Let's Go To Court!

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Brandi starts us off with the story of Johnson County’s other serial killer. That’s right, folks. There’s more than one.  In the late 80’s, young women in Johnson County apartment complexes had a good reason to be afraid. Three twenty-something’s vanished without a trace. Their apartments showed no signs of a break in. But there weren’t signs of murder, either. For a while, all anyone could go on was a sinking suspicion that something was terribly wrong. Then, to everyone else in Sugar Land, Texas, the Whitaker family seemed to have it all. But that all changed one winter night in 2003. The family went out to celebrate Bart Whitaker’s graduation from Sam Houston State University, and when they arrived back home, a masked gunman shot all four of the family members. Kevin died almost immediately. Trisha died in the hospital. Bart and his father Kent survived. They begged police to find the people responsible for the crime. But police didn’t h

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! If there was one thing Helle Crafts’ friends knew for certain, it was that Helle’s husband Richard was a violent sketch ball. So when she didn’t show up for work one day, they got suspicious. Richard’s explanations were less than reassuring. Was she visiting her mother in Denmark? Or was she with a friend on vacation? The story kept changing, but one thing remained the same — Helle was nowhere to be found. Then Brandi continues her Johnson County, Kansas, series with a robbery gone terribly wrong. It all started at the She’s a Pistol gun store in Shawnee, Kansas. Becky Bieker owned the store with her husband Jon. She was behind the counter on January 9, 2015 when four teenagers entered the store. Two of them were armed. One of the teens punched Becky, knocking her unconscious. Shortly afterward, Jon came out of a back room, gun drawn. A gun battle ensued. Later, one of the teens’ lawyers mounted an… interesting legal defense.  And now for a

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! The day has arrived. Kristin’s dad Daryl Pitts, a.k.a. DP, *cringe* is on the podcast! Our theme this week is cheaters, because what could be more fun to discuss with your father?  Brandi starts us off with yet another brutal attack in Olathe, Kansas. Late at night on February 28, 1982, Melinda Harmon ran to her neighbors for help. She told them that two masked men had just broken into her home. They’d killed her husband David right in front of her. Police rushed to the scene, but the evidence didn’t match Melinda’s story.  Then Daryl tells us about a strange night in March of 2011, when Kandi Hall called police to report that two men were shot in a Walgreens parking lot. One was her husband; the other was her boss and lover. Kandi’s husband Rob survived, but Emmett Corrigan wasn’t so lucky.  Then Kristin tells us about Leon Jacob, a greasy-haired guy who fancied himself a bit of a ladies man. His charm worked on recently divorced veterina

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Around the holidays, a lot of people bake cookies for their neighbors. It’s supposed to be a nice, friendly gesture. But boy, can it backfire! Teenagers Taylor Ostergaard and Lindsey Zellitti learned that lesson the hard way when they anonymously left a plate of cookies at Wanita Young’s house. Their late night cookie drop scared the crap out of Wanita. She was so shaken that she went to the hospital the next day, suffering from what appeared to be a heart attack. Then Brandi tells us about the time Santa robbed a bank. The robbery took place on December 23, 1927, in Cisco, Texas. A man dressed as Santa Claus entered First National Bank. His armed accomplices followed. Together, the men terrorized the customers and emptied the bank’s safe. Afterward, Santa and his gang took off. What followed was the largest manhunt Texas has ever seen.   And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits t

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! John Duffield woke to a horrifying sound. It was his 15 year old son, Paul, calling out for help. John sprang out of bed to find Paul lying on the couch, bleeding from a massive head wound. But Paul’s injuries were just the start of the horror. John’s 12-year-old daughter Janelle was dead in her room. His 17-year-old daughter Kelly was missing. Investigators were puzzled. Was Kelly taken, or did she leave willingly? Was it really possible that John slept through this bloody attack? And if so, did that mean that this attack was carried out by a cold-blooded stranger?  Then Kristin tells us about the downfall of former Subway spokesman and total creep Jared Fogle. When Jared was in college, he lost an astonishing 245 pounds by eating two Subway sandwiches a day for eleven months. His story made national headlines, and he quickly became the face of Subway. It was a win-win. Subway’s profits soared. Jared became a millionaire many times over. Su

