‘They’re monsters’: Father of Oklahoma sleepover massacre victim wants yard signs, posters identifying convicted sex offenders
May 11, 2023
The father of one of the teenagers allegedly murdered by a convicted sex offender at a sleepover in Oklahoma is advocating for stronger laws in hopes of protecting families from a similar fate.
Ivy Webster, 14, was sleeping over at her friend Tiffany Guess’ home in Henryetta earlier this month when Tiffany’s stepfather, convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden, shot the two girls and Tiffany’s mother, Holly, in the head, the Oklahoman reported. Police say that McFadden also killed Tiffany’s siblings, 15-year old Michael Mayo and 17-year-old Riley Allen, as well as her friend Brittany Brewer, 15, before taking his own life. Tiffany was 13 years old.
McFadden was convicted of first-degree rape in 2003 and was released from prison in 2020 — serving less than 17 years of his 20-year sentence, according to Fox 23 News. He was allegedly due to appear in court the day after the murders on charges stemming from allegations that while in prison in 2016, he used a contraband cellphone to exchange explicit photos with an underage girl.
Ivy’s father, Justin Webster, told Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast that he has already jumped into action, proposing The Knights Law in Oklahoma to ensure sex offenders serve their full sentence.
“They’re monsters and need to be locked up for life or put to death,” Webster said. “If sexual offenders have the ability to destroy a child’s life with their acts that they do, whether they murder the child or not, that child will have PTSD. They will have to go through counseling their entire life. If they can destroy a child’s life, they should lose all their rights.”
The Websters said most interactions with McFadden occurred while dropping off Ivy at his house or welcoming Tiffany at theirs, and when the families went kayaking and fishing together at Jim Hall Lake.
“My wife and I, we felt he was kind of socially awkward, kind of weird,” Webster recalled. “But we didn’t know the personal side to him, and just knowing who he was based off our interactions, there was never any signs of maliciousness. He was a monster in disguise and really good at what he did.”
Webster said he did not know about McFadden’s criminal history. In fact, he said he was concerned to learn that McFadden’s name only appears on the federal sex offender registry, not the local Oklahoma list.
While Webster urges parents to ”look at every avenue, every resource given to continue to try to see if your children are going to a safe place,” he has grander ideas of spotlighting local perpetrators.
“We need signs in their front yards saying that they’re sexual predators,” Webster said. “We need signs at our schools with every sexual predator within a certain limit, and that will help parents recognize their sexual offenders within their local area. Our Walmarts, public libraries.”
He also emphasized the need for pictures of the offenders to be publicized as well.
“Who cares about shaming them?” Webster asked. “If they want to live in a town where they’re not wanted, then good, get out and leave. And that’s my message to them.”
Webster said that he and his family were “baffled” walking through the property where their daughter was killed. On their third visit, they found sex toys, bondage gear, padlocks, and chains lying about — much of which was Webster said was purchased the day before the murders.
“But as far as our kids going over there and staying the night there, they never said anything to us,” Webster said. “So I don’t know where he hid most everything he had in that house or how he did it.”
In that last visit, the families learned it will take six months to a year to comb through all the evidence.
“I feel like some weight has been lifted off because I was fighting so dang hard to try to get that proper investigation into that property,” he explained. “It did feel relieving a little bit to know that we were getting the justice, or at least the investigation to get the justice that all of us victims and victims’ families need and have to understand.”
Above all, Webster said he speaks out for Ivy, to keep her story alive.
“Ivy was the most amazing girl, and she did not deserve this. She was loved by everybody,” her father said, tearing up. “She is truly missed, not by just our family, but an entire community.”
He mentioned the thoughtful notes written by her classmates that now fill her locker. He reminisced about how much Ivy and Tiffany loved playing softball.
“And that’s the other thing about this story, is we didn’t just lose Ivy,” Webster said. “It was just a weekend before that we were telling Tiffany that we’re going to give her a key to our house because of how much she was here and how those two girls were connected at the hip. They did everything together.”
He said that Tiffany’s siblings were also regular visitors to his home.
“And Michael and Riley, they were always at our house,” Webster said. “And we loved that whole family dearly. And all of them need to be recognized for how good of kids they were and how magical they were. And they didn’t deserve this. They should still be here. And that’s the frustrating part, is if our law enforcement agencies didn’t fail us and our [Department of Corrections], our system here in Oklahoma didn’t fail us, they would be here today.”
Law&Crime Network Drops New 10-Part Podcast Series Chasing Ghosts: The Hunt for the D.C. Snipers
Apr 03, 2023
The Law&Crime Network just released a brand new podcast, Chasing Ghosts: The Hunt for the D.C. Snipers, about the manhunt for a serial killer who targeted people living across the Washington D.C. region.
Thirteen people were randomly shot — in just three weeks — back in October 2002. As each new victim was gunned down, the FBI and local detectives struggled to track down a killer — until a single tip helped them piece together the murder mysteries.
(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Journalist Tony Holt hosts the 10-part series, which takes a magnifying look at one of the most devastating killing sprees in U.S. history.
Holt, a writer for one of Law&Crime’s other podcasts, Court Junkie, was drawn to cover this case because he reported on the trial for one of the defendants in 2003.
“At the time, it felt like I was in the middle of the biggest news story on American soil,” he explained. “As the years went by, I started thinking about revisiting the case and telling the story through a historical lens.”
(Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Holt was a newspaper reporter for 20 years, and wrote for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the Washington Examiner, and was the founder and host of Sun Crime State. A Virginia native and long-time Floridian, he now lives in Arkansas with his love, Brandie.
You can start binging all 10 episodes of Chasing Ghosts: The Hunt for the D.C. Snipers now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
More Law&Crime Network Podcasts
Law&Crime Sidebar
Law&Crime Sidebar is the must-listen podcast for true-crime and unbiased analysis. It dives deep into the biggest stories in twenty minutes or less. Join Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber and Angenette Levy each morning for the latest news on the legal stories everyone is talking about.
Devil in the Dorm
Devil in the Dorm tells the horrifying story of a middle-aged man who moved into his daughter’s college dorm and created what has all the hallmarks of a cult. Over the decade that followed, he extorted millions of dollars from vulnerable young adults through violence, psychological torture, and forced sex work. Actress and Director Elisabeth Rohm narrates Law&Crime’s 6-part investigative series.
Court Junkie
Court Junkie shines light on the injustices of our judicial system. It delves into court documents, trials, and Jalali interviews those close to the cases to help tell their stories.
‘Unlike Any Other Type of Homicide’: How Lindsay Clancy Mirrors Andrea Yates Case
Feb 17, 2023
About two decades ago, Andrea Yates made headlines when she was accused and later convicted of drowning her five children in a bathtub in Texas. Her attorney at the time recently thought back to the high-profile case, following news that Massachusetts nurse Lindsday Clancy was charged with murdering her three children.
George Parnham, who represented Yates in 2001, calls the two cases “strikingly similar.”
“When I read about [Clancy’s] case, I immediately thought of Andrea’s case,” he said on Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast. He recalled how Yates waited until her husband went to work to go through with her plan to kill her children, just as Clancy sent her own husband out before strangling her children — Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months — with exercise cords.
“The similarity is such that they both knew that the husband would stop them from doing what they were doing with the lives of the children,” Parnham said. “The husbands realized that … how idiotic it is that they would take the lives of those that they gave life to.”
“And this is unlike any other type of homicide,” he continued. “This strikes at the very core of our own notions of who we are.”
Both husbands, Rusty Yates and Patrick Clancy, appeared blindsided, never imagining such a tragedy was possible in their families. In a statement, Patrick Clancy even asked for his wife to be met with forgiveness.
“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone — me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients,” Patrick Clancy wrote on a GoFundMe page. “The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”
Clancy, who pleaded not guilty, is paralyzed after jumping out a window following the deaths of her children. Prosecutors say this was a premeditated attack, part of a murder-suicide plot. The defense has made statements about postpartum depression, although Clancy has never been diagnosed.
Parnham said being diagnosed with postpartum depression is “basically insignificant,” yet the issue is “crucial.”
“This is a situation where no one can basically understand why a mother would take the life of a child,” Parnham explained. “And I would suggest to the attorneys that the first thing … is to contact an expert, get up to speed. The lawyers need to be educated by experts to be able to ask the right questions of the expert and make certain that the expert is so geared to talk in simplistic terms, to explain these things to not only the lawyer, but the eventual jury, because the jurors will look upon that individual as the individual that can guide them through this horrific situation.”
“It’s vitally important to understand postpartum, to get a grip on it,” Parnham continued. “And ironically, mothers will understand the whole issue of postpartum because giving birth is not only a physical act, but it has an enormous mental impact on the mother. And as a consequence, and for instance Andrea’s case, in the case of this young woman, it’s something that we have to deal with.”
