March 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Welcome to Weekly Dispatch where we discuss the latest in true crime news each week!
This week Jules covers the following cases:
- Gene Hackman & wife Betsy Awakara found deceased in New Mexico home
- Connecticut woman holds son captive for 20 years
- Families of the missing come together for Tennessee Missing Children's Day
- "Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin's wife arrested for murder-for-hire plot
- Brian Kohberger's defense team fights to exclude DNA evidence
Jen and I will be at True Crime Podcast Festival in July! To purchase your ticket, use our 20 percent off code Hush20 at checkout. Visit their website https://www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/ for more details and we hope to see you there!
Sources used in today's episode:
LA Times
CBS News
Truecrimenews.com
Fox News
News Nation
USA Today
Don't forget to say hi to your hosts, Jules and Jen!
Instagram:
@yourhostjules
@jenriverainvestigates
Have a case you want us to cover?
Please email us:
outreach@fireeyesmedia.com
Jules: jules@fireeyesmedia.com
Jen: jen@fireeyesmedia.com
Help us keep telling cases by leaving a 5 star review and rating wherever you get podcasts.
True Crime and Headlines is a Fire Eyes Media LLC Network podcast and production.
You're wanted
You're loved and
You deserve to be here
This week Jules covers the following cases:
- Gene Hackman & wife Betsy Awakara found deceased in New Mexico home
- Connecticut woman holds son captive for 20 years
- Families of the missing come together for Tennessee Missing Children's Day
- "Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin's wife arrested for murder-for-hire plot
- Brian Kohberger's defense team fights to exclude DNA evidence
Jen and I will be at True Crime Podcast Festival in July! To purchase your ticket, use our 20 percent off code Hush20 at checkout. Visit their website https://www.truecrimepodcastfestival.com/ for more details and we hope to see you there!
Sources used in today's episode:
LA Times
CBS News
Truecrimenews.com
Fox News
News Nation
USA Today
Don't forget to say hi to your hosts, Jules and Jen!
Instagram:
@yourhostjules
@jenriverainvestigates
Have a case you want us to cover?
Please email us:
outreach@fireeyesmedia.com
Jules: jules@fireeyesmedia.com
Jen: jen@fireeyesmedia.com
Help us keep telling cases by leaving a 5 star review and rating wherever you get podcasts.
True Crime and Headlines is a Fire Eyes Media LLC Network podcast and production.
You're wanted
You're loved and
You deserve to be here
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's time for Weekly Dispatch. Jewles and Jen do you
copy over?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hey guys, it's Jewles and Welcome to Weekly Dispatch. Don't
forget that wherever you're listening, you can go ahead and
give us a five star review or rating. In fact,
we would be so forever thankful. We need those ratings
and reviews to continue to grow and bring you episodes
every week. We love you, We're glad you're here. Without
further ado, let's go. Gene Hackman, ninety eight, and Betsy Alakara,
(00:33):
sixty five, were found de ceased in their New Mexico
home in February of twenty twenty five. Gene Hackman, who
had a lucrative career in Hollywood spanning multiple decades, sparked
headlines nationwide about his death. No, not that he was
ninety eight, nor that he had advanced Alzheimer's or a
heart condition, but that both Gene Hackman and his wife,
(00:54):
Betsy Alakara were found to ceased in the home together.
The younger generations may not be familiar with mister Hackman,
but his contributions to cinematic history are significant, starring in
classic and renowned films such as The French Connection Mississippi,
Burning the Quick and the Dead Hoosiers, along with newer
films you might recognize such as Enemy of the State,
(01:16):
Behind Enemy Lines, Heartbreakers, and so much more. You know, guys,
that's not uncommon for a Hollywood legend to make headlines
after a death and be honored for the legacy of work. However,
this time people were asking if there was foul play.
