March 4, 2025 • 9 mins
In Florida, a man faces a murder charge months after the decomposing body of a woman was found partially buried at a fast food drive-thru.
In Maine, law enforcement was called to a home for a reported shooting and found a man dead inside. The homeowner was later arrested and charged with murder.
In Alabama, a man called the police to report his wife missing. Just a day later, he was arrested in connection to her death.
Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus
In Maine, law enforcement was called to a home for a reported shooting and found a man dead inside. The homeowner was later arrested and charged with murder.
In Alabama, a man called the police to report his wife missing. Just a day later, he was arrested in connection to her death.
Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello and welcome back to Sword and Scale Daily, a
daily show covering all things true crime, five days a week.
It's Tuesday, March fourth. I'm your host, Ryan Williams. In Florida,
a man faces a murder charged months after the decomposing
body of a woman was strong partially buried at a
(00:21):
fast food restaurant. In Maine, law enforcement were called to
a home for reported shooting and found a man dead inside.
The homeowner was later arrested and charged with murder. And
in Alabama, a man called the police to report his
wife missing. Just a day later, he was arrested in
connection to her death. All of this coming at you
(00:42):
right now here on Sword and Scale Daily. Back On Tuesday,
June eighteenth, twenty twenty four, deputies with the Hills Rowe
Keny Sheriff's Office in Florida responded to Church's Chicken in
(01:03):
Tampa after a body was discovered partially buried in the
fast food restaurant's drive through. When deputies arrived, they found
the partially decomposed body of a woman buried in the
dirt and decorative mulch. The body was removed and brought
to the Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy, The victim
was later identified as forty eight year old Don Morrison.
(01:24):
It was determined that she'd only died a few days prior,
on June fifteenth, despite the amount of decomposition that her
body was displaying. Her cause of death was ruled to
be blunt force trauma to the head. As homicide detectives
started looking into Don's death, they pulled surveillance footage from
the area where her body was found. In the footage,
they were able to observe Dawn walking with another individual
(01:45):
who appeared to be an unknown male. Now in the video,
they didn't see the alleged killing taking place, but there
was some audio in which they heard Don allegedly yell
quote quit it, quit it. Help. A short while later,
the same man that Don was observed walking with was
seen walking away from the church's chicken location, headed toward
a dumpster. The video showed the man taking off his
(02:07):
shirt and discarding it, along with some other items, into
the trash bin. For months, detectives searched for the man
seen with Down before her death. Eventually, they identified a
person they wanted to speak with, Unfortunately, he was already
in custody. The man later identified as fifty four year
old Michael Canty, had been previously picked up for failing
to register as a sex offender. Detectives then brought michaelin
(02:30):
to be questioned and asked him if he was familiar
with the victim, to which he said he was. Detectives
then asked Michael when the last time he had seen
Don was to what he stated was the day before
it's believed that she was killed. Michael claimed that he
and Don had been hanging out doing drugs together. When
confronted and shown a still image of the surveillance footage,
he claimed that it was possible that it was him,
(02:52):
though he couldn't clearly remember. But there was one piece
of evidence that detectives had, which was the discarded shirt
found in the dumpster. When it was tested, it contained
two DNA hits. One was a match for Don Morrison,
the second was from Michael Canty. Ultimately, Michael was charged
with second degree murder and tampering with evidence. We're going
(03:14):
to continue following this story and bring you an update
when more details have been released. On Saturday, March first,
at around nine to twenty five am, troopers with the
Main State Police were dispatched to a home on River
(03:34):
Road in Norrage Walk for a reported shooting. Deputies with
the Somerset County Sheriff's Office were also called to the
scene regarding the incident. When deputies and troopers alike arrived
on the scene, they made contact with the homeowner that
being fifty nine year old to Daniel Markey. Daniel told
the law enforcement officers that there was a man dead
inside of his home, and during this initial contact, deputies
(03:56):
and troopers noted that Daniel had some contusions and abrasions
to the left side of his face, indicating that he
had possibly been involved in a physical altercation. As law
enforcement offsters made their way into the home, they found
a man dead from apparent gunshot entries. He was later
identified as thirty eight year old at Christopher Nickerson. When
homicide investigators arrived on the scene and began their death investigation,
(04:19):
they spoke with another resident of the home who was
also the co owner of the house alongside Daniel. It
turns out that that resident was Daniel's longtime girlfriend and
the mother of the victim, Christopher Nickerson. There are some
details that are still unknown at the time of this writing,
but what we know for certain is that during the
preliminary investigation, investigators had identified Daniel Marky as the person
(04:41):
responsible for the shooting death of Christopher. He was arrested
and his sentiment booked into jail on a charge of murder.