Parham said he was determined not to put Yates, who was in a psychotic state, on the stand. She believed that if her children grew up in a world of evil, their chances of going to heaven were rare. “They would all be sent to hell if they were allowed to exist,” he recalled.
Yates was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, but that conviction was overturned. In a new trial, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity — she was reported to have postpartum depression, psychosis, schizophrenia. Now Yates is spending her days in a Texas mental health hospital.
When it comes to the discussion of premeditation, Parnham said these crimes don’t just happen, they’re not “spur of the moment.”
“These are situations that develop over a period of time,” he said. He thinks back to Yates, who was reported to have difficulties in high school and went through bouts of time not speaking to anyone, “absolutely silent.”
“And Lord knows what was going on in her mind at that particular period of time,” he continued.
But he said what he finds interesting about Clancy’s case is that she jumped out the window.
“For lawyers to take a look at that particular situation, it is not too far-fetched to believe that that mother wanted to be with her children in death,” Parnham suggested. “And this is the reason why and plausible reason why she did what she did after the deaths of her children. [District attorneys] will try to find motives that they can rely upon to offset the mentally illness that will be presented by experts, defense experts, and convincing a jury to do the right thing.”
‘An Act of Pure Evil:’ Legendary Homicide Detective Reacts to Aiden Fucci Guilty Plea
Feb 07, 2023
Former homicide detective Fil Waters doesn’t use the term “psychopath” loosely. But that’s exactly how he would describe 16-year-old Aiden Fucci, who recently pleaded guilty to stabbing his 13-year-old classmate 114 times.
“In this case, this is an act of pure evil,” Waters said in an extended interview with Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast. “This individual decided that he was wanting to fulfill some need that he had to go out and kill someone.”
On Monday, Fucci confessed to killing cheerleader Tristyn Bailey in early 2021. This didn’t surprise Waters, who said there was a “treasure trove of evidence.”
“The 12 sheets of evidence that they accumulated in this case, recovered, was amazing,” the veteran detective said. “It was irrefutable. And they even recovered the weapon.”
The list continued: “They’ve got trace evidence, they’ve got digital evidence, they’ve got videos, they’ve got res gestae statements,” Waters pointed out. “I don’t know that I have seen a case, at least in recent history, that has this many affirmative links that kind of closed the loop. And you’ve got the full picture of what happened here in this particular murder.”
After being taken into custody, Fucci allegedly told officers that he and Bailey were arguing when he pushed her to the ground and she hit her head. When he started to cry and punched the back of the seat, the officer asked him if he was okay. Fucci responded: “I’m going to get arrested for this bull****.” Waters said these res gestae statements, the legal term for the narrative Fucci shared with officers, are “critical.”
As were the scratches and cuts reported on Fucci’s body, which point to defensive wounds, to Bailey trying to defend herself before succumbing to her injuries.
“It looks like he may have a cut to his hand and that may have been in the midst of the stabbing,” Waters noted. “I’m telling you, almost every stabbing case that I have worked where there was this volume of stab wounds, the suspect has inadvertently cut themselves because once they start getting into it, especially when you’ve got … 114 stab wounds, he’s not really looking at where he’s going with this.”
Waters distinguishes Fucci as a psychopath because the teenager had “talked about wanting to do something like this, killing somebody, seeing how it felt,” according to statements from some of his classmates.
Waters’ definition of a sociopath is a person who “commits a crime of murder and feels justified in what they did.” A psychopath, he said, will commit a sociopathic act and enjoy what they’re doing.
“When you talk about 114 times that he stabs this girl, this young lady — clearly for me he defines himself as a psychopath,” Waters continued. “He was enjoying what he was doing.”
It’s possible there was also a sexual component, Waters suggested.
“I noticed in that in the litany of the listing of all the evidence, they took a sexual assault kit test,” he said. “I don’t know that he actually committed the act, but I think that there was a sexual component to this murder and may have fulfilled some sort of excitement in that area for him.”
Now that Fucci has pleaded guilty, the case is expected to go into sentencing.
“I know there’s a mandatory 40 years,” Waters said, “but I can’t imagine the judge giving just the mandatory minimum on this case.”
‘Chills Artistic Expression’: Constitutional Law Expert Raises Concern Over Use of Rap Lyrics in Young Thug Trial
Feb 02, 2023
A constitutional law expert believes attorneys should be “very wary” before presenting lyrics as evidence of crime, especially in the case of rapper Young Thug and his link to the alleged gang “Young Slime Life,” better known as YSL.
Kermit Roosevelt, law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the presentation of rap lyrics in court could mislead a jury.
“I think the greater problem is the standard evidentiary issue of, is this going to help us get to the truth or is it going to mislead the jury?” Roosevelt suggested in an extended interview on Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast. “Because there are lots and lots of people who rap about crimes and it’s a persona and it’s the life that they’re describing, but it doesn’t mean they did it. So I think most of the time this is going to be inaccurate and inflammatory.”
This leads to a First Amendment issue, he continued.
“If things that you say in music, in art, in dramatic presentation of a different persona, if that can be used against you, that is going to chill your artistic expression,” Roosevelt explained. But “it’s just a persona. And then you’ve got some unrelated crime and the government wants to bring this in basically to show that he’s a bad person and a criminal, that shouldn’t be allowed.”
That also raises concerns about the 14th Amendment, whether presenting rap lyrics is inherently racist and discriminatory.
“I think there is an element of that. If you’re taking an art form that’s predominantly associated with Black culture and you’re showing that to a white jury, and the white jury doesn’t understand that people describe crimes and say that they’ve committed crimes, but of course, they don’t mean that literally,” Roosevelt said, “I think you do have the real danger of misleading the jury.”
Rap is a different form of artistic expression than, say, country music, where it’s more common to write about or claim responsibility for crimes. Roosevelt brings up Taylor Swift’s “No Body, No Crime” as an example.
“She describes killing her friend’s abusive husband. She’d never get convicted of that because, you know, she’s not referencing a particular crime,” he said. “And also, no one’s going to think that Taylor Swift is a killer just because she wrote this imaginative song about it. But I think there is a greater danger of that with young black men.”
In the end, the government has to look at lyrics on a case-by-case basis, Roosevelt said.
“You have to ask, is there a connection between this particular lyric and this particular crime so that it’s not being used just to make the jury think this is a bad, violent person who boasts about engaging in criminal activity, but [rather] this person knows something about the crime that only the perpetrator would know,” he suggested. “Or maybe this lyric explains the meaning of this acronym. I think that actually could be useful. But in general, I would be very wary.”
He also said he doesn’t think lyrics should be used as the only or strongest piece of evidence.
“I’d be astonished if someone could be convicted just on rap lyrics,” he admitted. “There have been cases where someone sends a threatening communication to an ex-wife or something. And then I think they try to defend on the grounds that, ‘oh, I was just writing a rap,’ and there, where the communication itself is the crime, I’m much less sympathetic to protection. But it’s very, very common in rap music to assume the criminal persona and talk about killing people and dealing drugs and so on. And without a pretty strong specific connection to a specific crime, I think that should be kept out.”
Host and Actress Elisabeth Rohm Takes Listeners Inside the Case of Convicted Sex Offender Larry Ray
NEW YORK, NY – Law&Crime, the leading live trial and true-crime network, announces the launch of its narrative podcast series, “Devil in the Dorm,” hosted by actress Elisabeth Rohm. The twisted new series will be exclusively available ad-free on Wondery+ starting on January 30.
The six-part podcast series will dive into the case of Lawrence “Larry” Ray, a man who moved into a dormitory at Sarah Lawrence College in 2010 while his daughter attended the school. Ray, a now convicted racketeer and sex trafficker, preyed on students and is often described as the leader of a “sex cult” at the college.
Rohm brings her firsthand perspective to the project as a graduate and former board member of Sarah Lawrence College. Rohm, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, will take listeners through Ray’s intrigue-filled backstory, his first exposure to the students through his daughter, his decade-long campaign of exploitation, and his conviction by a federal jury on crimes that put him away for decades. Mining the case’s expansive court record, Rohm will navigate the often-startling, harrowing, and complicated facts of the case — and she will provide personal reflections on the case as an alum.
Larry Ray sports a robe from the Pierre Hotel on the left. Prosecutors found this photograph of cash among the image files seized in his case.
“I feel a sense of responsibility to tell this story not only in our podcast but in our upcoming feature film in development at Lifetime. It’s a story I feel deeply connected to having been an alum of Sarah Lawrence and the mom of a teenager,” said Rohm. “I hope it is a reminder for all of us to never turn a blind eye on our children, and that this podcast and forthcoming movie begin a conversation so that this type of victimization never happens again.”
“The case serves as a terrifying wake up call to any parent who has a child in college, or is heading off to university,” said Rachel Stockman, president of Law&Crime. “We are thrilled to work with Wondery+ and Elisabeth who bring a deep compassion for these young victims, and a unique perspective to our storytelling.”