Another theory circulating the media was that the couple died
from carbon monoxide poisoning. Along with the spouses found deceased,
(01:38):
one of their three dogs was also found deceased. However,
this is only one dog of their three that was
confined in the kennel. Reports later surfaced that Gene and
Betsy had been deceased for multiple days weeks even before
they were discovered. According to Jane's pacemaker, reports show that
it stopped working on February eighteenth, and Betsy's last known
(02:00):
contact was February eleventh. Gene showed no signs of dehydration,
yet he did not have any food in his system.
With advanced Alzheimer's and heart disease, it's very likely that
his wife Betsy passed away first and he was just
not able to understand nor care for himself, causing his
death as well. Betsy's death was ruled natural death by hentavirus.
(02:22):
This is a virus which at first mimics the flu
and is transmitted through mice species of mice that are
infected with the virus, and it can be very fatal.
Authorities found signs of animal entryways in outbuildings, but no
signs from inside the home. This isn't a disease which
can be passed between people or animals. So how did
their dog die? Well, it was the only one in
(02:45):
the kennel, so with Betsy deceased and Gene disoriented and
not taking his medications, the dog likely died from dehydration
or starvation. As for why it was in the kennel.
While the dog's vet tells People Magazine that the couple
loved their pets immensely, Larvette instructed the couple to keep
their twelve year old dogs in a in a crate
(03:05):
while it was recovering from surgery. It had just weeks prior.
Jean's body was discovered near the mudroom in his home,
with his cane and eyeglasses nearby. Betsy's body was discovered
in their bathroom on the floor. Reports show that there
was not a carbon monoxide leak, leading to the bigger question,
who is there to take care of the caretaker. It's
(03:28):
been reported by friends and family that Betsy was very
protective of Jean and was an amazing caretaker all around.
This is tragic and our thoughts are with their loved
ones and their family, and as both the deaths were
ruled natural causes, we will remember both of them as
caring and loving individuals. A news now Nation article by
(03:51):
Julianna Lapour titled Connecticut women arrested for holding stepson captive
for twenty years dives into the bizarre and tragic situation
for the thirty two year old victim. According to the victim,
he tells authorities that the suspect, fifty six year old stepmother,
Kimberly Sullivan, had held him captive for twenty years against
(04:12):
his will, neglected to provide him with dental or medical
or emotional care and support and needs, and he was
left severely emaciated. At five foot nine everyone, he weighs
just sixty eight pounds. The victim was just eleven years
old when this began. Details into this case are still developing. However,
(04:33):
the victim was brought to freedom and safety on February
seventeenth of twenty twenty five, when he claims he set
fire to his room on purpose because he wanted his freedom.
ABC News quotes the mayor of Waterbury during a press
conference stating, quote, it's truly horrifying and beyond comprehension what
occurred here. The young man's unimaginable suffering over the course
(04:55):
of two decades is just a reminder of the darkness
that does exist in our world. Once first responders arrived
on the scene, they noticed immediately that the room where
the fire originated had locks on the exterior of the doors,
and according to ABC News quote, throughout the years, it
appears the locks used on the exterior of that room
(05:17):
increased as time progressed and the victim got older and
a bit stronger. Official set at thursday's press conference end quote.
The victim's biological mother was reportedly not in the victim's
life since he was two years old, and his biological father,
who was married to the suspect. The victim's stepmother was
wheelchair bound and he died in twenty twenty four. Kimberly
(05:40):
Sullivan is, however, maintaining her innocence, and her lawyer tells
ABC News quote, he was not locked in the room,
She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food,
she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.