After his initial court hearing on Monday, he was ordered
to remain in custody without bond. More details regarding this
story are likely to be released in the coming days
and or weeks. When that information has been revealed, will
be sure to bring you an update. Back on Monday,
(05:13):
February twenty fourth, the Dothan Police Department in Alabama received
a call from a man begging and pleading for help
and finding his wife. Officers were then dispatched the man's
home on Hallsmoll Road in order to get a missing
person report on file. Upon the arrival of responding officers,
they established contact with sixty four year old Stephen Miller Sor.
(05:33):
He explained to officers that he had last seen his wife,
fifty seven year old Gloria Miller, two days prior on Saturday,
February twenty second. According to Stephen, Glory was a complete homebody,
usually opting to stay at home rather than being out
and about. If anything, she enjoyed driving to the store
to do some shopping, but when Stephen arrived at their
home on Saturday afternoon, she wasn't there, which was unusual.
(05:57):
Further complicating things was the fact that she didn't really
turn it all. The missing person report was filed and
then passed on to investigators to follow up on. As
investigators started digging into looking into Gloria's strange disappearance, they
learned that both Stephen and Gloria had a bit of
a strained relationship. In July twenty twenty four, Stephen petitioned
the court and filed for a protection order against Gloria,
(06:20):
claiming that she'd allegedly threaten to kill him, their son,
and their ex daughter in law. Stephen later asked for
that protection order to be lifted and dismissed. Around the
same time, Stephen and Gloria's daughter asked for a protective
order against her after she claimed that Gloria was harassing
her and came after her with a knife, but that
request would eventually be denied, And then just two months
(06:43):
ago in January, Stephen once again petitioned the courts asking
for a protection order after she was alleged to have
pushed him and told him that she would quote unquote
destroy him. However, both Stephen and Gloria agreed to see
couple's counseling and seek mental health treatment for Gloria, so
it seems as if there were some issues between the
two that were piquing the interests of the investigators. Just
(07:06):
hours after Stephen had spoken with officers and filed the
missing person reports, a news crew arrived at his home
to speak with him and his family regarding Gloria's disappearance.
But when the camera crew was on the scene, Stephen
appeared to be making phone calls asking people for help
while his family were the ones to speak with the media.
Gloria's brother, Sidney Whittaker stated the following quote, this is
(07:29):
not normal at all. She hangs out around the house.
She doesn't venture away from the home. She pretty much
hangs around the house all the time. Sydney also explained
that he was used to speaking with Gloria daily, but
that all changed after he didn't hear from her on Saturday,
which was the last known sighting of the missing woman.
All the while that the family was speaking with the
media at the home on hals Mill Road. Investigators had
(07:51):
gotten word that Gloria's vehicle was founded at a local
shopping center in Dothan, and when investigators were at that scene,
they were notified by employees of one of the local
businesusinesses that someone had turned in some property that had
been found in the parking lot. The employee stated that
a phone and purse were turned in, both of which
belonged to Gloria. Investigators were able to obtain a warrant
(08:12):
to get surveillance footed from the Porter Square mall where
all of these items had been found, and sure enough,
investigators found video evidence that showed how the car, purse,
and phone had all made their way to the shopping center,
and let me tell you, it wasn't from Gloria. Instead,
Stephen was seen in the video placing the person a
phone in a place that would likely be picked up
(08:34):
by a passer by the shopping center. On Tuesday, February
twenty fifth, the day after Stephen reported his wife as missing,
investigators brought him in to be questioned. When confronted with
the evidence of the surveillance footed from the Porter Square Mall,
he broke down and told the truth. He allegedly admitted
that on Saturday, February twenty second, he had gotten into
(08:54):
a physical altercation with Gloria, which led to him strangling
her with his hands until she was dead. Afterward, he
transported her body to a location in neighboring Geneva County
that he later provided to investigators. He told investigators they
could find her body one mile into Geneva County under
a bridge on Geneva County Road sixty eight. Investigators then
(09:15):
traveled out to the location and confirmed the information. Gloria's
body was removed from the dry Creek bed and then
taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery
for an autopsy. Stephen Miller Senior was arrested in charge
with murder and has since been booked into jail with
a bond set at one point five million dollars. Thanks
(09:36):
so much for tuning in for today's episode of Sword
and Scale Daily. I'm your host, Trian Williams, and we'll
see you back here tomorrow.