Larry Ray can be seen throwing and pinning his alleged victim Felicia Rosario to the ground in a disturbing video released during his trial.
Stockman, Stephen Tolkin and Sam Goldberg also serve as executive producers on the podcast, which was produced and edited by Brad Maybe, written by Law&Crime’s Adam Klasfeld, Eileen Macfarlane and Emily G. Thompson of The Shattered Window and Morbidology.
From the high-profile cases to the most compelling local trials, Law&Crime is the 24/7 linear and OTT network offering daily live trial coverage and expert legal commentary and analysis. Created by TV’s top legal commentator and attorney, Dan Abrams, Law&Crime is dedicated to exploring the always intriguing world of the law while also offering original crime stories and legal programs to a broad, multi-platform audience.
About Elisabeth Rohm
Elisabeth Rohm
Elisabeth Rohm is an American-German actress and director. Rohm’s third feature, Girl in Room 13, starring Anne Heche, premiered on Lifetime in 2022. She also directed Switched Before Birth starring Justina Machado and Girl in the Basement with Judd Nelson for Lifetime. Rohm is also an Emmy Award-nominated actress for her starring role on Law & Order. She’s also known for her work on Heroes and Jane the Virgin, among many others. Rohm won a SAG Award for Best Ensemble for David O. Russell’sAmerican Hustle and later reunited with him on Joy. Rohm is repped by Buchwald and Luber Roklin.
A former SWAT officer called for armed guards in hospitals after a police said a woman shot and killed her husband inside a Florida hospital as part of a murder-suicide pact.
Ellen Guillen, 76, was involved in an armed standoff with police at Advent Health Hospital after she allegedly shot and killed her terminally ill husband, 77-year-old Jerry Guillen, on Jan. 22. Authorities reported that this appeared to be planned by the couple in advance of Jerry’s worsening condition. Guillen was arrested and charged with first degree murder and aggravated assault.
“I think it is time we start evaluating our fears of physical security,” Chad Ayers, former SWAT assistant team leader, said in an extended interview on Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast. “I’m a big proponent of having armed guards and metal detectors because just having them there and no one being there — it does no good. And we are seeing an increase in these types of situations, shootings in medical and hospital facilities.”
Ayers, who also served as a Sheriff’s Deputy for Greenville County in South Carolina, said his local hospital has metal detectors. The Daytona Beach hospital, where the shooting occurred, was reported to have them, too. However, he noted not all hospitals have people manning and operating the machines.
“There are areas of our hospitals and most hospitals where you can just walk in to go see someone without going through that,” Ayers explained.
It’s more important than ever to be aware of this, he expressed, as active shooter cases went up 53 percent last year.
“And though this is not an isolated incident, I think we have to start looking at physical security and how we are going to protect those people inside,” Ayers suggested.
Ayers is one of the founders of Proactive Response Group, which teaches active shooter response strategies. He said he receives a lot of calls after events like these.
“A lot of organizations take a reactive approach in light of many events over the last few days: ‘We need this training that we need to get this training now,’” Ayers said. “And it’s almost like your seatbelt. You put your seatbelt on, not hoping to get in a car wreck. You put your seatbelt on to be prepared in case. And so I think it’s important that we start evaluating. Are we providing valuable effective training or are we just checking a box on this type of situation?”
Ayers said he thinks the Daytona Beach Police Department responded well, especially considering that this was a floor for patients on their deathbed, many of whom are on ventilators and other machines.
“They have to be operated and plugged in for them to keep preservation of life,” he explained. “So that’s going to be very, very difficult trying to evacuate that area.”
“I feel like they did an excellent job,” Ayers continued. “As you could hear, they had a shield up for some protection, some coverage for them, and also the loud verbal commands they’re giving. And they’re trying to be like, ‘Hey, talk to me. Let us help you put the gun down.’ Really doing their best to de-escalate that situation and not force this lady’s hand to do any more damage than she’s already done.”
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She Believes Sex Trafficking Partner Jeffrey Epstein Was Murdered
Jan 25, 2023
In a rare interview from prison, former Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell shared a shocking — if widely speculated — claim: She believes Epstein was murdered.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking minors, recently sat down with UK broadcaster Talk TV to cast her doubts that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell in 2019.
“No, he didn’t. I don’t believe he did,” Maxwell said in the interview. “I believe that he was murdered. Well shocked, I wondered: How did it happen? Because as far as I was concerned, he was going to, I was sure he was going to appeal.”
Law&Crime managing editor Adam Klasfeld said Maxwell is pursuing an appeal and has an interest undermining the system led to her convictions.
“One of the key focuses of her appeal will be to sow distrust about the system,” Klasfeld explained in an extended interview on Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast. “If you listen to the full clip, she said that the victims should be upset with the prison officials who let that happen. She’s made it about the press. She’s made it about the failures of the prison system throughout.”
“Even though it’s a stunner of an interview, absolutely, it is very much in keeping with what we’ve heard from Maxwell for years,” he continues. “She complains about the legal system, the media, the Bureau of Prisons.”
Klasfeld also noted that Maxwell claimed to fear for her own safety in prison, making appeals for bonds that were “rejected multiple times.” In one of those attempts, court filings included a photograph of her with a black eye.
“We still don’t know where the alleged shiner came from,” he said.
The themes run even deeper, back to 1991 when her father, late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, was found dead after falling from his yacht. It was ruled an accident, but Maxwell maintained that he was killed.
The interview also came out shortly after U.K. tabloids reported that Prince Andrew might try to wriggle out of his reported multi-million dollar settlement with his sexual abuse accuser.
“I point to the crumbling of the case that Virginia Giuffre filed against Alan Dershowitz,” he explained, noting that Giuffre said she may have made a “mistake” in suing the retired Harvard professor. “It was seen by some folks as a blow to the credibility of not only one of the top Epstein accusers, but one of the top accusers against Ghislaine Maxwell. “She might figure that if she tries to raise some doubt about one of the most visible accusers in this saga, she could maybe enhance her position pending an appeal at a time when a lot of this is coming to a head.”
With Andrew potentially seizing upon that development, Maxwell also alleged in the interview that a photograph of Prince Andrew and Giuffre, which features Maxwell herself smiling in the background, was doctored.
Prince Andrew stands with his arm around Virginia Giuffre’s waist, with Ghislaine Maxwell standing in the background. Giuffre included this photograph in her lawsuit against the British royal. (Screenshot from Giuffre’s lawsuit)
But Maxwell said the opposite in 2015.
“She said it ‘looks real’ — and that’s a direct quote,” Klasfeld recalled. “Well, something happened between 2015 and the previous weekend about that photograph now. Either she got more skeptical recently or she thinks that there’s some good reason to cast doubt on the credibility of Virginia Giuffre, wants to help out her friend Prince Andrew and undermine the case against him right after a real setback for Virginia Giuffre.”
Maxwell also isn’t alone in her skepticism of how Epstein died. Epstein’s legal team and family forensic pathologist have backed the theory that he was murdered, and even Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, who wrote a book following her extensive reporting on the case, titled a chapter, “Jeffrey Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself.”
Can we expect more insight from Maxwell? According to Klasfeld, probably.
“Being the media-savvy former socialite that she is, I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t the last.”
Inside Alec Baldwin Charges: Hear What Expert Told DA About Whether To Prosecute Actor
Jan 20, 2023
A veteran Hollywood armorer said he’s “not at all surprised” that actor Alec Baldwin will be criminally charged in connection to the “Rust” movie set shooting.
Baldwin and the set’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will each be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October 2021 on the New Mexico set of the western film, a prosecutor announced.
Steve Wolf, a special effects coordinator and firearms instructor, told Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast that he was contacted by the appointed special prosecutor in this case, Andrea Reeb, who specifically asked him whether he thought Baldwin should face criminal charges.
“I unequivocally said criminal charges are warranted,” Wolf recalled from their conversation. “A death occurred needlessly as a result of ignoring known safety protocols. That’s why Halyna is dead and that everyone who was in the chain of command, whether they belonged there or not, had criminal liability.”
“I’m not at all surprised by these charges,” he continued. “This was, in my opinion, a case of gross negligence. Any use of firearms in any circumstance carries risks.”
Wolf explained that it appears safety protocols were not in place.
“Given that you’re using a firearm and you’re displaying it around people, there’s a very, very high burden of safety placed on everyone on the set,” he said. “So there should be no surprise that this accident happened when established gun-safety protocols were ignored.”
Wolf broke it down from his perspective: “They had an armorer. Where was she? Did Mr. Baldwin know that he had an armorer and that she wasn’t there? Then why did he take the gun from the first [assistant director]? He may as well have been taking it from the craft services caterer.”
The film’s assistant director David Halls signed a plea agreement for a different charge: negligent use of a deadly weapon. The deal calls for Hall to serve a suspended sentence and six months of probation.
