True Crime Arizona

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Pro basketball player confesses to murder of girl on vacation Mar 26, 2024

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Chance Comanche was a well-known name in Arizona—a former University of Arizona basketball player that had gone on to play in the professional NBA G-league. Comanche was in Las Vegas in December 2023 for a basketball tournament, when he and his ex-girlfriend were the last ones to see Marayna Rodgers, from Washington state, alive. As detectives searched for Rodgers, the investigation led to a trail of hidden text messages, thousands of dollars, a Rolex watch, and a disturbing jailhouse confession.

Arrests made in the murder of Preston Lord Mar 07, 2024

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Months after Preston Lord died after being beaten at a Halloween party, multiple suspects, including several teenagers, have been arrested and indicted for first-degree murder and kidnapping. True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney, investigative reporter Morgan Loew, and Arizona’s Family anchor Nicole Crites analyze how prosecutors got to these charges, the shocking new information that was revealed in their first court appearances, what Preston Lord’s family and the community is saying about the arrests, where we go from here with this case, and the other cases related to the alleged “Gilbert Goons.”

Bombshell arrest in cold case murder of baby left in Phoenix airport Feb 23, 2024

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In 2005, a baby girl was found dead in the women’s bathroom trash can at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The medical examiner rule she was suffocated, and lived just 24 hours. She became known as “Baby Skylar.” For nearly two decades, police had no idea who the baby’s mother was, or why she was killed. Now, detectives have found and arrested 51-year-old Annie Anderson of Washington state for first degree murder; the baby’s own mother. How they found her so many years later, her checkered past in Washington, and what a detective says “divine intervention” may be the reason Baby Skylar was ever found at all.

The First Female FBI Agent in the Behavioral Science Unit Feb 14, 2024

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She’s analyzed the behavior and words of serial killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ed Kemper. She’s received videos from one of the most famous cult leaders to live. She trained Jodie Foster for her role in The Silence of the Lambs. She helped investigate where the 9/11 plan was hatched and who the bombers were. And she brought a new sense of empathy and intelligence to the behavioral science unit at the FBI. This is the story of Jana Monroe, the first female agent who ever worked in the FBI’s behavioral science unit. Told in her own words with experiences unimaginable, she details what it was like to break through gender barriers as she made a name for herself as one of the sharpest agents in the bureau.

Gilbert Goons, Brass Knuckles, & Families Break their Silence Jan 25, 2024

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Host Briana Whitney and Arizona Family reporters Alexis Dominguez and Casey Torres dive into and analyze the latest string of developments in the East Valley teen violence investigations, including an exclusive interview with the parents of a suspect in mutliple assaults, a teen victim's fight for change in Arizona law, and the community fallout from the Gilbert police chief's first press conference. UPDATE: We also discuss the three new arrests that happened during the recording of the episode.

New Arrests, Possible Ties to the Gilbert Goons, & Preston Lord Investigation Update Jan 11, 2024

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True Crime Arizona host Briana Whitney and Arizona’s Family reporter Emma Lockhart break down the details in the five new arrests in East Valley teen violence cases, both admitted and possible ties to the “Gilbert Goons,” and the possible impact these arrests may have on the ongoing Preston Lord murder investigation. We hear from Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on where the Lord investigation stands with evidence and charges, and hear from the victim’s father in one of these cases after arrests were made.

JoAnn Dudek - Missing or Killed? Jan 09, 2024

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Just before Thanksgiving 2022, JoAnn Dudek was getting ready for a holiday trip to NYC to visit family, when communication suddenly stopped. JoAnn lived in Anthem, AZ with her husband and daughter, who were there the day she allegedly disappeared and told investigators she left behind most belongings. But it’s a case full of twists and turns: Bizarre phone calls that may or may not exist, another unexpected death, and the sheriff’s office officially naming this a homicide investigation even though JoAnn’s whereabouts are unknown.

A Major Break in the Preston Lord Murder Investigation Dec 29, 2023

Show notes

Exactly two months after 16-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death at a Halloween party in Queen Creek, Arizona, police announced they are recommending charges against seven juveniles and adults involved in his death. It is now up to the Maricopa County Attorney to decide who and what to prosecute. This comes as other investigations into teen violence in the East Valley have been reopened with possible ties to a gang police have recognized as the "Gilbert Goons." Host Briana Whitney and Arizona Family reporters Morgan Loew, Emma Lockhart, and Casey Torres discuss what is likely to happen next, the possible evidence in the case, and historical parallels to prior gang violence in the East Valley.

"Apache Junction Jane Doe" Identified Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

In August 1992, remains of an unidentified teenager were found by somebody walking their dog in Apache Junction, Arizona. 30 years later, DNA and forensic genetic genealogy have helped identify her as a girl from South Phoenix who went missing in June of 1992. Her family was able to answer some things, but how she got to the remote desert and her cause of death is unknown. The timing of her disappearance and death is eerie though, it all happened while two known serial killers were operating in the Phoenix area. Could she have been another one of their victims? True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney and Chief Investigative Reporter Morgan Loew analyze what we know.

New tech finds JFK assassination "single bullet theory" scientifically impossible Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Sixty years ago, in November 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while driving through downtown Dallas. It’s a historic event that hasfueled theories and conspiracies about what happened. But now, with modern technology, an engineering and animation lab has found something new that they said proves the “single bullet theory” is not possible scientifically. As they explain their findings, meanwhile former Mafia underboss Sammy “The Bull” Gravano reveals details during his time as a government informant when the FBI questioned him about JFK’s death. It’s an ominous and eerie meeting, and Gravano shares what he believes happened that day in Dallas.

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