End quote. Kimberly Sullivan goes on to insist that the
victim's father dictated how his son would be raised, which
(06:01):
interesting given that he was wheelchair bound. The bedroom for
the victim was upstairs, and the only other adult in
the home the months prior to the fire were the
stepmother and the victim. March fourth, two thousand and one,
eleven year old Bethany Markowski disappeared after she allegedly entered
a Jackson, Tennessee, shopping mall, while her father says he
(06:22):
took a nap in the van in the parking lot
to wait for her. Upon waking up, he tell's authorities
that she had not returned. She has not been seen
or heard from since. Zero arrests have been made in
this case. Bethany's mother, Johnny Carter, worked with legislation to
bring more awareness to Tennessee missing children, and it's because
of this effort that March fourth is the official Tennessee
(06:43):
Missing Children's Day. An event put on by Tennessee Missing
Children's Day was held in Lebanon, Tennessee, and I was
able to be there to help facilitate the event. We
heard Johnny speak about this journey along with special guests
FBI agent Scott Lawson, and victim advocates Kathy Nail and
Casey Wicks, sister and mother to Tennessee missing persons Jennifer
Wicks and Adriana Wicks. The following is a clip from
(07:06):
some of the speeches that evening.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
First I wanted to say thank you, but then I
wanted to share some statistics.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Which I know that they got from. FBI is going
to do too, and.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I'm going to share some in Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I don't know if he's doing that, but I
recently started researching because not only is this important to
me and my family, I'm.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Here for all the kids too. I'm here for Bethany,
I'm here for daily.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Friar, I'm here for summer wills, I'm here for all
of Okay, So look at every single one of our
virtures all right in Tennessee. Yesterday, every three hundred and
fifty six missing children cases in our state and Tennessee
ranks number eight in our country.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
For missing people, not just children, but people. There are
nine hundred and thirty two total cases.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
That does not count our unidentified human remains and are
unclaimed people.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Those are completely different. Okay, that's a lot of people.
In the month of January.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
There were almost fifty new missing person's cases in January
and Tennessee alone.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
In December there were thirty three. Okay, so roughly fifty
a month, if within about an entire year.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Some of you've already heard me say this tonight because
it's ingrained in my brain. Now, that's a lot of
people that are disappearing, okay. And as Johnny mentions, not
everyone gets fifty in the news.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Not every child, especially the older children. A lot of
them up there on the wall are teenagers.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
They're runaways, they've got a juvenile record, they've got a disability,
whatever it is that sets their case apart. Not everyone
gets the same opportunity to be in the media.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Not everyone gets shared one hundred thousand times on social media.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So, like Johnny said, you sitting in this room surrounding
our family are the reason why our kids will be
found and social media in two thousand of boord in
two thousand and one, we didn't have that in.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
My space, okay, but now we have.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Facebook, Twitter, We've got YouTube, we got TikTok kind of
and you know Instagram. You know, we got all of
these great avenues to share this really big issue in
our state.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
A Los Angeles Times article by Christy d. Zaila is
titled wife of Ghost Adventurers star Aaron Goodwin arrested on
suspicion of hiring someone to kill him. It reports about
the alleged hire to kill plot. It goes on to
say that the suspect, Victoria Goodwin, was quote arraigned on
charges of solicitation and murder and conspiracy of murder. She
(09:45):
remains behind bars in lieu of one hundred thousand dollars
bail in cash or bond and has a preliminary hearing
set from March twenty fifth end quote. How did this
come to be well? According to the article, Aaron Goodwin's
wife was communicating with a Florida inmate by means of
a entraband phone, and quote she allegedly set aside eleven thousand,
five hundred and fifteen dollars as payment and provided the
(10:07):
inmate with information about when and where her husband could
be found while shooting Ghost Adventurers in California. The police
report said the inmate allegedly contacted someone else regarding the
alleged plot. One message from the inmate said, per the report,
He's asleep right now in the hotel room. I need
to know what's going on. Can I get an update?
(10:28):
Was it done? End quote. Victoria then went on to
ask for reinsurance from the inmate via the text, asking
him if she was a bad person for wanting to
kill her husband instead of divorcing him. The couple married
in twenty twenty two. That was just three years ago,
and according to Aaron Goodwin's statement to the celebrity news
outlet TMZ, after his wife was arrested, he was shocked
(10:52):
to find out about his wife's murder plot for hire
because he believed things were actually going well in his marriage.