Baldwin has maintained that he did not pull the trigger of the Colt 45 and doesn’t know how a live round got into the gun. The FBI, however, concluded that it was not possible for the gun to have been fired without pulling the trigger.
“Could it happen? You know, yes; potentially we could land on the sun at some point, when that technology exists,” Wolf proposed. “But right now, based on the FBI examination of the firearm, there was nothing wrong with that firearm.”
Wolf went on to allege that when Baldwin said he did not press the trigger, “what he means is he did not intentionally press the trigger.”
If your finger is resting on the trigger of a Colt 45 gun and the hammer is pulled back and released, the gun will still fire, Wolf demonstrated.
“So I don’t think that the timing of the charges, the presence or lack of text messages, where the live ammo came from — I don’t think any of these things are really relevant to the case,” Wolf said. “What’s relevant is that he pointed a gun at someone and that person died. It’s a very low standard in New Mexico for establishing this manslaughter charge.”
It comes down to what Wolf called the first rule of gun safety: “All guns are always loaded.”
“Unless you yourself have personally verified that the gun is not loaded and then it may be handled as such,” he explained.
“And I am quite sure that if the scene was a suicide scene or contemplated suicide scene in the scene called for him to point the gun in his head, that gun would have been checked,” Wolf continued. “He would have taken different measures than he did when he was pointing the gun at someone else.”
7 Shocking Details Revealed in Ana Walshe Murder Case
Jan 19, 2023
Several intriguing details came out of Brian Walshe’s first court appearance following his arrest for the murder of his missing wife.
At a recent hearing in Quincy District Court, Walshe pleaded not guilty to charges such as assault with intent to murder and unlawfully moving and handling a dead body. He’s been held on $500,000 bail after being charged with misleading authorities in this case, namely what his wife Ana Walshe was doing Jan. 1, the day she disappeared. Her body has yet to be found.
The hearing was a minefield of information. Law&Crime correspondent Sierra Gillespie, who was in the Massachusetts courtroom, shared insight in an extended interview on the Sidebar podcast.
Constant eye contact
The hearing was about 15 minutes, and Walshe stood the entire time with his hands cuffed in front of him. Gillespie said she made note of the defendant’s reaction as prosecutors listed what they said was the incriminating evidence. “He just kept eye contact with them the entire time, staring at prosecutors,” she said.
“He was asked one or two questions from the judge, and he spoke very confidently, saying he’s pleading not guilty,” Gillespie reported. “But that stare is really what caught my eye as he was just listening very, very intently.”
Incriminating internet searches
Prosecutors went over more than a dozen of Walshe’s alleged internet searches, many of which Gillespie called “red flags.” In one December search, Walshe allegedly looked up “What’s the best state to divorce for a man?”
In January, prosecutors said the searches become more pointed: how to stop a body from smelling, the top ten ways to dispose of a body.
The prosecutor alleged that Walshe looked “into information about formaldehyde, how to clean up blood off a wooden floor, how to identify a body if the teeth are gone. How long does DNA last?” Gillespie recounted. “Many that I can’t even remember because there were so many of them.”
Recovered hacksaw
Ahead of the hearing, surveillance video allegedly showed Walshe at a dumpster within his mother’s apartment complex, about an hour north of where he lives. After recovering and testing the trash, investigators found a bloody hacksaw, Gillespie said.
“They found ten garbage bags with stains consistent with blood on them. They found Ana Walsh’s COVID 19 vaccination card,” she continued. “They found a lot of evidence in that way. So I think that hacksaw one is really important to pay attention to.”
Told police he hadn’t seen his wife in days
It was originally reported that both Walshe and his wife’s employer reported her missing on Jan. 4. In the hearing, it was revealed that only Ana Walshe’s employer reached out to authorities, leading them to Walshe’s home for a wellness check. That was when Walshe said he hadn’t seen his wife in a couple days, “a very interesting point to note,” Gillespie said.
Credit card history abruptly ends
On Jan. 1, the day Ana Walshe planned to leave her home in Cohasset for the Boston Logan Airport to catch a plane to Washington, D.C., her credit card activity ceased.
“This is the last day that Brian Walshe told authorities that she was last seen,” Gillespie said. “No more credit card activity for Ana Walshe.”
No update on remains
“Prosecutors didn’t indicate any information about whether they had some form of remains in custody,” Gillespie reported. “The only thing we can think moving forward is that maybe they have this information already and they’re keeping it close to the vest as they move forward with court proceedings and eventually a trial. Or, maybe they haven’t even found her remains at all and they’re still searching.”
Response from Walshe attorney
Walshe is now being held without bail in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, and he’s set to appear in court on Feb. 8 for a status hearing. He’s pleaded not guilty to these charges and the initial charges of misleading police and the investigation.
“No idea on any sort of alibi, though,” Gillespie said. “So hopefully then we can learn even more about this very twisted case.”
Tracy Miner, Walshe’s attorney, doesn’t appear to think the case is as strong as the current evidence supposes.
“My experience, where as here, the prosecution leaks so-called evidence to the press before they provide it to me, their case isn’t that strong,” Miner said in a statement. “When they have a strong case, they give me everything as soon as possible. We shall see what they have and what evidence is admissible in court where the case will ultimately be decided, although it is probably fruitless.”
Note: An earlier version of this article wrote Brian Walshe’s alleged December search as “the best state to divorce a man.” It should have been written, “What’s the best state to divorce for a man?”
Could UFC’s Dana White Face Charges for Slapping Wife in Drunken Argument?
Jan 18, 2023
UFC president Dana White has not been hit with legal repercussions since a video showed he allegedly slapped his wife on New Years Eve — and it appears unlikely that he will.
The alleged incident occurred at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In the recently released video, it appears that White is speaking to his wife Anne White before grabbing her wrists. In turn she appears to hit him, and he slaps her back in response. People around them are then seen stepping in and trying to move them apart.
For legal action to be taken under Mexican law, the alleged victim must file a report and make a statement, Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber said on Law&Crime Sidebar podcast. There is currently no evidence of White’s wife reporting him or filing a police report. In fact, she put out a statement that appears to contradict that idea.
“Dana and I have been married for almost 30 years. To say this is out of character for him is an understatement. Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Anne White wrote in her statement. “Unfortunately, we were both drinking too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of control on both sides. We’ve talked this through as a family and apologized to each other. I just hope people will respect our privacy for the sake of our kids.”
While there’s been an outpour of commentary within the UFC community, White has not been disciplined by the organization’s majority owner, Endeavour Group Holdings.
MMA champion Steven Williams told Sidebar that he thinks this is a “tricky road” and “a muddy, weird, very personal thing that has happened.” And if White were to land any repercussions at work, Williams said he thinks it can go two ways.
“I think he either goes away forever, which would be like the ultimate like, okay, he disrespected his wife. Disgusting. He has to go away,” Williams, who holds an undefeated record in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Black Belt level, said. “But 60 days or six months or 30 days or 2 minutes, it’s like, what’s the point of that?”
“What happens then?” he continued. “Should he just step down?”
Williams, also known for his popular YouTube channel, Steven Strangles People, said that while he appreciates White for doing “incredible things for the sport,” he thinks UFC will be fine without him.
“He’s helped bring this to the level that it is,” Williams said. “It’s a machine now. It’s a multibillion dollar company. So do I think he needs to be there for it to be successful? Absolutely not. He doesn’t want to let go of his identity, his fame.”
Williams said there is currently no precedent for handling domestic disputes within UFC.
“I don’t think the UFC is that strict on situations where domestic violence is occurring,” Williams explained. “In the past, fighters that have had issues with domestic abuse or alleged domestic abuse have been able to flourish. A lot of times you just see it get brushed under the rug. It’s not something that really is demonized publicly in the sport.”
Top 5 Revelations from Bryan Kohberger Affidavit in Idaho Murder Case
Jan 06, 2023
Several key revelations came out of the affidavit connecting arrested suspect Bryan Kohberger to the Nov. 13 fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students.
In an extended interview with Law&Crime’s Sidebar podcast, former homicide detective Fil Waters and Law&Crime’s Angenette Levy, live from Moscow, Idaho, broke down the top five most shocking revelations within the 19-page document.
1) Kohberger’s DNA was found on knife sheath
When Moscow Police’s Brett Payne entered the room victims Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen were sleeping in, he noticed a “tan leather knife sheath laying on the bed next to Mogen’s right side,” he wrote in the affidavit.
The sheath was stamped with “Ka-Bar,” “USMC” and the United States Marine Corps eagle globe and anchor. The Idaho State Lab found Kohberger’s DNA on the button snap.
In a previous Sidebar interview, Waters demonstrated what the then-rumored murder weapon, the Ka-Bar knife, looked like and how it fit into the developing narrative.
“When we first talked about this, I showed you the Ka-Bar that I have, that same type of sheath sitting in my office at my home,” Waters explained. “I just think it’s interesting that as brilliant as [Kohberger] has been portrayed to be, that he has left that piece of evidence behind at the scene.”
