Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Jilted ex-boyfriend sets fire to woman's home, killing her and two children. This sneaky burglar claims he was "accidentally locked in." For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police arrive at the apartment of Fasil Teklemariam in Washington DC for a call of an unconscious person. Police quickly note that Fasil is more than unconscious, he is dead. Multiple stab wounds, and it appears that one of his thumbs has been cut off. On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan will explain what happens when a thumb is severed from a hand, and can experts tell if it happened when the victim was alive or dead. Dave Mack will dig into the background of those involved and try to figure out who talked.    Subscribe to Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan : Apple Podcasts Spotify iHeart   00:02.12 Introduction: "The Rule of Thumb"02:51.25 Discuss removing thumb to rob victim05:14.45 Discuss James Bond,"biometric" science09:04.94 Talk about CCTV footage 14:20.13 Discussion of thumb removed from body19:08.42 Discussion of what happens when everything dries up22:33.29 Talk suspects stole key fob allowing access to the building27:57.92 Discuss thumb came after trying to extract info32:00.21 Discussion of shoe print left behind36:46.63 Discussion of weapons used, did they use knives found in kitchen36:49.34 Conclusion: they wanted his money, took his lifeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anna Moriah Wilson was in Texas to race 150-mile Gravel Locas competition. She's bunking at the home of friend Caitlyn Cash. After an evening of swimming with fellow  cyclist, Colin Strickland, Wilson returns to Cash's home for the evening. When Cash arrived however, she finds Wilson in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Wilson has been shot multiple times.  Police find surveillance video of a black SUV seen outside near the time of Wilson's death. The SUV is tracked to Colin Strickland girlfriend, Kaitlyn Armstrong. Armstrong is convicted of murder. Now she tries to avoid paying the victim's family.  Joining Nancy Grace today:  Rania Mankarious - CEO, Crime Stoppers of Houston, Author: "The Online World, What You Think You Know and What You Don’t: 4 Critical Tools for Navigating the Digital Age", Crime-Stoppers.org, RaniaMankarious.com, Instagram/Twitter: @TheRaniaReport  James Shelnutt - 27 years Atlanta Metro Area Major Case Detective, Former S.W.A.T. officer, Attorney, The Shelnutt Law Firm, P.C., www.ShelnuttLawFirm.com, Twitter: @ShelnuttLawFirm Dr. Shari Schwartz - Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology"  Joe Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan" Tony Plohetski - Investigative Reporter, Austin American-Statesman and KVUE (Austin, TX), Twitter: @tplohetski  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Friday morning, and Elizabeth Barraza picks up Starbucks coffee to sip with her husband before he heads off to work and she sets up for a garage sale. As Elizabeth sets up in the driveway, a black truck pulls up. The driver gets out and approaches Elizabeth. She says good morning and they interact for a moment before the driver pulls a handgun and shoots Elizabeth three times. While she is on the ground, the driver shoots her again, then runs back to the truck and drives off. Eliza Barra is life-flighted to a hospital where Doctors determine she will not survive her injuries. Sergio Barraza and the Nuelles make the impossible decision to let Elizabeth go and donate her organs. JOINING NANCY GRACE TODAY: Rosemary Nuelle  - Mother of Elizabeth Barraza  Bob Nuelle -Father of Elizabeth Barazza   Sergio Barraza - Husband of Elizabeth Barraza     Andy Kahan – Director of Victim Services and Advocacy at Crime Stoppers of Houston; Facebook: “Andy Kahan and Crime Stoppers of Houston;” X @AKahanCrimeSto1; Instagram: AndyVictimAdvocate Sgt. Michael Ritchie - Harris County Homicide Investigator / Lead investigator in Elizabeth Barraza Murder  Corley Peel - News Reporter for KPRC2 Houston; Instagram: @KPRC2Corley, X: @KPRC2Corley, Facebook: @KPRC2CorleyPeel  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teacher best-friends sleep with multiple high school students. Florida family escapes over fence while home burglar helps himself to snacks and drinks. For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rylan Oncale meets his girlfriend, Taliyah Crochet, and two friends just after finishing his first 28-day shift as a deckhand on an oil rig. The teens enjoy a much-needed night out together on dry land, then pile into Rylan’s Kia Rio to head back to Raceland, taking Highway 3090 inland from the coast. As Rylan drives through the 1 a.m. darkness, he spots a set of headlights coming towards him. As the car gets closer, Rylan realizes the oncoming Jeep is driving in his lane. Rylan swerves into the left lane to avoid the wrong-way driver, but the Jeep also moves into the left lane and slams into the teens head-on. The front end of Rylan’s Kia Rio is completely caved in. First responders arrive within minutes, pulling the occupants from the wreckage, but Taliyah is already gone. Rylan is rushed to a hospital, where he also dies of his injuries. The couple’s two friends riding in the back seat also have serious injuries but are stabilized at the hospital. The Jeep Cherokee is occupied only by driver Axel Flores-Cordoza, who is found completely unharmed despite not wearing a seatbelt. Flores-Cordoza, 18, is unlicensed, has open alcohol in his cupholder, and is clearly drunk. The teen voluntarily submits to a breath test that results in a BAC just under .14, equivalent to seven times the .02 legal limit in Louisiana for drivers under 21, and nearly twice the limit for drivers of legal drinking age.  