JAG Officer Accused of Hacking Wife to Death and Leaving Body Parts to Decompose | Crime Alert 2PM 08.08.25

A former Navy JAG officer is on trial in Georgia for killing and dismembering his wife, as the medical examiner described injuries that prosecutors say point to murder. The Trump administration ends federal funding for a McGruff the Crime Dog campaign that warned kids about fentanyl and fake prescription pills. Drew Nelson reports.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert hourly update, breaking crime news Now. I'm Drew Nelson,
a former Navy jag officer, is on trial in Georgia
for killing and dismembering his wife. As the medical examiner
describes injuries that prosecutors say point to murder. Nicholas Cassotis
is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, tampering
with evidence, and dismemberment in the twenty twenty two death

(00:22):
of his second wife, Mindy Mibain Casotis. On the second
day of testimony, medical examiner Keith Lehman told the jury
about his autopsy findings. He noted lacerations on Mindy's arms
and back, defensive wounds on her hand and forearm, and
deep cuts to her bones. He also described head injuries
and signs of post mortem decomposition, including fly larvae that

(00:45):
helped estimate the time of death.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
So there's discoloration there that's a result of a post
mortem decomposition, and there's fly larvae on the body here
as on this leg as well.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Mindy's remains were found in pieces on private hunting land
in Liberty in Macintosh County's December second of twenty twenty two,
a hunter discovered the remains, along with a knife and
a container of blood. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified
her using genetic genealogy matched to her mother's DNA. Prosecutors
say Casodis killed his wife in Savannah and left her

(01:20):
remains in the woods. They told jurors to quote, bring
your common sense to the case. The defense claims a
man named Jim McIntyre controlled the couple's lives, forcing them
to move often and live in fear. Prosecutors say Jim
McIntyre doesn't exist. Mindy's parents, Betsy and Frank MacBain, said
Cassodis lied to them repeatedly. Betsy testified he once told

(01:43):
her Mindy had died in the hospital, but gave no
other details. The day before her body was found, he
appeared at their home in tears, telling them, quote, She's
not coming home. They also said Casotis claimed the family
was in danger from the government, faked to pregnancy, and
later told them he had died. The trial is expected
to last up to three weeks. More crime and justice

(02:04):
news After this goodbye to McGruff, the crime Doze. The
Trump administration ends federal funding for a McGruff, the crime
dog campaign that warned kids about fentanyl and fake prescription pills.
NPR reports that McGruff, the trench coat wearing bloodhound known

(02:27):
for saying take a bite out a crime, first became
famous in the eighties and nineties with TV ads about drugs,
stranger danger, and child abductions. In twenty twenty, the National
Crime Prevention Council partnered with the US Patent and Trademark
Office to modernize McGruff's message. The so called Gopher Real
campaign focused on the dangers of pills laced with fentinal

(02:49):
and counterfeit goods. Council Executive director Paul Duponti told NPR
the nearly two million dollar cut may seem small, but
will have major effects. Quote, the work is vitally important
and the results can make an impact. In this case,
we're really talking a life and death impact, saving lives.
McGruff's updated campaign included school curriculum, radio and video PSAs,

(03:13):
social media ads, and appearances by officers and the mascot
himself at public events. When the Commerce Department ordered the
council to stop the campaign in February, research on kids'
social media behavior was halted. Plans for a new PSA
this year were canceled, even though donated airtime was available.
The council has sped up the launch of McGruff's true

(03:34):
crime prevention podcasts to raise money, but del Ponte says
the loss of federal support will leave a huge gap
in their efforts. A Sacramento mother is still searching for
her son seven years after he vanished in San Diego.
Wesley Billingsley, twenty four years old, was last seen June
twelfth of twenty eighteen in Pacific Beach. Friends expected him

(03:54):
for dinner that night, but Wes never showed. He also
failed to meet friends the next day to help them move.
His phone, which his mother still pays for, has been
off since the night he disappeared. His social media accounts
also went silent. Two months later, police found his black
Ford expedition abandoned on a street in San Diego's South Bay.
Some of his stuff was left behind, but there was

(04:16):
no sign of him. KGTV reports his mother, Crystal Billingsley,
has returned to San Diego many times to search, posting
flyers and offering a three thousand dollars reward, saying quote,
I know somebody that's reading these posters knows where my
son is. They need to speak up and tell me
where he is, because this is enough. It's enough, KSND reports.

(04:37):
Crystal fears people may be afraid to come forward. Quote
there may be afraid to talk. I mean, maybe it's
bad and they don't want to get in trouble or
be linked to a missing person. But this is my
child and he belongs to me and my family. West
graduated in twenty sixteen from San Diego State University with
a degree in business administration and marketing. He had lost
his job in his apartment and was staying with friends

(04:59):
in Pacific bas Each before his disappearance. He was keeping
his financial struggles a secret from his family. Crystal has
searched as far as Mexico, checking Moore's and Jail's. She says,
not knowing where her son is has been quote the
most unbelievably painful thing I have ever experienced. She continues
to beg for anyone with information to come forward. Billingsley

(05:20):
is white, five foot eight, one hundred thirty pounds, is
brown hair, hazel eyes, and a tattoo of a flying
ghost with thangs. It's red, white, green, and black inked
on his upper right arm. Under it, there's a Japanese character.
He would be thirty one years old today. Anyone with
information is asked to call San Diego Police Missing Persons
Unit at six one nine, five three one twenty two

(05:43):
seventy seven. For the latest crime and justice news. Follow
Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app with
this crime Alert. I'm Drew Nelson.