Block's news article reports Victoria denies the allegations, along with
saying quote, Victoria told law enforcement she had no recollection
of sending messages to a Florida prisoner and was under
the impression the money exchanged was for cell phones end quote.
(11:15):
This case is still developing. An ABC six article by
Lauren D. Valley and Jean Cesarez of CNN states, quote
Coburger's defense will argue evidence was planted in Idaho's student
murder's case, prosecutors say end quote. Ryan Coberger is currently
on trial for the quadruple murder of four Idaho college students.
(11:39):
So per the article quote, Coburger is accused of fatally
stabbing Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonbalez, Xana Canodle, and Ethan Chapin
at an off campus home in Moscow in November of
twenty twenty two. Not guilty please have been entered on
his behalf and his trial is set to begin in August.
He faces the death penalty if convicted and quot. Okay,
(12:00):
you guys, if you're not familiar with this case, it's
all over true crime podcasts. You just have to look
up the Idaho murder cases. But we do recommend you
catch up with true crime garages coverage, so for context
and those unfamiliar. Brian Coberger's DNA was said to have
been discovered at the crime scene on a knife sheaf
at the scene of the crimes. However, according to the article,
(12:22):
end quote. Instead of challenging the conclusion that the DNA
on the knife sheaf belonged to the defendant, the defense
is expert. Disclosures reveal that the defense plans to argue
the DNA on the knife sheaf does not prove defendant
was ever at the crime scene, and the knife sheath
itself could have been planted by the real perpetrator. End quote. Okay,
(12:46):
this type of defense will allow the defense to acknowledge, yes,
this is his DNA possibly, however, he didn't put it
at the scene he was framed. Now would this mean
he is going to name the real perper And does
this mean that the defense then has to provide a
theory so tight to give the jury a doubt of
guilt for Brian? Will be following what the defense team
(13:08):
comes up with. Fay proceed to go with the defense
that Brian was framed. The defense team claims the evidence
found on the knife is not absolute. A Fox News
segment explains in more detail the defense's argument about excluding
the DNA evidence from the trial. Take a listen to this, guys.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Let's bring in criminal defense a journey LEXI rigged in
Now from RLR to the LR at issue here, and
without getting too wonky, does the defense have a good
argument should this evidence be excluded? You know, I'm not.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Sure that all of the evidence would be excluded, but
I think that they are trying to pinpoint the language
around the evidence. What they don't want is somebody getting
up on the stand and saying that the evidence was inconclusive,
which could lead a jury to believe that that means
that maybe his DNA was under her finger nails. I mean,
just in Layman's terms, these people are not scientists that
(14:03):
are going to be deciding this and even reading the motion.
I think that the lawyer that actually even wrote the
motion is a DNA expert herself, because this is very,
very convoluted in terms of the science. But they don't
want to confuse a jury by saying inconclusive and then
have people go back in the jury room and say, well,
that must mean if they can't exclude him, then he
is included. But the biggest bombshell in that report was
(14:26):
actually kind of at the end, and it was almost
almost like an afterthought in the I'm sorry, I said
report in the motion, and it said that further testing
actually excluded Brian Coberger so that they tested that sample
and he was actually excluded. So there's going to kind
of be some competing testimony in the trial.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
You make an important point. Science can get wonky, can
get complicated for a jury. So bottom line this for us,
if somehow this DNA evidence is excluded, is there enough
other evidence to convict or could call the worker actually
be found not guilty of these murders.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Well that's the sixty thousand dollars question. And he's got
some very talented attorneys. He's got a lot of attorneys
who represent him even in other states, who have been
allowed to participate in the proceedings. So I think this
entire case really comes down to the DNA, and we've
actually learned a lot through the motions. One of the
things a few weeks ago that we learned just by
(15:25):
listening to the oral argument is is the defense had
said that the prosecution has never said how he's actually
connected with these victims. And so we learn a lot
sort by reading these filings and hearing what's being said
that is not otherwise coming out. And so the DNA
either way is going to be crucial.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Jen and I will be at the True Crime Podcast
Festival this year. That's right, your true Crime and Headlines
host will be there representing true Crime and Headlines and
Missing in Hushtown seasons one and two from our network,
Fire Eyes Media, and we're all so excited to be
with fellow Fireized network podcast Weird True Crime. Gina and
(16:05):
Amber will also be there representing their podcast. This festival
is July eighteenth through the twentieth at the Double Tree
Boston North Shore Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. This is for
true crime professionals, enthusiasts, producers, advocates, families, fans, et cetera.