Joining Nancy Grace Today: Devin Deen  - Mother of Taliyah Crochet Eric Faddis – Partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal; Former Felony Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Attorney; Instagram: @e_fad @varnerfaddis; TikTok: @varnerfaddis Sunny Wall - Executive Director, MADD Louisiana; FB: https://www.facebook.com/MADDLouisiana Dr. Jan Gorniak – Medical Examiner, Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner (Las Vegas, NV), Board Certified Forensic Pathologist Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Florida man drops a child from a 2nd story balcony in 'scare tactic' gone wrong. On a California beach, a 16-year-old girl must be rescued from a 6-foot hole.  For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special Judge Frances Gull is hearing arguments on several motions in the Delphi Murders trial of Richard Allen. The judge will consider six topics: Richard Allen's safekeeping, psychologist statements, suppression of some of Richard Allen's previous statements, discovery issues that continue to plague the case, a defense request to dismiss the case, and what both sides can say in front of jurors without specific permission from the judge. The defense seeks four sanctions. They want the court to inform jurors that the prosecution violated rules by delaying the turnover of exculpatory evidence. They also want the judge to allow the defense to play any video that was "belatedly produced" without state objection. Additionally, the defense aims to prevent the state from rebutting evidence provided by former Rushville police chief Todd Click on May 1, 2023, and they want to bar the prosecution from using any data or information from Liberty German's phone in evidentiary presentations. The state wants to limit what the defense can mention in front of jurors without prior approval from the judge. Prosecutors have several pages of items they seek to restrict, including personal attacks on the prosecutor and any attempt to introduce evidence of third-party motive that is not relevant or would unfairly prejudice jurors. This includes mentions of Odinism, ritualistic killings, names of others the defense might claim are connected to the killings, geofencing, references to how discovery was handled, and any mention of an investigation conducted by former Rushville Police Chief Todd Click. JOINING NANCY GRACE TODAY:  Rich Shoenstein - Trial Attorney, Partner with Tarter Krinsky & Drogin; X:@LawfulRiches    Caryn L. Stark – Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych/FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Chris McDonough  – Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective; Host of YouTube channel: “The Interview Room” Joseph Scott Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, and Author: "Blood Beneath My Feet,” and Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;” Twitter/X: @JoScottForensic Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author of “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi;" IG @susan_hendricks, X @SusanHendicks  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woman drowns 7-year-old daughter for some "alone time." Pet shop pilferer caught hamster-handed! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ballerina and aspiring model Ashley Benefield is standing trial for shooting her then-husband, Doug Benefield, to death. The couple married just 13 days after meeting. They had a child, but their relationship was rocky, with frequent arguments reported between Ashley and Doug Benefield. Ashley Benefield claims her husband was abusive and volatile. As her pregnancy progressed, she moved in with her mother, denying Doug Benefield access to information about the baby, including her birth. Ashley Benefield planned to move out. Doug Benefield arrived at Ashley's home with a U-Haul truck to help pack for a move to Maryland. He believed he would be moving with the family but intended to live in a separate home. Ashley Benefield claims that Doug became angry while loading the truck, "body checked" her twice, hit her hip with the corner of a box, and caused her head to hit the wall. Fearing for her life, Ashley ran to her bedroom and retrieved a gun. She turned around and saw Doug standing in the doorway. Claiming Doug lunged toward her, Ashley fired the gun, shooting him twice—once in the leg and once in the chest, causing damage to his lungs and severe bleeding. It was determined that Doug was not directly facing Ashley at the time he was killed. JOINING NANCY GRACE TODAY Brian Foley –  Board-certified Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Chief Prosecutor in Harris County, (Houston) Texas; Author: “What Prosecutors Don’t Tell You”; Instagram @brianfoleylawpllc/ YouTube – @brianfoleylawyer/X: @brianpllc Dr. Chloe Carmichael – Clinical Psychologist, Women’s Health Magazine Advisory Board;’ Author: ‘Nervous Energy: Harness The Power of Your Anxiety;’ X: @DrChloe Chris Byers – Former Police Chief -Johns Creek Georgia, Private Investigator and Polygraph Examiner Joe Scott Morgan – Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, “Blood Beneath My Feet,” and Host: “Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan;” Twitter/X: @JoScottForensic Sophia Vitello – Reporter WWSB - ABC 7 News Sarasota, Florida Insta - @sophiavitellotv; FB - Sophia Vitello   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.