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101: Holiday REMIX Dec 25, 2019

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It’s time for a remix! In honor of the holiday season, we are re-releasing last year’s ridiculously fun holiday episode. But we’ve added some new stuff, too! There’s a new set of holiday-themed questions at the end, plus SUPREME COURT inductions. Plus: Someone’s mom bought them a SUPREME COURT induction for Christmas. Was it your mom? Listen to find out!
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 them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
The book, “The Party of the First Part: The Curious World of Legalese,” by Adam Freedman
“Family says they are under attack in cookie caper,” Associated Press
“Nation rallies around girls sued by neighbor over late-night cookies,” East Bay Times
“Teens sued for cookie delivery to neighbor,” ABC News
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“The Santa Claus Bank Robbery” by Boyce House, Startling Detective Adventures
“The Night the Posse Chased Santa Claus” by Maggie Van Ostrand, TexasEscapes.com
“Santa Claus Bank Robbery” by Walter F. Pilcher, Texas State Historical Association
“Santa Claus Bank Robbery” wikipedia.org

100: Can we get a re-do?? Dec 18, 2019

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Can you believe it? It’s our 100th episode! Holy sexy times! Thank you to everyone who joined us on this perilous journey. We hope you’ll stay with us for many episodes to come. If you don’t, we’ll send a Bob Moss after you. Or maybe a juvenile bigfoot.
In honor of our 100th episode, we are re-doing our very cringe-y first episode! Note: We’re not re-releasing the first episode. We’re completely redoing it. So sit back, relax, and let us tell you for a second time about the crimes that got us interested in lawsuits.
Kristin starts us off with the story of Robert Courtney, a Kansas City pharmacist who was caught diluting cancer drugs. Over the course of several years, Robert diluted everything from chemotherapy drugs to fertility treatments. His horrific crimes affected an estimated 4,200 patients.
Then Brandi tells us about the Tate-LaBianca murders, also known as the Manson Family murders. In the summer of 1969, members of Charles Manson’s cult brutally murdered seven people. They killed five people one night, and two more the next. The crimes were as senseless as they were shocking.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The Toxic Pharmacist,” New York Times Magazine
“Jury Awards 2.2B in Courtney Case,” Kansas City Business Journal
“Deadly Rx for Greed,” American Greed
“Pharmacist Robert Courtney Admits He Diluted Drugs,” Kansas City Star
“Prosecutors Say Greed Drove Pharmacist to Dilute Drugs,” The New York Times
“Courtney’s Wife Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement,” Kansas City Business Journal
“Pharmacist’s Wife to Give Money to Victim Fund,” Southeast Missourian
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Charles Manson and the Manson Family” by Marilyn Bardsley, The Crime Library
“Charles Manson Trial” Famous-Trials.com
“Helter Skelter” by Vincent Bugliosi
“Tate-LaBianca Murders” wikipedia.org

99: Another Family Annihilator & the Smiling Widow Dec 11, 2019

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Lowell Lee Andrews seemed like a brainy, well-behaved teenager. In fact, the local newspaper called him, “the nicest boy in Wolcott.” After he graduated from high school, he took off for the University of Kansas, where he majored in zoology. Lowell’s life seemed unremarkable in its normalcy. But then, during his Thanksgiving break in 1958, Lowell went home and murdered his entire family.
Then Kristin tells us about Jessie Costello, a.k.a., the smiling widow. In the 1930s, Jessie Costello was really something. She was a flapper. She was a snappy dresser. But her life was a little dull. She was married to a stern firefighter named Bill Costello. She was the mother of four children. She didn’t work outside the home. But her life got a whole lot more interesting when she met a married policeman named Edward McMahon. The two started up an affair, and they weren’t exactly discreet about it. So, a few months later, when Bill Costello died of an apparent heart attack, the people of Peabody, Massacusetts were skeptical.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Costello slain, doctor says at widow’s trial,” by Grace Robinson the Daily News
“Jessie on trial during 23 days,” by Joseph F. Dinneen for The Boston Globe
“McMahon near break under cross-examination on story,” by Melville E. Webb Jr for The Boston Globe
“Dr. Rooney says cyanide caused Costello’s death,” by Alfred J. Monahan for The Boston Globe
“Brands poison widow as sorceress-killer,” for the Daily News
“‘I’m vindicated, M’Mahon isn’t,’ Jessie declares,” for the Daily News
“Drop Dead Gorgeous: The Scandalous Trial of Jessie Costello” by Stephanie Almazan for The Lineup
“The Festive Murder Trial of Jessie Costello” New England Historical Society
“Justice and Jessie Costello” Strange Company Blog
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“The nicest boy in Wolcott: ‘Polite’ Lowell Lee Andrews proved to be another ‘cold’ Kansas killer” by David Krajicek, The New York Daily News
“A Crime For All Time” by Mike Belt, Lawrence Journal World
“State v. Andrews” law.justia.com
“Lowell Lee Andrew” wikipedia.org