Jen and I would love to visit with you. Let's
hang out there, Let's grab a meal altogether, grab a drink,
(16:26):
and talk about all things true crime and podcasting and
victim advocacy. To purchase your ticket, use our twenty percent
off code Hush twenty at check out and visit their
website True Crime Podcast Festival dot com for more details
and we hope to see you there. Thank you for
joining us for weekly dispatch. We'll be back next week
for the next weekly dispatch. To submit a case, please
(16:48):
email us Outreach at Fireeyesmedia dot com. I remember you're wanted,
your loved and your butt looks great. Bye guys, fire
(17:29):
Eyes Media,
It's time for Weekly Dispatch. Jewles and Jen do you
copy over?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Hey guys, it's Jewles and Welcome to Weekly Dispatch. Don't
forget that wherever you're listening, you can go ahead and
give us a five star review or rating. In fact,
we would be so forever thankful. We need those ratings
and reviews to continue to grow and bring you episodes
every week. We love you, We're glad you're here. Without
further ado, let's go. Gene Hackman, ninety eight, and Betsy Alakara,
(00:33):
sixty five, were found de ceased in their New Mexico
home in February of twenty twenty five. Gene Hackman, who
had a lucrative career in Hollywood spanning multiple decades, sparked
headlines nationwide about his death. No, not that he was
ninety eight, nor that he had advanced Alzheimer's or a
heart condition, but that both Gene Hackman and his wife,
(00:54):
Betsy Alakara were found to ceased in the home together.
The younger generations may not be familiar with mister Hackman,
but his contributions to cinematic history are significant, starring in
classic and renowned films such as The French Connection Mississippi,
Burning the Quick and the Dead Hoosiers, along with newer
films you might recognize such as Enemy of the State,
(01:16):
Behind Enemy Lines, Heartbreakers, and so much more. You know, guys,
that's not uncommon for a Hollywood legend to make headlines
after a death and be honored for the legacy of work. However,
this time people were asking if there was foul play.
Another theory circulating the media was that the couple died
from carbon monoxide poisoning. Along with the spouses found deceased,
(01:38):
one of their three dogs was also found deceased. However,
this is only one dog of their three that was
confined in the kennel. Reports later surfaced that Gene and
Betsy had been deceased for multiple days weeks even before
they were discovered. According to Jane's pacemaker, reports show that
it stopped working on February eighteenth, and Betsy's last known
(02:00):
contact was February eleventh. Gene showed no signs of dehydration,
yet he did not have any food in his system.
With advanced Alzheimer's and heart disease, it's very likely that
his wife Betsy passed away first and he was just
not able to understand nor care for himself, causing his
death as well. Betsy's death was ruled natural death by hentavirus.
(02:22):
This is a virus which at first mimics the flu
and is transmitted through mice species of mice that are
infected with the virus, and it can be very fatal.
Authorities found signs of animal entryways in outbuildings, but no
signs from inside the home. This isn't a disease which
can be passed between people or animals. So how did
their dog die? Well, it was the only one in
(02:45):
the kennel, so with Betsy deceased and Gene disoriented and
not taking his medications, the dog likely died from dehydration
or starvation. As for why it was in the kennel.
