSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Army veteran stops carjacker. Multi-million dollar psychedelic mushroom operation busted! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lured from bars in Tampa Bay, Florida, Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz become victims of unthinkable acts of violence, torture, and ultimately murder at the hands of Steven Lorenzo and his roommate Scott Schweikert. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack dive into the harrowing details of these crimes, examining the evidence, psychology, and horrifying realities faced by the victims. As Morgan unpacks the forensic side—from GHB to blood spatter—Mack provides a chilling narrative that contextualizes the nightmare that unfolded. This episode is not just an exploration into the depths of human depravity, but also a tribute to the lives and stories of Jason Galehouse, Michael Waccholtz, Albert Perkins, and other unnamed victims of Loenzo and Schweikert. Subscribe to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan : Apple Podcasts Spotify iHeart Time codes: 00:00:20 — Joseph Scott Morgan reveals a childhood fascination with a magnifying glass. This simple tale explains his eventual career in forensics. 01:40 — Steven Lorenzo, convicted of two murders but suspected of many more, is introduced. 00:03:20 — Dave Mack asks Joe Scott to break down the substance GHB. 00:03:40 — A chilling overview of Lorenzo's methods is described. Mack succinctly recounts how the criminal drugged and tortured his victims. 00:04:40 — Joseph Scott Morgan unveils the eerie nature of GHB, detailing its street names and effects. 00:08:19 — The online meeting between Lorenzo and Schweikert is discussed. Mack introduces how they connected over shared violent fantasies. 00:11:18 — The terrifying setting of the crimes, Lorenzo and Schweikert's home, is revealed. Joe Scott explains how the drug GHB renders victims compliant. 00:13:56 — Mack goes back to 2003 to bring us the stories of the victims, Jason Galehouse and Michael Wachholtz. 00:16:10 — A vivid picture of the crime scene emerges. Mack and Morgan explore how long blood lasts as evidence. 00:20:25 — Dave Mack retells the testimony of a survivor of Lorenzo and Schweikert's, Albert Perkins, emphasizing the cold-blooded nature of the criminals. 00:28:32 — Joseph Scott Morgan explains the crucial role of insects in forensics. 00:33:40 — Justice takes time. Dave Mack highlights the delay in Steven Lorenzo's trial and eventual sentence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carlee Russell calls 911, telling the operator that she sees a toddler walking down the side of an Alabama freeway. When police arrive, there's no toddler and Russell is gone. Her car, however, is still parked along the highway. The door is open and the car is running. Forty-nine hours later, Russell returns home, telling investigators in a brief interview that she was abducted by a man with orange hair and a woman. As the investigation continues, police find some “really strange” internet searches in the hours before she vanished, such as the cut-off age for an AMBER Alert. Now Russell admits via a statement from her lawyer that there was no toddler or abduction. The 26-year-old was found guilty of misdemeanor charges of false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident. With the conviction, Russell's attorneys agreed to "stipulate and appeal" the case. This legal move will transfer the case to circuit court the case will tried again. Joining Nancy Grace today: James ShelnuttCaryn StarkSheryl McCollumMike Hadsell See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After high school, Susan Leigh Vaughan marries David Smith. They have two sons, but the children don't keep the marriage together. The Smiths separated several times. During one of these separations, Susan Smith begins dating Tom Findlay, the single son of a wealthy mill owner. Smith is planning a future with her new beau when she gets a Dear John letter from Findley. He explains that he doesn't want an instant family. On the night of October 25, Susan Smith knocks on the door of a house near John D Long Lake. She is hysterical when the man answers the door and tells him to call the police. She says an armed black man just carjacked her at a red light. Her two boys, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex, are still in the car. For days Susan Smith tells an ever-changing story of the carjacking. Then Susan Smith finally admits what she has done. There never was a hijacker. She went out for a drive with her sons buckled into their car seats in the back. Feeling desperate, alone, and suicidal, she drove to John D. Long Lake and puts the car in neutral. She jumps out and watches the car sink. Scuba divers locate