98: Celia Fought Back & the Disappearance of Kelsey Berreth Dec 04, 2019

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Celia was sick and tired. She was an enslaved woman, living in Missouri. It seemed the man who purchased her had done so for the sole purpose of raping her. For years, Robert Newsom raped Celia. She did everything she could to stop him. Then, after roughly five years of abuse, Celia reached her breaking point. Robert said he would come to her cabin that night. She warned him not to. She said she’d hurt him. She wasn’t kidding.
Then Brandi tells us about the disappearance of Kelsey Berreth. Kelsey went missing on Thanksgiving Day, 2018. That weekend, she texted her boss at Doss Aviation to say she wouldn’t be in the next week. But that wasn’t like Kelsey. Her mom, Cheryl-Lee sensed that something was wrong. Kelsey had an infant daughter and an important career as a pilot. She wouldn’t have just taken off.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
The book, “Celia, A Slave,” by Melton A. McLaurin
“Missouri v. Celia, a Slave: She killed the white master raping her, then claimed self-defense,” by DeNeed L. Brown for the Washington Post
“Celia, A Slave Trial,” by Douglas O. Linder for famous-trials.com
“State of Missouri v. Celia, a Slave” wikipedia.com
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Kelsey Berreth Case: What to Know About the Missing Colorado Mom Last Seen on Thanksgiving Day” by Caitlin Nolan, Inside Edition“Fiancé of missing Colorado mother Kelsey Berreth arrested, charged with murder” Associated Press, CBS News
“Kelsey Berreth case: Timeline of investigation and Patrick Frazee’s murder trial” by The Denver 7 Team, The Denver Channel
“Kelsey Berreth murder trial: Patrick Frazee had hit list of witnesses to kill, inmate says in testimony” by Carol McKinley, Clayton Sandell, and Emily Shapiro, ABC News
“Patrick Frazee found guilty of killing missing fiancee Kelsey Berreth; sentenced to life without parole” by Clayton Sandell, Carol McKinley, and Emily Shapiro, ABC News
“Patrick Frazee convicted of killing his fiancée, sentenced to life without the possibility of parole” by Jack Hannah and Darran Simon, CNN

97: A Biology Professor & Winona Ryder’s Shoplifting Trial Nov 27, 2019

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It was a seemingly normal day at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The biology department was holding their weekly meeting. Biology professor Amy Bishop was unusually quiet that day, but her coworkers didn’t seem to mind. She tended to dominate their meetings. Perhaps being denied tenure had made her less enthusiastic? Roughly 50 minutes into the meeting, Amy suddenly stood. She pulled out a gun and began firing.
Then, Kristin tells us about Winona Ryder’s shoplifting trial. In 2001, Winona Ryder was on top of the world. She’d been nominated for two Oscars. She’d guest starred in an episode of Friends. She was famous and wealthy. But in December of that year, she was caught shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue. People were stunned… but come on. A famous actress would surely get a plea deal, right? Not this time.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Show Trial” by Duncan Campbell for the Guardian
“Winona Ryder Shoplifting Trial” archive on CourtTV.com
“Lawyer: Ryder’s arrest a ‘misunderstanding,” CNN.com
“Actress Winona Ryder arrested,” BBC News
“Winona Ryder convicted of theft, likely to get probation” by Matt Bean, Court TV
“Winona Ryder Goes on Trial,” Associated Press
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“A Loaded Gun” by Patrick Radden Keefe, The New Yorker
“Amy Bishop” murderpedia.org
‘Lawsuits against Amy Bishop over 2010 UAH shooting rampage have been settled” by Brian Lawson, AL.com