While the dog's vet tells People Magazine that the couple
loved their pets immensely, Larvette instructed the couple to keep
their twelve year old dogs in a in a crate
(03:05):
while it was recovering from surgery. It had just weeks prior.
Jean's body was discovered near the mudroom in his home,
with his cane and eyeglasses nearby. Betsy's body was discovered
in their bathroom on the floor. Reports show that there
was not a carbon monoxide leak, leading to the bigger question,
who is there to take care of the caretaker. It's
(03:28):
been reported by friends and family that Betsy was very
protective of Jean and was an amazing caretaker all around.
This is tragic and our thoughts are with their loved
ones and their family, and as both the deaths were
ruled natural causes, we will remember both of them as
caring and loving individuals. A news now Nation article by
(03:51):
Julianna Lapour titled Connecticut women arrested for holding stepson captive
for twenty years dives into the bizarre and tragic situation
for the thirty two year old victim. According to the victim,
he tells authorities that the suspect, fifty six year old stepmother,
Kimberly Sullivan, had held him captive for twenty years against
(04:12):
his will, neglected to provide him with dental or medical
or emotional care and support and needs, and he was
left severely emaciated. At five foot nine everyone, he weighs
just sixty eight pounds. The victim was just eleven years
old when this began. Details into this case are still developing. However,
(04:33):
the victim was brought to freedom and safety on February
seventeenth of twenty twenty five, when he claims he set
fire to his room on purpose because he wanted his freedom.
ABC News quotes the mayor of Waterbury during a press
conference stating, quote, it's truly horrifying and beyond comprehension what
occurred here. The young man's unimaginable suffering over the course
(04:55):
of two decades is just a reminder of the darkness
that does exist in our world. Once first responders arrived
on the scene, they noticed immediately that the room where
the fire originated had locks on the exterior of the doors,
and according to ABC News quote, throughout the years, it
appears the locks used on the exterior of that room
(05:17):
increased as time progressed and the victim got older and
a bit stronger. Official set at thursday's press conference end quote.
The victim's biological mother was reportedly not in the victim's
life since he was two years old, and his biological father,
who was married to the suspect. The victim's stepmother was
wheelchair bound and he died in twenty twenty four. Kimberly
(05:40):
Sullivan is, however, maintaining her innocence, and her lawyer tells
ABC News quote, he was not locked in the room,
She did not restrain him in any way. She provided food,
she provided shelter. She is blown away by these allegations.
End quote. Kimberly Sullivan goes on to insist that the
victim's father dictated how his son would be raised, which
(06:01):
interesting given that he was wheelchair bound. The bedroom for
the victim was upstairs, and the only other adult in
the home the months prior to the fire were the
stepmother and the victim. March fourth, two thousand and one,
eleven year old Bethany Markowski disappeared after she allegedly entered
a Jackson, Tennessee, shopping mall, while her father says he
(06:22):
took a nap in the van in the parking lot
to wait for her. Upon waking up, he tell's authorities
that she had not returned. She has not been seen
or heard from since. Zero arrests have been made in
this case. Bethany's mother, Johnny Carter, worked with legislation to
bring more awareness to Tennessee missing children, and it's because
of this effort that March fourth is the official Tennessee
(06:43):
Missing Children's Day. An event put on by Tennessee Missing
Children's Day was held in Lebanon, Tennessee, and I was
able to be there to help facilitate the event. We
heard Johnny speak about this journey along with special guests
FBI agent Scott Lawson, and victim advocates Kathy Nail and
Casey Wicks, sister and mother to Tennessee missing persons Jennifer
Wicks and Adriana Wicks. The following is a clip from
(07:06):
some of the speeches that evening.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
First I wanted to say thank you, but then I
wanted to share some statistics.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Which I know that they got from. FBI is going
to do too, and.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
I'm going to share some in Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I don't know if he's doing that, but I
recently started researching because not only is this important to
me and my family, I'm.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Here for all the kids too. I'm here for Bethany,
I'm here for daily.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Friar, I'm here for summer wills, I'm here for all
of Okay, So look at every single one of our
virtures all right in Tennessee. Yesterday, every three hundred and
fifty six missing children cases in our state and Tennessee
ranks number eight in our country.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
For missing people, not just children, but people. There are
nine hundred and thirty two total cases.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
That does not count our unidentified human remains and are
unclaimed people.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Those are completely different. Okay, that's a lot of people.
