The Trial: USA

Latest Episodes:

Karmelo Anthony Trial Deep-Dive: Part 1 Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial happened in Texas but the case has triggered strong reactions from observers around the country.

The 19-year-old’s legal team argued self-defense but witnesses told the jury that Anthony was never in danger. He was simply being asked to leave a private area belonging to a rival high school’s track squad.

Daily Mail’s Texas Bureau Chief MaryAnn Martinez joins us this week to break down the evidence and dispel misinformation that has been amplified on social media. Unsubstantiated theories have circulated since April 2025, when 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was killed. He died in the arms of his twin brother.

Anthony was found guilty of murder at his trial last week and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The verdict has renewed accusations of racism from his supporters even as the jury rejected his justification defense.

Tune into Martinez’s conversation with Kayla Brantley to learn what the evidence at trial revealed and what claims are not supported by fact.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

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Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Cults’ and Cold Cases: A 2026 CrimeCon Recap Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Cartisha Morgan came to CrimeCon in the hopes of bringing attention to the case of her missing daughter and young grandchild, a toddler when she vanished. Morgan believes her daughter Ma’Kayla Wickerson bought into the teachings of a group that police have called a cultbefore disappearing with the tot from their Missouri home.

Another family was at the event to ask to promote their campaign for answers. Christopher Abeyta, a 7-month-old, was stolen from his crib in Colorado Springs nearly 40 years ago. His family, including a niece he never met, wants police to focus on a woman who they believe may have gotten away with the crime. They hope that person can explain what happened to baby Christopher.

The episode this week brings you a roundup of these stories and others from the Crime Desk team at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaylee Goncalves’s Parents On Treating Killers 'Like The Animals That They Are' Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

We share in this episode an in-depth conversation with the parents of Kaylee Concalves at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas where they promoted the “Murder Has a Name” foundation started in their daughter’s honor to help other families find answers with the help of advanced DNA technology.

Steve and Kristi Goncalves also discussed their family’s raw anger at killer Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing and the risk they decided to take to speak their minds unfiltered.

‘These guys need to be treated like the animals that they are,’ Steve Goncalves told the Mail. ‘If you're gonna behave like an animal, treat them like an animal.’

The couple also discusses threats they've faced from supporters of Kohberger and the twisted logic his fans have used to challenge investigative facts, even though his criminal case resulted in Kohberger’s guilty plea last year.

Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2022 slayings. Kaylee’s parents say he should have received nothing less than capital punishment.

Join us for Daily Mail US Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp’s full interview with the Goncalves parents.

Murder Has a Name: https://www.murderhasaname.com/

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk: thecrimedesk.com

Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prosecutor Speaks on Death Sentence for 7-year-old Athena Strand’s Killer May 27, 2026

Show notes

James Stainton spent years working to bring Tanner Horner to justice for abusing and killing a beloved child before callously discarding her remains in rural Texas on November 30, 2022.

On this episode, Stainton shares with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley what it was like to shoulder the task of seeking justice for Athena Strand and her devastated family. He also discusses capital punishment and why, as he argued at trial, Horner's actions are why the death penalty exists.

Horner was sentenced to execution by lethal injection on May 5 after a five-week jury trial held to determine his fate. He’d previously pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping the first-grader, who was abducted from her family’s sprawling property in Paradise, Texas.

Athena’s death devastated her family, friends and community. She inspired a law that enables law enforcement to employ quicker responses to missing children calls by issuing what has become known as an “Athena Alert.” Her family also started a charity in her honor in an effort to share the little girl’s legacy.

Athena’s Army: https://asarmy.com/

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murdaugh Wife And Son Murder Verdict Tossed Out: What Went Wrong And What’s Coming May 20, 2026

Show notes

The latest development in the Alex Murdaugh story was a ruling by the highest court in South Carolina reversing his conviction for the 2022 murder of his wife and son.

An elected county court clerk was accused of tampering with the jury process by hinting to sitting panelists that Murdaugh was guilty — a stunning betrayal of the public’s trust that the court said denied him a fair trial.

The clerk, Rebecca Hill, faced her own investigation and resigned.

In this episode, legal expert and retired chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals James Lockemy discusses the Murdaugh reversal with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley.

The episode breaks down Hill’s flagrant conduct which included plans for a behind-the-scenes book during the trial.

Evidence presented in post-trial proceedings examined how Hill hoped to profit from the publication, which was released six months after the trial but later pulled from circulation.

Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice and perjury for releasing graphic, sealed crime scene photos to the media and lying about it under oath at a 2024 hearing. The ex-official also admitted to improperly awarding herself cash bonuses.

Murdaugh’s increasingly complicated prosecution is now headed toward a retrial. He could also now face the possibility of a death sentence if convicted again.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Killer Is Sentenced To Lethal Injection In Texas For Killing First-Grader May 13, 2026

Show notes

Justice for a joyful little girl who was abducted outside her rural Texas home and murdered by a stranger driving a delivery truck.

MaryAnn Martinez, the Daily Mail’s Texas bureau chief, was in the courtroom as a jury sealed the fate of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s killer, Tanner Horner.

Athena, a first-grader with an affinity for the outdoors and the color pink, was abused and tortured by Horner, a FedEx driver, before he killed her and callously discarded her tiny frame in a nearby creek on Nov. 30, 2022.

A frantic, multi-day search for Athena ensued. The child’s death traumatized her rural community.

Horner pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April but a jury still had to determine his fate, which in Texas included the possibility of the death penalty. After a five-week trial,

Athena’s family watched as the panel found that Horner should be executed by lethal injection.

On this episode, Martinez discusses the case with host Kayla Brantley and takes us inside the courtroom for the dramatic last moments of the proceeding.

We also learn what is expected to happen next as Horner waits on death row.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lively vs. Baldoni: The Real Reason the Feuding Stars Settled May 06, 2026

Show notes

After two years of legal mudslinging between “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni, a civil trial was set to unfold in New York.

The “It Ends With Us” co-stars instead capped their bitter dispute with a settlement deal that ended an ugly and costly two-year public ordeal that battered their reputations.

The Trial: USA this week examines the history of the litigation and explains why a last-minute settlement was a likely outcome. Kayla Brantley interviews entertainment and sports attorney Thomas H. Herndon Jr. about the legal drama.

In this episode, Herndon Jr. breaks down the legal strategies at play and weighs in on what a trial may have looked like.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I Was At The White House Dinner With Kash Patel - Then The Shooting Started Apr 29, 2026

Show notes

Shots rang out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — just yards from the President of the United States.

At one table sat FBI Director Kash Patel.

On this episode of The Trial: USA, Kayla Brantley and Daily Mail Associate Editor Wills take you inside the room as the shooting unfolded — including what happened at their table in the moments the chaos began.

They walk through the night step by step — from the first sounds of gunfire, to the Secret Service response, to the confusion inside one of Washington’s most high-profile events.

We also break down the case against Cole Tomas Allen, who has now appeared in court facing federal charges including the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

What do we know about his motive?

What was revealed in court?

And how did he get so close?

This is what it was like inside the room.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

D4vd Charged With Murder: A Career Worth Killing For? Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

A rising music star is now facing one of the most serious charges in the US justice system.

D4vd (real name David Anthony Burke) has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Prosecutors allege the two were in a relationship - and claim he killed her to protect his career, after fears their connection could be exposed. Her remains were later discovered inside a Tesla linked to Burke, months after she was last seen.

He now faces first-degree murder charges with special circumstances, including allegations of financial gain and killing a potential witness, meaning he could face life without parole, or even the death penalty if convicted.

Burke has pleaded not guilty, and his defense team says he is not responsible for her death.

In this episode, we take you back to the beginning of the case - who D4vd is, who Celeste was, and what investigators say happened.

Plus, Luke Kenton joins us to break down the latest developments from inside the courtroom, the evidence prosecutors are building - and what happens next.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guilty: Our Inside Account of the Gilgo Beach Killer’s Confession Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

After decades of silence, the man accused of the Gilgo Beach murders has finally spoken — and what he said inside that courtroom stunned everyone.

Rex Heuermann has pleaded guilty to killing eight women, bringing a chilling chapter in one of America’s most notorious serial killer cases closer to an end.

In this episode of The Trial: USA, we take you inside the courtroom on the day many thought would never come.

From the moment Heuermann entered the room… to the haunting detail he repeated again and again as he described how his victims died… to the raw, emotional reactions from families who have waited decades for answers.

Daily Mail Senior Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp was there, sitting just feet away, and joins us to break down exactly what happened - and what it means now.

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com
WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial
Presenter: Kayla Brantley
Producer: Lucy Robson
Editor: Chelsey Ranore
Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham
Executive Producer: Jamie East

Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com

WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with Trial

Presenter: Kayla Brantley

Producer: Shayna Jacobs

Editor: Sam Morris

Creative Director: Caroline Cheetham

Executive Producer: Jamie East

Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter.

It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.