96: Taylor Swift’s Assault Trial & Ali Kemp Nov 20, 2019

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Taylor Swift was doing her thing. Before her concert started, she stood backstage, greeting fans and posing for photos. It all seemed pretty normal. Then, a Denver morning radio DJ named David Mueller approached her with his then-girlfriend, Shannon Melcher. Taylor chatted with Shannon. But when it was time to take the photo, Taylor says that something shocking happened. David reached up the back of her dress and grabbed her bare ass.
Then Brandi tells us about the senseless, horrifying murder of Ali Kemp. Ali was a 19-year-old college student working at an upscale neighborhood pool one summer when she was brutally murdered. Her body was discovered in the pool house, hours after she’d been attacked. But who could have done such a thing? Ali didn’t have any known enemies. For a while, it seemed like the case might go cold. But Ali’s dad, Roger Kemp, fought tirelessly to bring his daughter’s killer to justice.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Ex-DJ says $1 payment to Taylor Swift sent by mail last week,” Associated Press
“DJ who lost Taylor Swift groping case has a new job,” by Lisa Respers France, CNN
“Taylor Swift was groped by radio host, jury finds,” by Donna Bryson, New York Times
“Judge drops complaint aimed at Taylor Swift in groping case brought by DJ,” by Donna Bryson, New York Times
“Taylor Swift won her day in court. Here’s what you need to know,” by Constance Grady, Vox
“A timeline of events leading up to Taylor Swift groping trial,” by Sabrina Finkelstein, Billboard
“Taylor Swift Testifies: ‘He grabbed my ass underneath my skirt,’” by Joyce Chen, Rolling Stone
“Taylor Swift take the stand in former radio DJ groping trial,” ABC News on YouTube
“The Silence Breakers,” by Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman and Haley Sweetland Edwards, Time Magazine
“Taylor Swift assault trial kicks off with changing stories and hurt feelings,” by Hilary Weaver, Vanity Fair
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Ali Kemp” episode Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets
“State v. Appleby” courtlistener.com
“Ali Kemp – 249” episode Generation Why podcast
“Suspect charged in 2002 slaying of K-State student” by Matt Sedensky, Lawrence Journal World
“Murderer gets life sentence for killing at pool” by The Associated Press, Lawrence Journal World
“JoCo judge will decide if man convicted in brutal 2002 murder gets new sentence” by Katie Bernard, The Kansas City Star
“Judge denies request by Ali Kemp’s killer to have his Hard 50 sentence thrown out” by Karra Small, Fox4KC

95: Mob Bosses! (a.k.a. Bob Mosses) Nov 13, 2019

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Brandi starts us off with the ultimate mob boss, Al Capone. For years, Al Capone ran Chicago. He was the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Mafia, commonly known as the Chicago Outfit. During the Prohibition era, Capone made big money by operating illegal establishments. Anyone who threatened his businesses was promptly killed. Al did too many illegal things to list, but the most boring one is what took him down. He didn’t pay his taxes.
Then Kristin tells us about Dutch Schultz. He may not be a household name today, but in his day, Dutch Schultz was very well known. He was violent, ruthless, and rich. He ran illegal lotteries, operated speakeasies and extorted restaurateurs. Oh yeah. And he didn’t pay taxes. Are we sensing a pattern?
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
The book, “The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano: The Mafia Story in His own words” by Martin Gosch and Richard Hammer
“Thomas E. Dewey Defeats Dutch Schultz,” historynet.com
“Gangster Dutch Schultz died a millionaire, but where did all his money go?” by William DeLong for allthatsinteresting.com
“Dutch Schultz,” wikipedia
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Al Capone Trial (1931)” Famous-Trials.com
“Al Capone” by Marilyn Bardsley, Crime Library
“Al Capone” FBI.gov
“Al Capone” wikipedia.org

94: Skechers Shape-Ups & a Ton of Leaves Nov 06, 2019

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Ten years ago, Skechers Shape-Ups took the world by storm. The shoes were a miracle. They melted our fat, sculpted our hips buns and thighs. And the best part? We didn’t have to do any extra work. All we had to do was put on a pair of Skechers Shape-Ups, and BOOM! Instant workout! Except… well, the shoes didn’t quite live up to the hype.
Then Brandi tells us an alarming tale (doesn’t she always?). When Tina Herrmann didn’t show up for work one day, her boss immediately sensed that something was up. She went to Herrmann’s home, broke in, and discovered a grisly scene. There was blood everywhere. Tina, her two children, and her friend Stephanie Sprang were missing. Investigators rushed to the scene. The clues led back to a man named Matthew Hoffman, whose home was filled with leaves.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Skechers will pay $40 million over claims that its sneakers toned muscles,” by Ashley Lutz for Business Insider
“Skechers Shape-Ups lawsuit: Woman sues saying ‘toning shoes’ caused hip fractures” by Elisabeth Leamy for ABC News
“Skechers to pay $40 million for exaggerated shoe claims,” by Brett Barrouquere for the Christian Science Monitor
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Killer Stuffed His House With Leaves, Kept Kidnapped Girl on Bed of Leaves” by Jessica Hopper, ABC News
“What was in the home (and mind) of Matthew Hoffman?” by Allison Manning and Holly Zachariah, The Columbus Dispatch
“Excerpts from Matthew Hoffman’s confession” The Columbus Dispatch
“Missing Ohio Trio Were Stabbed to Death; Bodies Found Stuffed in Hollowed Out Tree” by Dean Schabner, ABC News
“Ohio town grieves; hollow tree that held 3 bodies removed” Associated Press
“Matthew Hoffman, Ohio Killer Who Hid Bodies in Tree, Pleads Guilty” by Edecio Martinez, CBS News