Agents also went to the Kohberger family residence located in Albrightsville, PA, where they dug through the trash to send out for testing. The DNA profiles of the sheath and the trash were a close match to his father, Michael Kohberger. According to the affidavit, “At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspect’s biological father.”
Levy said there’s still no indication of where the knife was purchased or whether Kohberger’s father was in the military.
“This is the type of thing where you could probably find this online or the pawn shop,” she suggested.
2) Kohberger possibly spotted by one of surviving roommates night of murders
D.M., as the roommate was referred to throughout the affidavit, recalled that she heard who she thought was Goncalves say something to the effect of ‘There’s someone here.'”
She opened her door a few times, once after hearing what she “thought was crying coming from [Xana] Kernodle’s room.” She said she also heard a male voice say something like, “It’s ok, I’m going to help you.”
After hearing crying a third time, she opened the door to find a figure in black clothing and a mask covering their mouth and nose. D.M. described the figure as “5′ 10″ or taller, male, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.” He walked by her as she stood frozen, according to the document.
It has been reported that D.M. did not call the police for several hours. Fil Waters believes we don’t know what D.M. was thinking in the moment, as “people do different things under stress,” he said.
“And while it’s detailed in the affidavit that she saw these things, we don’t know that he saw anything,” Waters continued. “He’s moving around in the dark. He’s got this mask over his nose and his mouth. He’s already done what he’s going to do or he’s on his way to do it. He’s already focused on where he’s headed and whether it’s to leave it.
“And remember, it’s dark in there. Certainly what it indicates to me is that he didn’t see her. She saw him, which was certainly to her benefit.”
3) Kohberger was tracked by his cell service
On the night of the murders, Kohberger’s cell phone was active at 2:42 am at his home in Pullman, WA. Several minutes later at 2:47 am, the phone was reported to begin traveling south, consistent with the path of the suspected white Elantra.
The network was later disabled and didn’t reappear until about 4:48 am.
Payne wrote in the affadavit: “Based on my training, experience, and conversations with law enforcement officers that specialize in the utilization of cellular telephone records as part of investigations, individuals can either leave their cellular telephone at a different location before committing a crime or turn their cellular telephone off prior to going to a location to commit a crime.”
Levy said she found the cell phone evidence to be significant.
“One of the key pieces there is the fact that his cell phone pinged off of a tower on the night of the murders at certain points in time,” she said. “But during a period of time in that window, there’s no signal from this cell phone.”
Waters called this “good old-fashioned detective work.”
“One of the first things they’re going to do – is that they’re going to go out there and they’re going to try to draw from any kind of video surveillance evidence that they can draw from,” Waters explained. “And that’s exactly what they did in reference to the cell phone. I guess he was brilliant enough to turn it off when he was in there doing what he was allegedly doing. But he wasn’t smart enough or didn’t think about the fact that he needed to turn it off the entire time that he was making his reconnaissance of that structure and those people.”
Records also showed that Kohberger’s cell service was detected by the victims’ home on “at least twelve occasions prior to Nov. 13. 2022.” One of them was at 11:40 pm on Aug. 21, when he was pulled over for a seatbelt violation.
“Why is he out and about at 11:40 p.m. at night? So the cell phone evidence in this case, I think is very significant,” Levy added. “I don’t think you can hang your hat on it entirely. It’s just another kind of piece of the mosaic that is going to, you know, paint this picture that they kept talking about.”
4) White Elantra drives by victims’ home several times before murders
The suspected white Elantra was tracked from Kohberger’s home in Pullman, Washington, to the victim’s home in Moscow, Idaho. It was also reported to have passed their home three times before stopping at the supposed time of the murders.
“These sightings show suspect vehicle I makes an initial three passes by the 1122 King Road residence and then leave,” according to the affidavit. “Suspect vehicle 1 can be seen entering the area a fourth time at approximately 4:04 a.m.”
5) Kohberger studied criminology, posted survey about criminal activity
The affidavit also listed Kohberger’s academic resume, which included his current status as a Ph.D student in Criminology at Washington State University. His undergraduate degrees were in psychology and cloud-based forensics.
Last fall, he applied for an internship at the Pullman Police Department.
“Kohberger wrote in his essay he had interest in assisting rural law enforcement agencies with how to better collect and analyze technological data in public safety operations,” according to the document.
It also mentioned that he posted a Reddit survey asking participants to “provide information to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision making when committing a crime.”
His criminology studies and the survey were among the first pieces of information Levy found after Kohberger was arrested last week. Levy also learned that one of his undergraduate classes was taught by Katherine Ramsland, an expert in serial killers.
“So we learned that the police were on to all of this,” Levy explained. “The whole time they were telling us they didn’t have a suspect. They were on to him.”
Police Officer Got ‘Sh*tty’ and ‘Indignant’ After Getting Caught in Child Predator Sting, Chris Hansen Tells Coptales Podcast
May 06, 2022
Chris Hansen appeared on the Coptales and Cocktails podcast and told the story about how he helped catch a Michigan police officer in a child predator sting.
The journalist of To Catch a Predator fame previously spoke about part-time cop Todd Barraco in an announcement in March joined by Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, but Hansen took a decidedly more informal tone with Coptales hosts Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin and ICU nurse Howard Doss.
“So he’s getting shitty with me,” Hansen said on the new episode. “I mean he’s just indignant. He’s turning around. [Doing an impression of Barraco.] ‘Turn all those cameras off.’ And ordering me what to do. I said, ‘Look, you’re not running the show here.’ And there’s cameras over here, cameras over here, and cameras over here. And now the big cameras come on.”
In this account, Barraco denied wrongdoing, but Hansen confronted him with chatlogs between the officer and a person who was ostensibly a 15-year-old. Hansen also said he confronted Barraco with lubricant the officer brought with him.
Hansen indicated that he did not know but guessed at the time this person was in law enforcement.
“I said, ‘That’s going to be a cop, a school administer, somebody in a position of authority,’ as I mentioned earlier.” Law enforcement found three loaded guns, “creds,” and handcuffs in Barraco’s vehicle, Hansen said.
It turned about that Barraco was indeed in a position of authority. He was a part-time officer with the Vassar Police Department in Michigan. Officials fired Barraco when he was charged with child sexually abusive material, communicating with another to commit a crime, and accosting for immoral purposes, according to WEYI.
“This morning we were informed that Todd Barraco (a part-time employee) was arrested and charged by the Genesee Co Sheriff’s Office (Ghost Team),” Chief Benjamin Guile said at the time. “Upon learning of the details of his arrest Mr. Barraco’s employment with the Vassar Police Department has been terminated.”
Hansen had worked with the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team [G.H.O.S.T.] as part of an undercover operation. As in his old showTo Catch a Predator, Hansen confronted suspects who showed up to a residence allegedly under the impression that there were going to engage in illicit sexual activity with juveniles as young as 13, 14, or 15. Hansen and Swanson said in March that in Barraco’s case, the officer thought he was going to meet a 15-year-old.
“When he left I said to your crew, ‘I will bet you money this guy is a teacher, a principal, a cop or a clergyman or somebody in authority,'” Hansen told Swanson at the time, citing the suspect’s “sense of indignation.”
Barraco worked for police departments and school districts since 2009, according to WJRT.
He reportedly resigned as a middle and high school principal in Merrill, Michigan, in 2016 after facing allegations, including grabbing and threatening a child, and also being drunk on school property. The school district had been moving to fire him. He later spent about a year with the Akron-Fairgrove School district, with Superintendent Diane Foster telling the outlet she did not know of the issues in Merrill.
Barraco previously served as a juvenile probation officer in the Lapeer County Family Court, and also worked with the Marine City Police Department, Oxford Police Department, Mayville Police Department, and Memphis Police Department, according to MLive.
“And now people are coming out of the woodwork to me about stuff [Barraco] has done before,” Hansen told Coptales. “Why he was fired from a previous agency. He was also a school administrator in charge of kids. I had the supervisor of a small town say that he went to her home and harassed her because she fired him.”
The supervisor claimed that Barraco later pulled her over and wrote her a ticket for going 30 mph over the speed limit “just to jam her up,” Hansen said.
An attorney of record for Barraco did not immediately respond to a Law&Crime request of comment.
You can listen to the full episode below. You can also listen to Coptales and Cocktails on Spotify.
[Screenshot of Hansen via Law&Crime Network; booking photo of Barraco via Genesee County Sheriff’s Office]
It is comforting to imagine that we would know if someone was capable of the most disturbing crimes, but is it possible to truly know the intentions of a friendly stranger?
They walk among us every day, seemingly average people, living ordinary lives, hiding behind the charade of normalcy.
The Long Tom River is a 60 mile tributary of the Willamette River, in Oregon.
It is a good spot for catching bass and carp, but in May of 1969, fishermen caught a glimpse of something far more disturbing in the water.
