True Crime Brewery

Latest Episodes:

Two Innocents Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

In June of 1959, just two months before her thirteenth birthday, Lynne Harper was found dead in a wooded grove near a Clinton, Ontario, Air Force base. Lynne was small for her age, the middle child between two brothers. She was described as bossy and a “live wire.” She had her whole life ahead of her.

Join us at the quiet end for Two Innocents. The last person seen with Lynne on the day she disappeared was 14-year-old classmate Steven Truscott. Despite a lack of any physical evidence and witness accounts which gave Steven a clear alibi, he was arrested for Lynne’s murder just days after her body was found. Then, Steven was found guilty and sentenced to hang. This is the story of Lynne’s murder, Steven’s unjust conviction, the people who worked to free him and exonerate him of his murder conviction, and the continuing mystery of who was really responsible for this terrible crime.

Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!

Record a voicemail for a future show

Shop TCB Merch

Join our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion Group

Sources

Can Science Clear Truscott? thestar.com. 1/29/2007, retrieved 11/20/2023.

Steven Truscott Case, The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/steven-truscott-case, retrieved 11/25/2023.

Steven Truscott: His Word Against History, The Fifth Estate, 2015, retrieved 11/25/2023.

Steven Truscott, Innocence Canada, Sarah Harland-Logan, 2023.

Until You Are Dead: Steven Truscott’s Long Ride into History by Julian Sher, 2001, 2023.

Victim’s Family stunned by Truscott Compensation, CBS News, 7/8/2008, retrieved 11/14/2023

Youngest Canadian Sentenced to Death is Cleared in 1959 Case, The Seattle Times, 8/29/2007, retrieved 11/14/2023.

Confessions of Youth Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

On the morning of January 21, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Ann Crowe was found dead on her bedroom floor. She had been brutally stabbed to death as her family slept soundly in their bedrooms down the hall.

Stephanie’s parents desperately called 911 for help. After police officers arrived at the scene, a cursory search of the Crowe home found no signs of forced entry. There was an unlocked sliding glass door in the parents’ room, but it was covered by aluminum vertical blinds. They would have made too much noise for someone to enter undetected, officers decided.

Join us at the quiet end for Confessions of Youth, the story of the murder of Stephanie Crowe and the false confessions that followed. On the morning when Stephanie’s body was found, detectives came to an early conclusion that her murder was an inside job. From that day forward, they worked to make the evidence fit their theory instead of letting the evidence develop their theory. This method of investigation, wrong for many good reasons, sent the Crowe family and two other families into a prolonged state of victimhood.

Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!

Record a voicemail for a future show

Shop TCB Merch

Join our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion Group

Sources

Crowe v. County of San Diego, Order RE: Summary Judgment Motions, San Diego California, 2/17/2004

Haunting Questions: The Stephanie crowe Murder Case, San Diego Union Tribune, John Wilkens & Mark Sauer, 5/12/1999).

The Interrogation of Michael Crowe, 2002 movie

Juvenile Interrogations Reform Bill Signed by Governor Newsom, Makes California the Fourth State to Adopt Anti-Deceptive-Interrogation Reforms, California Innocence Coalition, 9/15/2022

The People of the State of California v. Michael Steven Crowe, Joshua David Treadway, & Aaron Paul Houser, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of San Diego, 5/22/1998

The Reid Technique Controversies, Criticisms, and Evolving Interrogation Practices, Francesco Galvano, 6/2023

The Right to Remain a Child, New York University Law Review, Ariel Spierer, 11/2017

She’s So Cold: A Defense Attorney’s Inside Story by Donald E. McInnis

The Case of Gabby Petito Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

Perhaps no case more than that of 22-year-old Gabby Petito demonstrates that the images we see on social media do not accurately show us the reality of a person’s life. On July 2, 2021, Gabby enthusiastically set out on a “van life” journey with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. The two had quit their jobs and renovated a van, planning a four-month trip across the country. Along the way, Gabby documented their adventures on social media. But behind the scenes, Brian was abusive and manipulative, controlling Gabby.

Join us at the quiet end for The Case of Gabby Petito. During her travels, the couple was seen arguing, with Gabby crying and Brian yelling at her and even slapping her. One witness report led the police in Utah to pull over the couple, but no arrest was made and the incident was identified as a mental health crisis rather than a domestic violence incident.

Gabby’s mother Nichole last spoke to Gabby on August 25th. Then, on September 1st, Brian returned to his parents’ home without Gabby. What followed was one of the most public and emotional crime solving efforts in recent history.

Support the show for ad-free, early, bonus episodes and more!

Record a voicemail for a future show

Shop TCB Merch

Join our True Crime Brewery Fan Discussion Group

Sources

Family travel vloggers share video they believe shows Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie’s van around time of her disappearance, Connor Perrett, 9/19/2021, Click to watch Bethune YouTube Video

Full Video: Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie Police Stop, Inside Edition, Click to watch

Gabby Petito Case: Timeline of travel blogger’s disappearance, ABC News, Haley Yamada, 10/21/2021

Gabby Petito’s family awarded $3 million in wrongful death lawsuit against Brian Laundrie’s estate, CNN.com, 11/17/2022

Gabby Petito Search: Remains Found in Wyoming Match Description of Missing Woman Gabrielle Petito, The New York Times, 10/20/2021

The Gabby Petito Story: An American Tragedy, 60 Minutes Australia, 11/16/2021

Gabby Petito: The Untold Story, 48 Hours, S35, E1, 9/25/2021

The Murder of Gabby Petito: A Look at the Police Response and Intimate Partner Violence Among Young People, A&Etv.com, Elena Ferrarin, 6/23/2022

The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media, Peacock, 2021

Petito-Laundrie trial moved to 2024, hearing set for Roberta’s ‘burn after reading’ letter, thehill.com, J.B. Biunno, 03/16/23

Who is Gabrielle Petito? The New York Times, Ethan Hauser, Maria Cramer, & Michael Levenson, 9/19/2021

If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence or feels trapped in a toxic relationship, call the national domestic violence hotline at:

1-800-799-SAFE

Or text START to 88788

You can donate to the hotline by going to https://www.thehotline.org/hopecantwait/