93: A Psychic & Nightmares in a Mansion Oct 30, 2019

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Jude Deveraux is a prolific romance writer. She’s a New York Times Bestseller and the author of more than 40 novels. One day, the celebrated novelist sought out the services of a psychic named Rose Marks. The two bonded immediately, and pretty soon, Jude found herself forking over millions upon millions of dollars. But was Rose really a psychic? Or was she a con artist?
Then Kristin tells us about a horrific quadruple murder in a high-end Washington, D.C. neighborhood. When firefighters arrived at the Savopoulos family home, they though they were dealing with a house fire. When they got inside, they realized that the home was a crime scene. Savvas and Amy Savopoulos, their 10-year-old son Philip, and the family’s housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa had all been retrained, beaten, and murdered. But who could have done such a thing? Investigators hit a breakthrough when they discovered leftover Domino’s pizza.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“Murder in the Mansion” episode of 20/20
“DNA, Facebook usage and a sword among the evidence as D.C. quadruple murder trial continues,” by Keith L. Alexander for The Washington Post
“Suspect in Savopoulos family killings takes the witness stand,” The Washington Post
“Suspect in D.C. quadruple killing testifies he was lured to the scene, never saw victims,” The Washington Post
“Prosecutor tells jurors Daron Wint is guilty in D.C. quadruple killing, even if someone else was involved,” by Keith L. Alexander for The Washington Post
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“The Psychic, The Novelist and the $17 Million Scam” by Robert Andrew Powell, Reader’s Digest
“Florida Psychic and Her Family Cheated Clients of $40 Million, Prosecutors Say” by Lizette Alvarez, The New York Times
“Author Jude Deveraux Was Suicidal After Losing $20 Million to Fortune Telling Con” by Christina NG, ABC News
“Judge scolds feds over alleged misconduct in $25 million ‘psychic fraud’ case” by Paula McMahon, The Sun Sentinel
“Psychic accused in $25 million fraud says she is portrayed ‘as some kind of monster’” by Paula McMahon, The Sun Sentinel
“Imprisoned ‘psychic’ testifies she regrets going to trial in $17M fortunetelling fraud” by Paula McMahon, The Sun Sentinel
“Rose Marks” wikipedia.org

92: A Man Who Sued His Wife’s Lover & a Robbery at a Video Game Store Oct 23, 2019

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When Kevin Howard’s wife, Julie, announced that she wanted to separate, Kevin was stunned. They’d been married for twelve years. They had two children. He thought they were happy. Julie claimed she didn’t like how much time Kevin spent at work, but Kevin suspected he wasn’t getting the full story. So he hired a private investigator, who quickly discovered that Julie was having an affair with a coworker named Greg Jernigan. Kevin wanted revenge, and he got it thanks to an obscure, old timey law.
Then Brandi tells us about a tragedy at an EB Games store in San Antonio, Texas. Amber Belken was the store’s manager. Amber had a reputation for being dependable, so when she didn’t answer her phone on January 29, 2007, other EB Games managers began to worry. When they arrived at the store, they encountered a grizzly scene.
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 sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“A North Carolina man just won a $750,000 lawsuit after suiting his wife’s lover,” by Christina Maxouris and Leah Asmelash for CNN
“His wife cheated on him. So he sued the other man for $750,000 and won,” by Lateshia Beachum for The Washington Post
“Pitt County man wins $750,000 judgment against man for stealing his wife,” WITN.com
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“Everything She Knew” episode Dateline
“Man to plead guilty in suffocation death during 2007 Game Stop robbery” by KENS Staff, KENS 5 News
“Ex-fugitive gets life in prison for video game store slaying” by Craig Kapitan, MySanAntonio

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