the vehicle with the boys in the back, still buckled into their seats. Since Susan Smith was convicted and jailed, tabloid news reports claim Smith told prison investigators that she had four sexual encounters with Lieutenant Houston Cagle, a supervisor at South Carolina's Women's Correctional Institution. Cagle admitted having sex with Smith and another prisoner. He was charged with the offenses in August 2000. The 50-year-old Cagle pleaded guilty and spent 3 months in jail. Captain Alfred Rowe also pleaded guilty to having sex with Smith and was sentenced to five years' probation. Now Smith's relationship with men turns to pen pals. Several men have written to Smith over the years, with Smith looking to a life outside prison. In March of 2022, People magazine gained access to letters Smith wrote to a long-distance boyfriend. In one letter Smith wrote, "I can't wait to build a life with you, leave the past mistakes behind and start fresh, just you and me." The Messenger has reportedly obtained transcripts of dozens of voice and text messages that Susan Smith traded with at least six men while serving her time in Prison. One man has gone so are as to build a fake life for Susan Smith and himself in the game the Sims also has a pet name for the convicted child killer, "Pookie." Joining Nancy Grace Today: Tara MalekDr. Bethany MarshallChris McDonoughBody Bags with Joseph Scott MorganSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dad call for a ride home from a bar. Instead of picking him up, son runs over him, leaving him for dead. A Kentucky man puts a whole new spin on "fishing for votes." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The search continues for a Washington state mom who disappeared after a frantic call to 911. That call is the last connection anyone has to missing Mikayla Standridge. The 25-year-old reportedly can be heard screaming for help on the call before the connection is lost. Standridge was last reportedly seen running out of a house in Concrete, Washington early in the morning. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Caryn StarkJason JensenMike HadsellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woman, tortured by co-worker giving her a ride home, rescued by police. Speeder tries to give cops the slip. Officers meet him in his driveway. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arelie Garcia is the youngest of the six children in her family. After high school, Garcia trains in Automotive Mechanics Technology at the Center for Employment Training and works at My Chevrolet in Salinas as a service advisor. Co-worker Miguel Alvarez describes Arelie Garcia as the "happy one" of the group. Garcia maintains a close relationship with her sisters and texts Veronica almost daily. On September 22, Arelie Garcia sends Veronica a message at 6 a.m., a simple message of ‘Good morning, I love you." At 6:30 a.m., Garcia is seen on surveillance video leaving her apartment and heading for work. She didn't show up at all. Her sisters begin texting and calling their sister's phone, getting no response. Garcia's sister, Veronica, logs into Find My iPhone and is surprised to see Arelie Garcia's phone last pinged to a location in Big Sur, about an hour away from Salinas. Her car is found parked on the side of the road. Locked. Garcia was nowhere to be found. Joining Nancy Grace today: Ely Mendozawww.gofundme.com/f/help-find-arelie-garcia;Wendy PatrickDan CorsentinoTodd G. Shipley, CFE, CFCEMike HadsellRicardo TovarSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Possibly impaired driver causes fatal bus crash. Suspected porch pirate is a BEAR. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Betty and Connor Bowman have a lot in common when they marry. Betty Bowman graduates from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy with a Pharmaceutical Doctorate. She works as a hospital pharmacist while Connor Bowman gets his Internal Medicine Residency. Betty Bowman takes a position at the Mayo Clinic, so when she falls ill suddenly, the Mayo Clinic is the logical place for treatment. It seems Betty Bowman is suffering from food poisoning, gastrointestinal distress, and dehydration. Her condition doesn't get any better. She takes a turn for the worse, with heart problems, and fluid buildup in her lungs. Part of her colon is also removed after doctors discover necrotic tissue. Bowman dies from organ failure. Then the Southeast Minnesota Medical Examiner's Office alerts the Rochester Police Department to the suspicious nature of Betty Bowman's death. The Medical Examiner's office had to halt a cremation order. According to court records, the Medical Examiner’s Office received a call from CGK- a female friend of the Bowman who said Betty and Connor Bowman were having marital issues