Hello and welcome back to Sword and Scale Daily, a
daily show covering all things true crime, five days a week.
It's Tuesday, March fourth. I'm your host, Ryan Williams. In Florida,
a man faces a murder charged months after the decomposing
body of a woman was strong partially buried at a
(00:21):
fast food restaurant. In Maine, law enforcement were called to
a home for reported shooting and found a man dead inside.
The homeowner was later arrested and charged with murder. And
in Alabama, a man called the police to report his
wife missing. Just a day later, he was arrested in
connection to her death. All of this coming at you
(00:42):
right now here on Sword and Scale Daily. Back On Tuesday,
June eighteenth, twenty twenty four, deputies with the Hills Rowe
Keny Sheriff's Office in Florida responded to Church's Chicken in
(01:03):
Tampa after a body was discovered partially buried in the
fast food restaurant's drive through. When deputies arrived, they found
the partially decomposed body of a woman buried in the
dirt and decorative mulch. The body was removed and brought
to the Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy, The victim
was later identified as forty eight year old Don Morrison.
(01:24):
It was determined that she'd only died a few days prior,
on June fifteenth, despite the amount of decomposition that her
body was displaying. Her cause of death was ruled to
be blunt force trauma to the head. As homicide detectives
started looking into Don's death, they pulled surveillance footage from
the area where her body was found. In the footage,
they were able to observe Dawn walking with another individual
(01:45):
who appeared to be an unknown male. Now in the video,
they didn't see the alleged killing taking place, but there
was some audio in which they heard Don allegedly yell
quote quit it, quit it. Help. A short while later,
the same man that Don was observed walking with was
seen walking away from the church's chicken location, headed toward
a dumpster. The video showed the man taking off his
(02:07):
shirt and discarding it, along with some other items, into
the trash bin. For months, detectives searched for the man
seen with Down before her death. Eventually, they identified a
person they wanted to speak with, Unfortunately, he was already
in custody. The man later identified as fifty four year
old Michael Canty, had been previously picked up for failing
to register as a sex offender. Detectives then brought michaelin
(02:30):
to be questioned and asked him if he was familiar
with the victim, to which he said he was. Detectives
then asked Michael when the last time he had seen
Don was to what he stated was the day before
it's believed that she was killed. Michael claimed that he
and Don had been hanging out doing drugs together. When
confronted and shown a still image of the surveillance footage,
he claimed that it was possible that it was him,
(02:52):
though he couldn't clearly remember. But there was one piece
of evidence that detectives had, which was the discarded shirt
found in the dumpster. When it was tested, it contained
two DNA hits. One was a match for Don Morrison,
the second was from Michael Canty. Ultimately, Michael was charged
with second degree murder and tampering with evidence. We're going
(03:14):
to continue following this story and bring you an update
when more details have been released. On Saturday, March first,
at around nine to twenty five am, troopers with the
Main State Police were dispatched to a home on River
(03:34):
Road in Norrage Walk for a reported shooting. Deputies with
the Somerset County Sheriff's Office were also called to the
scene regarding the incident. When deputies and troopers alike arrived
on the scene, they made contact with the homeowner that
being fifty nine year old to Daniel Markey. Daniel told
the law enforcement officers that there was a man dead
inside of his home, and during this initial contact, deputies
(03:56):
and troopers noted that Daniel had some contusions and abrasions
to the left side of his face, indicating that he
had possibly been involved in a physical altercation. As law
enforcement offsters made their way into the home, they found
a man dead from apparent gunshot entries. He was later
identified as thirty eight year old at Christopher Nickerson. When
homicide investigators arrived on the scene and began their death investigation,
(04:19):
they spoke with another resident of the home who was
also the co owner of the house alongside Daniel. It
turns out that that resident was Daniel's longtime girlfriend and
the mother of the victim, Christopher Nickerson. There are some
details that are still unknown at the time of this writing,
but what we know for certain is that during the
preliminary investigation, investigators had identified Daniel Marky as the person
(04:41):
responsible for the shooting death of Christopher. He was arrested
and his sentiment booked into jail on a charge of murder.