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! It was the late 1940s in Boston, Massachusetts, and a group of career criminals had a crazy idea. They wanted to rob the Brinks’ armored car depot. If they could pull it off, it would be the biggest robbery in United States history. For two years, they planned and plotted. They broke into the building to get a lay of the land. They stole the building’s lock cylinders, brought them to a locksmith, had keys made, and replaced the cylinders — all before the building reopened the next day. By the time they finally committed the robbery, they were like a well oiled machine. They were slick. They were smart. And they almost got away with it. Then Brandi tells a story that hits close to home. On June 2, 2007, 18-year-old Kelsey Smith went to Target to find an anniversary present for her boyfriend. The trip shouldn’t have taken long. When Kelsey didn’t return home right away, her family started to worry. They searched for her, hoping that maybe she’

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Nicole Atkinson dropped her friend Shanann Watts off at home early one morning, everything seemed fine. But the next day, Shanann didn’t answer any of Nicole’s texts. Then Shanann missed her 10 a.m. doctor’s appointment. Nicole called Shanann’s husband, Chris, but he seemed kind of dismissive. That didn’t set well with Nicole. So she called the police. Then Kristin wraps things up with a murdering con man. In the post-recession era, Richard Beasley dreamt up a near-perfect con — one that preyed on men who were down on their luck. He posted a job on Craigslist that promised $300 a week and a two-bedroom trailer — all in exchange for watching over a 688-acre ranch. Applications poured in. But there was no job. Richard’s Craigslist ad was his twisted way of luring unsuspecting men to Ohio. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Bra

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Shannon Whisnant bought a storage unit at auction, he got a whole lot more than he bargained for. He discovered a severed human foot tucked inside the unit’s BBQ grill. Turns out, the owner of the foot was alive and well, and he wanted it back. But Shannon wasn’t willing to let it go. He’d bought the foot fair and square. And plus, it might just be his ticket to fame.  Then Brandi tells us a story that’s as creepy as it is disturbing. In the late 60s, four year old Martin Brown died from a terrible accident. Later, in that same neighborhood, three year old Brian Howe went missing. But when police discovered his body, they quickly realized that Brian was the victim of a twisted killer. And in hindsight, perhaps Martin was, too. As police hunted down the responsible parties, evidence pointed them toward a surprising set of suspects — two young girls. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of article

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Randy Stone played a big role in his community. He owned an insurance business, was a former marine, and was an active member of New Hope Baptist church. But seemingly out of nowhere, after years of loyal church attendance, Randy cut ties with the church. A short time later, he was murdered. But who would want Randy dead, and why? Then Kristin tells us about a kidnapping that sounds fishy as hell. A man dressed in a wetsuit woke Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn. He blindfolded them with blacked out swim goggles, forced them to drink sedatives, put headphones on them, and eventually left with Denise. When Aaron came to, there were motion detecting cameras everywhere. There was red tape on the first floor of the home. The rules were clear: if he stepped outside the lines, Dense would be hurt. When Aaron called police to report the horrific crime, they didn’t believe him. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bu

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Nancy Howard just wanted a quiet night at home. She pulled into the garage of her upscale home, got out of her car, and was about to head inside for dinner when an armed gunman grabbed her by the neck. The pair struggled. He shot her and left her for dead. But Nancy survived. Investigators were perplexed by the crime, but soon, the pieces came together. It was even stranger than they’d initially suspected. Then Brandi tells us about infamous teenaged spree killer Charles Starkweather. In just two months, Charles killed eleven people. His underaged girlfriend was with him the entire time. Starkweather’s horrific crimes won a place in pop culture. The crimes inspired the film Natural Born Killers, a truly terrible Bruce Springsteen song, and were mentioned in Billy Joel’s, “We didn’t start the fire.”  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabul

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Abraham Shakespeare won a $30 million lottery, he was ecstatic. He bought himself a beautiful home and a new car. He was generous with nearly everyone he encountered. When friends needed a loan, he gave it to them. When they fell behind on their mortgages, he stepped in. But Abraham was quickly overwhelmed. He worried that people were taking advantage of him. Then he met Dee Dee Moore. She was a savvy businesswoman who wanted to help him with his money. Or so she said. Later, when Abraham went missing, his friends and family had a hunch who was to blame. Then Kristin tells us about one of the dumbest lawsuits of all time. Peter Wallis and Kellie Smith were in love, but that all changed when Kellie got pregnant. Peter proposed. She said no. Peter encouraged her to get an abortion. She said no to that too. Then like a real winner, he kicked her out of their apartment. Kellie moved in with her parents and eventually gave birth to a baby gi

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Happy Halloween, and welcome to a very spooky episode of Let’s Go To Court! This week, we discuss crimes so terrifying that they inspired horror films.  Kristin starts us off with the most disgusting story of all time. Ed Gein was just a quiet bachelor who lived alone on his isolated Wisconsin farm. But there was more to Ed than met the eye. When police went to question him about a murder, they were horrified by what they discovered. Body parts littered his filthy home. There were lamp shades and chairs made of human skin. There was a collection of noses, and face masks on the walls. Ed’s story is so sickening that it inspired the movies Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Then Brandi tells us about an entire family who was killed in their sleep. Well… not an entire family. One family member, Ronald DeFeo, lived to tell the tale. A year later, a new family moved into the home. The disturbing story was the basis fo

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Chandra Levy had her life together. She was an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and was just a few days shy of graduating with a master’s degree in public administration. She had dreams of working for the FBI. Maybe the CIA. So when she suddenly went missing in early May of 2001, her parents were alarmed. Their alarm swelled when they learned that Chandra’d been having an affair with Congressman Gary Condit. Was Condit to blame for Chandra’s disappearance? Had he done something to her? Despite a damn good alibi, suspicion enveloped Condit. In the winter of 2000, two men terrorized Wichita, Kansas. Over a short period, their random crimes escalated. First they robbed a man. Then they shot a woman. Then, they raped and terrorized a group of five, twenty-something friends. The men murdered four of the five friends. The lone survivor lived through the ordeal when the killers’ bullet deflected off her barrette. She played dead, then sought

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Ethan Couch did a horrible thing. When he was 16 years old, he got drunk, loaded his friends in his truck, and drove recklessly down a dark, two-lane road. Not far from his house, Ethan lost control of his truck. He hit one vehicle, and then another, which hit another. Four people died. When police arrived, one deputy remarked that the stretch of road looked, “more like a plane crash than a car wreck.”  The story made national headlines — for an unexpected reason. During Ethan’s sentencing, psychologist Dick Miller contended that Ethan grew up in an environment with no consequences. His family had money, and money meant that you made your own rules. In other words, Ethan was a victim of his own privilege. It was the affluenza defense, and it infuriated the nation. Then Brandi tells us about the con to beat all cons. In the post-9/11 world, the United States Navy Veterans Association prospered. They brought in millions upon millions of dolla

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Here’s a tip: When a member of your spouse’s family asks to stay with you, just say no. That’s the lesson Brandi took from the murder of millionaire Jacques Mossler. When his younger, “toothpaste model” wife, Candy, suggested they let her nephew Melvin move into their sprawling Houston home, Jacques said sure. But over time, Candy and her nephew got close. Too close. Then Kristin tells us about the bizarre kidnapping of stay-at-home-mom Quinn Gray. Her kidnapping panicked and perplexed her husband, Reid Gray. Reid was wealthy. Super wealthy. But the ransom note indicated that the kidnappers only wanted $50,000. Why so little? And why did the kidnappers let Quinn make so many phone calls? As Quinn’s kidnapping dragged on, the case got more and more strange. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Kristin starts us off with one of the trials of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of nine African American boys and young men who were accused of gang raping two white women in 1931. Their cases are infuriating and upsetting. The Scottsboro Boys were nearly lynched before their trials. At every turn, the justice system was unjust — so unjust that outside groups stepped in to help the young men.  Then Brandi lightens things up with a story about the dangers of high school cheerleading. Wanda Holloway always wanted to be a cheerleader, but her dad wouldn’t let her. So when Wanda gave birth to her daughter Shanna, she knew exactly what Shanna would grow up to be — a cheerleader! But when it looked like another girl might take Shanna’s spot on the squad, Wanda did what any concerned parent would do. She hired a hitman.  And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very lim