and were talking about divorce following infidelity and a deteriorating relationship. In the Criminal Complaint, it is stated that Conner Bowman told the Medical Examiner’s Office that his wife should be cremated immediately, arguing that Betty Bowman did not want to be a cadaver. Connor Bowman also began asking one of the medical examiner investigators if the toxicology analysis being completed would be more thorough than the analysis typically done at the hospital. Bowman wanted a list of what was specifically going to be tested for. Friends of Betty Bowman began reaching out to investigators. An adult female friend of Betty Bowman told the Rochester Police Department that she had texted Betty Bowman and that Bowman told her she was sick. The friend told the detective that Betty Bowman was normally a healthy person. Another friend said a text from Betty Bowman said she thought a smoothie she had the night before might have caused her illness. Detectives began looking at all options and found husband Connor Bowman had accessed Betty Bowman's patient account using his hospital credentials. From there he was able to locate internet searches conducted by Connor Bowman, a Poison Specialist. Connor Bowman was researching COLCHICINE, a drug used to treat gout. What's more, he was searching for information in determining what a lethal dose would be, by entering his wife's weight. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Dale CarsonCaryn L. StarkRobin DreekeDr. Lyle D. Burgoon, Ph.D.https://critscipod.com; Charles KelleySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Man drugs spouse, breaks his neck, then stages a crime scene trying to collect insurance. Imposter cop pulls over a driver, only to find it's an undercover police car. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanksgiving, 2018, Kelsey Berreth talks with her mother that morning and is then seen on video at a local grocery. Two days later, text messages from Berreth's phone were sent to Patrick Frazee, Berreth's fiance, her mother, and her boss, saying she was taking a few days off. After not hearing from her daughter in over a week, Cheryl Berreth asks the police to check on her daughter. Kelsey Berreth is missing. The investigation into Berreth's disappearance goes on for a month before Patrick Frazee is arrested, and charged with murdering the woman he was supposed to marry. One of the breaks for police was information coming from Frazee's mistress Krystal Lee Kenney. She tells police that Frazee had asked her three times to kill Berreth and when she refused, he did it himself. Frazee blindfolded Berreth on the pretense of a game of guessing the scent. He then bludgeoned her with a baseball bat, calling Kenney and telling her she had a mess to clean up. She drives from her home in Idaho to Colorado to clean up the bloody crime scene. She tells police she accompanied Frazee to his nearby ranch, where she said he burned Berreth’s remains as well as her personal belongings. Frazee is convicted on all charges including first-degree murder, solicitation for murder, and tampering with a deceased human body. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder charge, plus 156 years for the other convictions. His appeal was denied Krystal Lee Kenney accepted a plea deal in exchange for her testimony against Frazee. She was sentenced to three years in prison. After Frazee's conviction, Kenney was sentenced to 18 months in prison for evidence tampering. She has now been released. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Eric FaddisDr. Jorey L. KrawczynSheryl McCollumDr. Tim GallagherCrimeOnline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2-year-old taken to ER with cuts to his penis. Car thief thwarted by a forklift. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joysee Cartagena's coworkers at JetBlue know something is awry when she fails to log in for work—a complete break from her reliable character. Soon after, her lifeless body is found in her home in Sanford, Florida, a zip tie around her neck igniting a slew of investigative questions. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack dissect the intricacies of Joysee's perplexing death, weaving together cutting-edge forensic science with real-world implications. The hosts explore everything from forensic markers like ligatures and Tardieu spots to the complex relationship dynamics between Joysee and her boyfriend, Joel Bauza. As they delve into the timeline, scrutinize the evidence, and discuss the eventual charges, their unwavering goal remains: to shed light on the truth behind Joysee's untimely death. Subscribe to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan : Apple Podcasts Spotify iHeart Time codes: 00:00:00 — Joseph Scott Morgan introduces the complexities of death investigation. The discussion opens with abnormal elements that investigators often encounter. 