After his initial court hearing on Monday, he was ordered
to remain in custody without bond. More details regarding this
story are likely to be released in the coming days
and or weeks. When that information has been revealed, will
be sure to bring you an update. Back on Monday,
(05:13):
February twenty fourth, the Dothan Police Department in Alabama received
a call from a man begging and pleading for help
and finding his wife. Officers were then dispatched the man's
home on Hallsmoll Road in order to get a missing
person report on file. Upon the arrival of responding officers,
they established contact with sixty four year old Stephen Miller Sor.
(05:33):
He explained to officers that he had last seen his wife,
fifty seven year old Gloria Miller, two days prior on Saturday,
February twenty second. According to Stephen, Glory was a complete homebody,
usually opting to stay at home rather than being out
and about. If anything, she enjoyed driving to the store
to do some shopping, but when Stephen arrived at their
home on Saturday afternoon, she wasn't there, which was unusual.
(05:57):
Further complicating things was the fact that she didn't really
turn it all. The missing person report was filed and
then passed on to investigators to follow up on. As
investigators started digging into looking into Gloria's strange disappearance, they
learned that both Stephen and Gloria had a bit of
a strained relationship. In July twenty twenty four, Stephen petitioned
the court and filed for a protection order against Gloria,
(06:20):
claiming that she'd allegedly threaten to kill him, their son,
and their ex daughter in law. Stephen later asked for
that protection order to be lifted and dismissed. Around the
same time, Stephen and Gloria's daughter asked for a protective
order against her after she claimed that Gloria was harassing
her and came after her with a knife, but that
request would eventually be denied, And then just two months
(06:43):
ago in January, Stephen once again petitioned the courts asking
for a protection order after she was alleged to have
pushed him and told him that she would quote unquote
destroy him. However, both Stephen and Gloria agreed to see
couple's counseling and seek mental health treatment for Gloria, so
it seems as if there were some issues between the
two that were piquing the interests of the investigators. Just
(07:06):
hours after Stephen had spoken with officers and filed the
missing person reports, a news crew arrived at his home
to speak with him and his family regarding Gloria's disappearance.
But when the camera crew was on the scene, Stephen
appeared to be making phone calls asking people for help
while his family were the ones to speak with the media.
Gloria's brother, Sidney Whittaker stated the following quote, this is
(07:29):
not normal at all. She hangs out around the house.
She doesn't venture away from the home. She pretty much
hangs around the house all the time. Sydney also explained
that he was used to speaking with Gloria daily, but
that all changed after he didn't hear from her on Saturday,
which was the last known sighting of the missing woman.
All the while that the family was speaking with the
media at the home on hals Mill Road. Investigators had
(07:51):
gotten word that Gloria's vehicle was founded at a local
shopping center in Dothan, and when investigators were at that scene,
they were notified by employees of one of the local
businesusinesses that someone had turned in some property that had
been found in the parking lot. The employee stated that
a phone and purse were turned in, both of which
belonged to Gloria. Investigators were able to obtain a warrant
(08:12):
to get surveillance footed from the Porter Square mall where
all of these items had been found, and sure enough,
investigators found video evidence that showed how the car, purse,
and phone had all made their way to the shopping center,
and let me tell you, it wasn't from Gloria. Instead,
Stephen was seen in the video placing the person a
phone in a place that would likely be picked up
(08:34):
by a passer by the shopping center. On Tuesday, February
twenty fifth, the day after Stephen reported his wife as missing,
investigators brought him in to be questioned. When confronted with
the evidence of the surveillance footed from the Porter Square Mall,
he broke down and told the truth. He allegedly admitted
that on Saturday, February twenty second, he had gotten into
(08:54):
a physical altercation with Gloria, which led to him strangling
her with his hands until she was dead. Afterward, he
transported her body to a location in neighboring Geneva County
that he later provided to investigators. He told investigators they
could find her body one mile into Geneva County under
a bridge on Geneva County Road sixty eight. Investigators then
(09:15):
traveled out to the location and confirmed the information. Gloria's
body was removed from the dry Creek bed and then
taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Montgomery
for an autopsy. Stephen Miller Senior was arrested in charge
with murder and has since been booked into jail with
a bond set at one point five million dollars. Thanks
(09:36):
so much for tuning in for today's episode of Sword
and Scale Daily. I'm your host, Trian Williams, and we'll
see you back here tomorrow.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.