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Kelli Peters was the heart of Plaza Vista School in Irvine, California. She was the PTA president and the volunteer director of the after school program. But then, one day, as she was filling in for a teacher, a police officer said he needed to speak with her. He took her out to the parking lot and asked for her car keys. Kelli was puzzled, but she handed them over. The officer dug through her car, and eventually pulled out a bag of pot, a pipe, some Percocet and some Vicodin. Kelli dropped to her knees. She sobbed. She pleaded with the officer. The drugs weren’t hers, she said. But if they weren’t hers, then why the hell were they in Kelli’s car?   Then Kristin talks about two things she knows inside and out: fine wine, and the perils of having millions of dollars in spending money. In the early 2000’s, Rudy Kurniawan was just a young, geeky-looking guy bidding on California wines at high-end wine auctions. Hardly anyone paid attention to h

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Paul Kruse had an irresistible sales pitch. He told his investment clients that their principal investment would be totally safe. They could expect annual returns between 10 and 15 percent. In other words, watch your money grow, risk free. Sounds great, right? If only it’d been true. Paul’s scheme robbed people of their life’s savings, but his plan ground to a halt when his assistant, Amy Weatherford, got suspicious. The feds had plenty on Paul, but he didn’t go down easy. From the comfort of his prison cell, he hatched a violent plan that would make him a free man. Then Brandi tells us the story of Anthony Curcio. Anthony has always been smart. He’s always been a planner. But he hasn’t always used those skills for good. In 2008, Anthony had an expensive drug habit and a busted real estate business. He needed a lot of money, and he knew just where to get it. Over the course of several months, Anthony made a meticulously detailed plan to rob

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! Cindy Anthony’s 911 call in the summer of 2008 was as upsetting as it was chilling. She said her granddaughter, three-year-old Caylee Anthony had been missing for 31 days. Her daughter Casey Anthony had also been missing, but now she was back — and her car smelled like it’d held a dead body. Police rushed to the scene to interview 22-year-old Casey. But Casey’s story was odd. She claimed her daughter had been kidnapped, and that she’d been trying to find Caylee on her own. Police quickly caught Casey in a string of lies. She was eventually charged in her daughter’s death. Then Kristin tells us about Dr. Linda Hazzard. Well, Dr. Hazzard wasn’t really a doctor, but thanks to a handy loophole, Linda was able to call herself one. In the early 1900’s she made a name for herself by championing the benefits of fasting. She even created a sanitarium called Wilderness Heights, where her wealthy patients endured lengthy fasts, enemas, and violent mass

Hate ads? The entire LGTC catalog is available ad-free on Patreon! When Lizzie Borden’s dad and stepmom were brutally murdered in their Massachusetts home, people were stunned. The wealthy couple had been mercilessly hacked to death. But who could have done it? Police had their immediate suspicions — surely this heinous crime was carried out by a male intruder. But in the aftermath of the crime, people weren’t so sure. The slain couple’s 33-year-old daughter was acting weird. Could she have been the violent perpetrator? Police thought so, and so did the district attorney. Lizzie Borden’s eventual trial captivated the nation. Then Brandi tells us the infuriating story of Alice Crimmins, a woman whose young children went missing one night in 1965. Police suspected the beautiful, perfectly coiffed mother immediately. She didn’t fit their grieving mother narrative. She was well dressed. Her hair was expertly teased and sprayed. Her makeup? Impeccable. Oh, and another thing — she liked to have sex. Police hounde