Within days, investigators would discover the remains of two young women.
Both women had been strangled and tied to car parts, something which told investigators that they were likely killed by the same person.
One of the victims had been subjected to mutilation while the other had not. This led to fears that if there was a serial killer operating in the area, he was escalating.
Women had been going missing around Portland and Salem for over a year, and a killer with a deviant sexual appetite was on the loose.
While the now-notorious investigative technique of criminal profiling was in its infancy, detectives had always used their instincts to try and figure out the type of person their suspect was.
Many serial killers exhibit similar tendencies, paraphilic preferences where their abnormal sexual impulses manifest as urges or fantasies, and when they escalate to act out the fantasies, the results are horrifying.
The killer had progressed from a childhood infatuation, to theft, sexual assaults, and ultimately murder.
But the murders were becoming more and more sadistic, and the authorities had to use every resource available to try and stop the killer before he could hurt anyone else.
Shooting Death of Milwaukee Immigration Lawyer Lands Bicyclist on Jury Stand and Behind Bars
Apr 20, 2022
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts, and subscribe!
On this week’s episode of Court Junkie, host Jillian Jalali discusses the trial of Theodore Edgecomb, the man charged with homicide in the death of Milwaukee immigration lawyer Jason Cleereman.
On the night of Sept. 22, 2020, Jason and wife Evanjelina Cleereman were driving home from a bar in downtown Milwaukee. Theodore Edgecomb was bicycling through the city at the same time, finishing some last minute errands around town.
Evanjelina testified she was driving when she suddenly swerved to miss Edgecomb who had gone into traffic after appearing to fall from his bike.
Both the Cleereman’s car and Edgecomb’s bicycle pulled up to a red light where words were exchanged out of the passenger side window where Jason was sitting.
Soon a punch would be thrown from Edgecomb through the open passenger side window, hitting Jason. Edgemore moved away from the scene and the car pursued him. Jason exited the vehicle for the last time to approach Edgecomb. Witnesses recalled seeing him take a boxing stance when the confrontation began.
Then a gun was drawn and fired. 54-year-old Cleereman would be left for dead on the ground from a bullet wound to the face.
Edgecomb and the weapon he used went missing, and Jason’s widowed wife Evanjelina was left behind to pick up the pieces.
In trial, the defense argued that Edgecomb had acted purely out of self-defense and that the real person who needed to be investigated was Evanjelina who appeared, by some witnesses, to be emotionless at the scene of the crime.
To listen to the full story – subscribe to Court Junkie. Part one of The Bicyclist is available now.
‘They Went Through So Much Agony’: Celebrity Attorney for 8 Jeffrey Epstein Victims Gives Clients’ Perspective on Ghislaine Maxwell Trial
Dec 15, 2021
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who has represented multiple victims for the Jeffrey Epstein compensation fund, analyzes the Ghislaine Maxwell trial for the Law&Crime podcast “Objections: with Adam Klasfeld.”
Listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts, and subscribe!
Throughout Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial, her attorneys have sought to discredit her alleged victims along themes of “memory, manipulation and money.” The lawyers will likely cast those topics into sharper relief as the defense case begins on Thursday.
“There Is No Perfect Victim”
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who has represented eight women awarded settlements from a fund designed to compensate Jeffrey Epstein victims, unpacks that defense strategy through the eyes of her clients in the latest episode of Law&Crime’s podcast “Objections: with Adam Klasfeld.”
“There’s no perfect victim,” Bloom said in a Zoom interview. “There’s no perfect plaintiff, and I do civil cases. And you know, you take your victim as you find them. It’s very common that there would be drug abuse, or you know, selling sex for money or inconsistent memories.”
Bloom’s clients are not the same women taking the stand against Maxwell, but they share similar stories. Multiple alleged victims told jurors about their struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. A 44-year-old from actress from the United Kingdom, who testified under the pseudonym “Kate,” told jurors flatly: “I was addicted to alcohol, cocaine, and sleeping pills.” Another, testifying only under the first name Carolyn, disclosed having had sex with men for money while working as a stripper and an escort.
Referring to these sometimes-complicated histories, Bloom said: “All that is very typical and normal and doesn’t faze me.”
“I know what PTSD is, because virtually all of my clients in sexual harassment and sexual abuse cases have post traumatic stress,” she said. “It has a profound impact on someone’s life. It’s very limiting. It’s very triggering. I’ve had clients go into mental hospitals, give up their careers. I mean, this is very significant stuff, and it underscores how damaging sexual abuse is. It is not a negative, as the defense always tries to paint it.”
“Jane,” a soap opera actress who testified that she was 14 years old when Epstein and Maxwell allegedly abused her, told jurors that there were times during her teenage years when she tried to hurt herself.
Bloom said that is not uncommon for her clients, either.
“I will tell you that in the last few weeks, I had a client who was suicidal, who was admitted to a mental hospital,” Bloom said. “I have clients who engage in a lot of self harm. I have clients who very commonly have drug and alcohol problems. And sometimes they disappear.”
“You Can Do Hard Things”
Bloom made clear in the interview that she did not want to frame the experiences of her client entirely in the “negative.”
“[W]hat I see is my clients get stronger as they go through the process,” she said. “I say to them, ‘You can do hard things,’ which people don’t tell women enough. You can do hard things, and you’re doing it. We filed the case. You did your deposition. You’ve made it this far.”
“I’ve never been prouder of a group of clients. They went through so much agony, and so many mental health disorders as a result of being sexually abused by this man,” the attorney added.
She said that the same was true of the women who took the stand against Maxwell.
“I’m sure they were terrified, but they came in. They held their head high. They answered the questions, and I suspect that when they walked out of the courtroom, they were a little stronger and able to face other things in their life with a little bit more courage,” Bloom said.
For most of the accusing witnesses, testifying was a grueling affair. Most teared up on the witness stand. Carolyn broke down crying when she told jurors she was “buying drugs” with the money she received from Epstein’s so-called “massage” sessions. “Jane” and “Kate” also appeared to get emotional on the stand.
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan urged courtroom sketch artists not to draw detailed renderings of those testifying under pseudonyms, and the resulting artwork occasionally showed a tissue being raised to otherwise blurred out faces.
In brutal cross-examination, Maxwell’s lawyers Bobbi Sternheim and Laura Menninger methodically questioned variations in the testimony their client’s alleged victims gave in contrast to what notes suggested they told the FBI. “Jane,” the first accuser to testify, was apparently so disturbed that she texted her brother to insult Menninger, in what the defense argued was a violation of the court’s sequestration order.
As a result, the brother did not testify during the government’s case.
Annie Farmer, a practicing therapist and the only of Maxwell’s alleged victims to testify under her real name, maintained her composure and professional poise on the witness stand.
“Their Job Is to Pick, Pick, Pick Apart the Story”
As the defense prepares for its case, Bloom had little doubt from what she saw that Maxwell is represented by capable lawyers, and she affirmed that everyone accused of serious crimes is entitled to a zealous defense.
“They’re very good attorneys,” she said. “There’s no doubt about it. Their job is to pick, pick, pick apart the story; show inconsistencies; sow doubt; and that’s what they tried to do, I think, with every witness.”
She did, however, question one analogy that one Maxwell attorney made about Epstein during opening statements.
“I thought the defense was a little bit long winded and said some crazy things like Jeffrey Epstein is the ’21st century James Bond,'” Bloom said. “Other than them both being misogynist? I don’t see that.”
That said, Bloom anticipated that the case was headed toward a conviction: “I thought the prosecutors did a very strong job.”
Judge Nathan rejected the defense’s motion for an acquittal on all counts, and Bloom considered the accusers’ testimony “very credible.” “Kate,” who was 17 at the time of her alleged abuse, will not be considered a “victim” in the case as she was above the age of consent in the relevant jurisdictions.
Bloom said that her clients will be watching for a verdict, closely.
“A lot of this is out of their control,” Bloom said, referring to her clients. “They’re not victims in this case, right? They had their own cases, where they did have control. That’s the nice thing about doing civil cases—what I do—is that the client actually has a lot more control. She can make the decision whether to file whether to settle.”
“In a criminal case, the state, the prosecutors, they make that decision,” she added. “So they know that that could happen. She could be acquitted. I think it’s highly unlikely, and I all I can tell you is I think [an acquittal] would be very distressing to them.”
Law&Crime Launches American Spinoff of Award Winning UK True Crime Podcast
Sep 28, 2021
Law&Crime has launched a new spinoff podcast hosted by the award winning team of They Walk Among Us. The new spinoff, They Walk Among America, is available on all podcast platforms, adding to Law&Crime’s growing podcast network.
Launched in September 2016 and produced by Benjamin and Rosanna Fitton, They Walk Among Us covers sinister and surreal crime cases from the UK. They Walk Among America will follow a similar format and cover tales of murder and mystery in the United States.