00:01:40 — Joe delves deeper into the relevance of zip ties in an ongoing case in Sanford, Florida. He details their significance in the overall forensic investigation. 00:03:20 — Dave Mack introduces the story of Joel Bauza and Joysee Cartagena. He portrays Joysee as a caring individual who always put others first, while Joel appears financially dependent on her. 00:04:40 — Joysee's work history and her job at JetBlue are discussed. Dave reveals how important her career was to her. 00:05:00 — The red flag goes up when Joysee misses work. Her coworkers' immediate concern sets the stage for the investigation. 00:05:40 — Emphasizing the importance of timelines in death investigations, Joseph Scott Morgan argues that every minute counts when piecing together the facts. 00:07:42 — Morgan brings up the uncommon circumstances surrounding Joysee’s death. The atypical nature of the case required extra attention from detectives and crime scene techs. 00:09:08 — Dave discusses the zip tie and signs of a struggle. He lays out potential scenarios that could explain Joysee’s untimely death. 00:10:39 — Suicide as a possible result of a domestic dispute is pondered. It’s a heartbreaking thought, yet critical to the investigation. 00:11:11 — Joe Scott instructs on letting the environment of a crime scene "speak" to the investigator. He warns against being influenced by others present. 00:16:00 — The importance of leaving a ligature in place at a crime scene is brought to light. It’s a detail that can have far-reaching implications. 00:17:40 — Morgan questions why the ligature was not removed in Joysee’s case. The unanswered action hints at a potential suspect. 00:19:00 — Joe Scott explains the process of proving a suicide and emphasizes the importance of treating all deaths as homicides until proven otherwise. 00:23:00 — Dave points out delays in the criminal justice process. 00:25:00 — The physical evidence, particularly multiple abrasions on Joysee’s body, is dissected. Joe Scott posits that these suggest a struggle. 00:30:13 — Joseph Scott Morgan introduces the topic of ligatures, which are often seen in hangings. He provides an insight into the presence of Tardieu spots, a specific type of petechiae, and how they appear in cases of strangulation. 00:33:21 — The hosts discuss the pressure points on a zip tie during strangulation and how they can be traced post-mortem. 00:37:20 — Addressing mental health, Joseph Scott Morgan acknowledges listeners struggling with suicidal thoughts, provides the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, and emphasizes the importance of seeking help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anna Moriah Wilson was in Texas to race at a 150-mile Gravel Locas competition. She's bunking at the home of her friend, Caitlyn Cash. After an evening of swimming with fellow cyclist Colin Strickland, Wilson returns to Cash's home for the evening. When Cash arrives, however, she finds Wilson in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Wilson has been shot multiple times. Police find surveillance video of a black SUV seen outside near the time of Wilson's death. The SUV is tracked to Colin Strickland's girlfriend, Kaitlyn Armstrong. Murder suspect Kaitlin Armstrong, on the run for a month, is busted in Costa Rica. U.S. Marshals say Armstrong was staying at a Santa Teresa beachside hostel, an area where yoga enthusiasts and surfers frequent. Armstrong also reportedly had a receipt on her for plastic surgery. Armstrong had also cut and dyed her hair. Now after a two-week trial, a jury renders a guilty verdict in just a couple of hours. Joining Nancy Grace today: James ShelnuttDr. Shari SchwartzBody Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A young nurse, separated from her husband, joins friends and co-workers for an evening out after their shift. She’s standing alone as her friends dance when she’s approached by a well-dressed man. They dance and then continue their conversation. He says his name is Bob White and would like to see the nurse again. She agrees and a few days later, the pair meet at a local coffee bar-type restaurant. A few strange comments, and a few odd questions later, the nurse realizes she has made a mistake. Her contact with this strange man must end. Then, the nurse makes a stunning discovery. Bob White is really Dennis Rader. Gina Rodriguez is the nurse and she joins Nancy Grace to tell her story of how she met and survived BTK, the sadistic serial killer that held Wichita and the nation captive in a decades-long nightmare. Joining Nancy Grace Today: Dale CarsonDr. Joni JohnstonSheryl McCollumSheriff Eddie VirdenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.