The first episode surrounds the case of Sharon Lopatka, an internet entrepreneur who was killed in a case of apparent consensual homicide. Lopatka met her killer in a pornographic chat room in which she sent him messages about her fantasy of being tortured. Benjamin and Rosanna will dive into the absurd and disturbing details of the murder, including how Lopatka left her house on the morning of October 13, 1996, leaving a note for her husband saying she wouldn’t be returning.
“September 2021 marked five years since we started They Walk Among Us,” said hosts Benjamin and Rosanna Fitton. “With the launch of our new podcast series, They Walk Among America, we could not think of a better home than Law&Crime. Offering a wealth of experience and providing first-class coverage and analysis of the American court system, Law&Crime will help elevate the production of our new venture and expand our reach to a broader audience.”
“They Walk Among Us is one of the most respected and downloaded true crime podcasts for a reason,” Andrew Eisbrouch, Law&Crime’s COO, said. “We’re thrilled to work with Ben and Rosanna on an American spinoff.”
Listeners can download and listen to They Walk Among America on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LawandCrime.com, and most other audio platforms.
‘I Prayed None of Them Recognized or Knew Me’: Ex-Cop Reveals for First Time What It Was Like Doing Time as Convicted Police Officer
Jun 25, 2021
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts — and subscribe!
On the latest episode of Law&Crime’s podcast “Coptales,” Sean “Sticks” Larkin, formerly of the Tulsa Police Department’s Crime Gun Unit, and ICU Nurse Howard Doss sit down with convicted former Tulsa Police officer Jeff Henderson, a.k.a. “Chicken Hawk.”
In the episode, Henderson speaks for the first time about his conviction and incarceration, which he traced to the testimony of a federal agent with a checkered past.
“Brandon McFadden was his name; I got to know him as a coworker and didn’t really have any problems with him,” Henderson said. “McFadden had taken a couple of my informants . . . problem was he became too engaged with one informant that he started selling drugs with . . . he got indicted and when he came to Tulsa to plead guilty he was looking at 40 years . . . . His testimony was that ‘yes, he was a corrupt federal agent’ and everything he learned in Tulsa he learned from me. He said I was the ‘kingpin that taught him this business.'”
Henderson was charged in a 62-count indictment, a number that was brought down to 54 counts when he faced trial in 2011.
Henderson was eventually convicted on six counts of perjury and two counts of violating civil rights. Henderson, who then spent 42 months in prison, talked about what it was like stepping foot inside a prison as a convicted police officer.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Henderson said. “First time out of a jail cell where I walked into a pod with a bunch of inmates, I prayed none of them recognized or knew me.”
Henderson’s prayers seemingly weren’t answered.
“A couple of guys approached me literally within in the first 12 hours, they knew who I was, where I was from,” he sad. “I thought I was going to get bent over right there.”
Despite being a convicted cop, Henderson said he eventually found his niche in prison. “When they found out I was a policemen, those next two weeks not many people talked to me,” Henderson said. “But when people found out I was a policemen who went to trial, it actually gave me a little more credibility . . . . Eventually I kind of became the jailhouse lawyer.”
Now out of prison and off of probation, Henderson says he has a different perspective about inmates. “My attitude back in the day was who gives a fuck, that guy is a bad guy, or a piece of shit,” Henderson said. “But there’s a lot of people in there who really aren’t.”
On the Latest ‘Coptales’ Podcast: Sgt. Sean ‘Sticks’ Larkin Interviews His Former Informant About Busting a Strip Club Robbery
May 06, 2021
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts, and subscribe!
On the latest episode of Law&Crime’s podcast “Coptales,” Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin of the Tulsa Police Department’s Crime Gun Unit and ICU Nurse Howard Doss sit down with Sean’s old police informant.
Larkin and his old informant “Connor”—not his real name—recount how they were successfully able to stop a strip club robbery.
“I think they played a waiting game, and just like clockwork, here they come,” Connor said. “They gotta wait until a certain amount to show intent of them gonna do what they was told that might happen. And just like clockwork: It happened, and the blue and red lights came on—and people started scattering like roaches.”
https://youtu.be/7eSNdq9quDY
“Connor” also talks about how he met Sean and became his informant back in 2009.
“I think the very, very, very first information was on like a murder suspect that they couldn’t find, and they was outside some apartments,” Conor said. “And they was looking for a certain car and I told him what a car was—and they put everything else together after that.”
Law&Crime Launches New Podcast with Sgt. Sean ‘Sticks’ Larkin
Apr 29, 2021
NEW YORK, NY – April 29, 2021 – Law&Crime, the leading live trial and true crime network, announces the launch of a new podcast with Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin. Larkin is an officer and the head of the gang unit of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, police department. Today’s launch adds to a growing list of Law&Crime podcasts.
Larkin will lead listeners through interviews with law enforcement officers, first responders, informants and community leaders, in a casual and intimate setting.
In each episode, Larkin and fellow first responders will discuss stories from their time on the force and answer common questions people have about law enforcement. Larkin will also interview informants about their experiences, and have discussions with community leaders about the current state of policing in America.
In the first episode today of “Coptales…”, Larkin is joined by Estill Officer, Quincy Smith, who was shot in the active line of duty. The episode will also feature audio and video of Smith’s shooting.
“I am beyond excited to partner up with Law&Crime (owned by my good friend Dan Abrams) and my buddy and co-host ICU Nurse Howard Doss, for our new podcast. I hope listeners will feel like they were right there with the officers as we talk about some of the wildest, scariest and funniest cases and situations they have been involved in.”
Larkins podcast adds to Law&Crime’s growing lineup of podcasts, including the top-rated “Court Junkie,” “The Dan Abrams Show,” and “Objections.” Podcast listeners can download and listen to episodes of the Law Crime-produced “Coptales…” for free from a Desktop, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android device directly via LawandCrime.com and Apple Podcasts. The podcast will be available in video form on Law&Crime’s YouTube page.
Larkin also has a book coming out in June with Law&Crime Books called “Breaking Blue.”
About Law&Crime
From the high-profile cases to the most compelling local trials, Law&Crime is the 24/7 linear and OTT network offering daily live trial coverage and expert legal commentary and analysis. Created by TV’s top legal commentator and attorney, Dan Abrams, Law&Crime is dedicated to exploring the always intriguing world of the law while also offering original crime stories and legal programs to a broad, multi-platform audience.
About Sgt. Sean “Sticks” Larkin
Sean “Sticks” Larkin has spent the last 24 years as a police officer on the streets in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During that time he’s worked in various assignments including patrol, narcotics, gangs and most recently the Crime Gun Unit. He was a co-host/analyst on the hit TV show Live PD and also hosted the gritty television show PD Cam. When not running around with the Jump Out Boys (his squad at work), he spends time hanging out with his 2 adult kiddos, collecting bourbon and trying to hit a little white ball into a hole hundreds of yards away.
The Lin Wood Tapes: Audio of Conspiracy Theorist Lawyer’s Fight with Ex-Partners Revealed in New Law&Crime Podcast
Jan 26, 2021
You can download the episode and subscribe to “Objections” wherever you get your podcasts.
Long before becoming the face of former president Donald Trump’s post-election conspiracy theories, lawyer Lin Wood had been embroiled in an acrimonious spat with his former lawyers, who claimed to have caught his “erratic, hostile, abusive, and threatening” behavior on tape.
Several of those recordings became public for the first time on Tuesday with the release of Law&Crime’s new podcast: “Objections” with Adam Klasfeld.
As Law&Crime exclusively reported, Wood’s former law partners claimed they had him caught on tape confessing to assaulting them, threatening them in profane rants, and asserting that he may be “Christ coming back for a second time in the form of an imperfect man.” Several of the recordings were filed in a court in Fulton County, Georgia, where those ex-partners submitted them to substantiate their depictions of Wood flying into fits of rage and self-regard.
“Your law partner Lin Wood is not just good,” Wood can be heard referring to himself in the third person in one of the tapes. “Your law partner Lin Wood has courage and he has an inherent ability to know truth. Your partner Lin Wood is great. You should feel like shit, but I still love you. And I’m still your law partner.”
Those former partners—Nicole Wade, Jonathan Grunberg, and Taylor Wilson—broke up from L. Lin Wood, P.C. in early 2020 to start their own firm Wade, Grunberg & Wilson, LLC, filing a lawsuit alleging breach of a settlement. They claim that Wood fraudulently induced them into signing a deal to split the proceeds of cases they worked on between late 2019 and early 2020.
Around that time, Wood and those ex-partners had been representing Covington Catholic high school student Nicholas Sandmann and British scuba diver Vernon Unsworth, who unsuccessfully sued Tesla magnate Elon Musk for calling him a “pedo guy.”
A day before the release of this episode, Sandmann announced he had terminated Wood as counsel because of the lawyer’s “untrue, unfair, and unfounded” comments about him.
Lin Wood has been terminated as counsel at this time. His comments about me are untrue, unfair, and unfounded.
Sandmann posted a message of what appeared to be Wood’s Telegram channel complaining about “politically motivated attacks on my law license” and his expectation that the Covington Catholic student would abandon him.
The partners claim their relationship broke down during this time period, when Wood started referring to himself as a vessel of God, attacked two of them, and spoke about bizarre conspiracy theories about Chief Justice John Roberts and a YouTube video that he viewed as a prophecy.
That aggressive behavior allegedly turned physical.
“I have apologized to Taylor when I pushed him,” Lin Wood can be heard saying on one of the tapes. “It was like evil was in my house.”
Wood can be heard stewing against the same partner in a different recording.
“Taylor Wilson, your former partner, who you have abused and treated like a dog, repeatedly for weeks, if not months,” he complains.
Wood is also accused of attacking Grunberg, who claimed that the pro-Trump lawyer referred to him derisively as a “Chilean Jewish fucking crook.” The batch of files shows them in happier times.
“Number One: I love ya,” Wood can be heard telling Grunberg in a tape. “Number two: Stop the presses. That’s a newspaper phrase. Hold the presses. Nothing’s going to change. Our law firm is meant to be Wood, Wilson, Grunberg and Wade.”
Even though recordings show him referring to them as law partners repeatedly—and archived versions of his website refer to them as that—Wood continues to insist they were just lawyers he mentored.
“I would love to answer each of your questions about the frivolous lawsuit filed against me by the lawyers with whom I formerly shared office space,” Wood told Law&Crime, adding that he could not do so because of a gag order.
Several recordings contradict his efforts to downplay their relationship.
“You’re still my law partners, even if walk out the door. That’s done,” Wood can be heard saying in one.
When pressed on these discrepancies, Wood doubled down: “No other lawyer has ever had a financial interest in L. Lin Wood, P.C. since it was formed in September of 1997. I have at all times been the sole partner.”
Since the 2020 election, Wood has become known for convincing hundreds of thousands of people to disbelieve what they can see and hear: that President Joe Biden won the election, a fact confirmed dozens of times in lawsuits, recounts and audits.
Together with Sidney Powell, Wood was part of the so-called “Kraken” team that claimed Dominion Voting Systems was in cahoots with foreign powers to switch votes in Biden’s favor. Wood had a QAnon slogan on his now-suspended Twitter account that reached nearly 1 million people, and he represented Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another “Q” adherent.
Before drawing headlines for these beliefs, Wood was known for covering high-profile cases of national prominence. He represented the family of JonBenét Ramsey and Richard Jewell, the man wrongly suspected of setting off a bomb on the Olympics in Atlanta.
Put together, the Wood tapes released for the first time on Law&Crime’s new weekly podcast “Objections” offer a window into a period when some of those closest to him claim to have observed him become hostile, self-destructive and receptive to the lure of conspiracy theories.
Andrew McCarthy Discusses Robert Mueller, William Barr on ‘The Dan Abrams Podcast’
Mar 29, 2019
On Thursday, Andrew McCarthy, contributing editor for National Review and former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, spoke on the Dan Abrams Podcast.
The hour-long discussion, condensed to thirty minutes with the most interesting aspects of the conversation, centered around what we know of Robert Mueller’s report. Host Dan Abrams discussed the legal responsibilities of both the Special Counsel and Attorney General William Barr based on the Special Counsel regulations.
These regulations stipulate how and what an Attorney General must report to congress and the public after receiving the recommendations or declinations of indictments resulting from the Special Counsel investigation.
McCarthy wrote an article on Tuesday addressing these recommendations. Pulling from Barr’s June 2018 memo in which he claimed Mueller’s obstruction theory was unconstitutional, McCarthy argues that Mueller must have considered the memo when finalizing his report:
“In the end, then, Mueller had a choice to make: Either (a) accept that Barr’s interpretation of obstruction law was correct, or (b) recommend an indictment based on the more expansive interpretation of obstruction that his staff seems to have been pursuing and dare Barr to reverse him. The special counsel couldn’t bring himself to decide. In effect, he accepted Barr’s construction of the law, but he declined to admit that he was doing so. After all, if Barr was right all along, what were the last 22 months about?”
Given the two options, Abrams chose a different interpretation.
In 2000, Assistant Attorney General Randolph D. Moss wrote a memo titled “A Sitting President’s Amenability to Indictment and Criminal Prosecution.” Moss reaffirms a 1973 Department of Justice opinion that “the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unduly interfere with the ability of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned duties.”
Abrams argued that given this information, Mueller may have declined to address any possible wrongdoing by President Trump as he would not be able to be indicted either way.
The Special Counsel appointment is also a contentious issue between Abrams and McCarthy. Exclusive to the Podcast, Abrams discusses his thoughts on the legality and effectiveness of the FISA warrants.
Ari Melber Discusses the Robert Mueller Investigation on ‘The Dan Abrams Show’
Mar 22, 2019
Attorney General William Barr may soon receiveRobert Mueller’s long-awaited report. This week, MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber joins The Dan Abrams Show to discuss what to expect.
While speculation abounds, the public may not get to see the final report.
The Special Counsel’s Office has specific regulations on what needs to be communicated to the Attorney General upon conclusion of an investigation. The Attorney General will receive a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by the Special Counsel.
There is no subsequent obligation to release the report to the public, however the Attorney General William Barr may make that decision if he determines it to be in the public interest.
In that vein, Dan Abrams and Melber question why Donald Trump seems to have changed his tune by advocating for the release of the report to the public.
“Whitaker I think might have said to him ‘you’re good'” Abrams says. “And what does ‘you’re good’ mean?” Melber responds. “The bar is so low that ‘this will not force you out of office’ may have been communicated to him…Donald Trump may say ‘even if this report says x number of terrible facts about people around me, if I’m good…the rest of it is fine.'”
On the subject of what the report may actually contain, the answer may be even more ambiguous. Melber lays out four possibilities:
“I think there are four ways this can go down…one, there are further indictments, and rather than some report, those indictments tell us big new things and they’re in the public record. Two, there is no report whatsoever, Mueller finishes, says he’s done, congress is notified under the rules, and that’s it. Number three, there is a spare report, hey, we indicted these people, it’s a list of names, we already knew that. We investigated these people, maybe they’re redacted, and we’re done. And door number four is there’s some voluminous report.”
Hosts Sean ‘Sticks’ Larkin and Tom Morris Jr. Talk ‘Live PD’ on The Dan Abrams Show
Mar 15, 2019
The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets The Law this week showcases three of the best law enforcement experts on cable television.
Co-host Sean Larkin, who started as a patrol officer and member of the Gang Unit of the Tulsa Police Department, was often broadcast on Live PD. He quickly become a fan — and host — favorite.
Larkin says the attention he receives as an officer is many times amplified by the popularity of Live PD, but Dan is not convinced that’s all.
These are many women who are saying ‘Hey, did you see that cop over there, he’s a sexy police man.’
The other co-host is Tom Morris Jr., former America’s Most Wanted senior correspondent and Washington DC special police officer, who joined the show without fully realizing what he signed onto. In the podcast, Morris recounts his first day on set, where he believed the show to be much shorter than its actual runtime.
As we approached the second hour ending, I said to the studio crew ‘well we’re almost done’ they go ‘uh, no dude, we got another hour’ I said ‘what, this is three hours long?’
And the three hours of filming twice every weekend requires more than your typical control room producers.
The production of Live PD is very staff and technology heavy. Live PD records and broadcasts numerous police departments across the country. Producers have to monitor all incoming feeds simultaneously and determine which viewers should see. Sean’s unique experience as a patrol officer positions him to lead in-depth discussions of the filming experience on the ground and in studio. Larkin explained:
To have somebody stationed in your car – there’s a producer, there’s a camera man, and a sound guy…and I had a partner, so it was a very, very packed police car.
Later, describing the process of broadcasting the show:
There’s 32 live feeds coming in, I don’t know how many audio feeds that are coming in
The trio discuss the phenomena of Live PD Nation which has garnered an expansive online fan base; the K9 officers who risk life and safety like their handler counterparts; and the most important contributions Live PD offers viewers and their communities.
Debate 2 – Is the Evidence Against Scott Peterson Really That Overwhelming?
Sep 25, 2017
Lead detective John Buehler battles Richard Cole, a longtime journalist who covered the trial, about whether there was enough evidence to convict Peterson in the death of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson. Cole believes prosecutors got it wrong, and an innocent man may now be on death row.
Debate 1 – Is there a legal case to impeach President Trump?
Jun 25, 2017
Dan Abrams moderates a debate between Fordham University Law Professor, Jed Shugerman and attorney, Ross Garber, Co-Chair of the Government Investigations Group at Shipman & Goodwin. The topic is whether there is sufficient legal grounds to impeach President Trump.
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