In the month of January.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
There were almost fifty new missing person's cases in January
and Tennessee alone.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
In December there were thirty three. Okay, so roughly fifty
a month, if within about an entire year.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Some of you've already heard me say this tonight because
it's ingrained in my brain. Now, that's a lot of
people that are disappearing, okay. And as Johnny mentions, not
everyone gets fifty in the news.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Not every child, especially the older children. A lot of
them up there on the wall are teenagers.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
They're runaways, they've got a juvenile record, they've got a disability,
whatever it is that sets their case apart. Not everyone
gets the same opportunity to be in the media.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Not everyone gets shared one hundred thousand times on social media.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So, like Johnny said, you sitting in this room surrounding
our family are the reason why our kids will be
found and social media in two thousand of boord in
two thousand and one, we didn't have that in.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
My space, okay, but now we have.
Speaker 1 (09:06):
Facebook, Twitter, We've got YouTube, we got TikTok kind of
and you know Instagram. You know, we got all of
these great avenues to share this really big issue in
our state.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
A Los Angeles Times article by Christy d. Zaila is
titled wife of Ghost Adventurers star Aaron Goodwin arrested on
suspicion of hiring someone to kill him. It reports about
the alleged hire to kill plot. It goes on to
say that the suspect, Victoria Goodwin, was quote arraigned on
charges of solicitation and murder and conspiracy of murder. She
(09:45):
remains behind bars in lieu of one hundred thousand dollars
bail in cash or bond and has a preliminary hearing
set from March twenty fifth end quote. How did this
come to be well? According to the article, Aaron Goodwin's
wife was communicating with a Florida inmate by means of
a entraband phone, and quote she allegedly set aside eleven thousand,
five hundred and fifteen dollars as payment and provided the
(10:07):
inmate with information about when and where her husband could
be found while shooting Ghost Adventurers in California. The police
report said the inmate allegedly contacted someone else regarding the
alleged plot. One message from the inmate said, per the report,
He's asleep right now in the hotel room. I need
to know what's going on. Can I get an update?
(10:28):
Was it done? End quote. Victoria then went on to
ask for reinsurance from the inmate via the text, asking
him if she was a bad person for wanting to
kill her husband instead of divorcing him. The couple married
in twenty twenty two. That was just three years ago,
and according to Aaron Goodwin's statement to the celebrity news
outlet TMZ, after his wife was arrested, he was shocked
(10:52):
to find out about his wife's murder plot for hire
because he believed things were actually going well in his marriage.
Block's news article reports Victoria denies the allegations, along with
saying quote, Victoria told law enforcement she had no recollection
of sending messages to a Florida prisoner and was under
the impression the money exchanged was for cell phones end quote.
(11:15):
This case is still developing. An ABC six article by
Lauren D. Valley and Jean Cesarez of CNN states, quote
Coburger's defense will argue evidence was planted in Idaho's student
murder's case, prosecutors say end quote. Ryan Coberger is currently
on trial for the quadruple murder of four Idaho college students.
(11:39):
So per the article quote, Coburger is accused of fatally
stabbing Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonbalez, Xana Canodle, and Ethan Chapin
at an off campus home in Moscow in November of
twenty twenty two. Not guilty please have been entered on
his behalf and his trial is set to begin in August.
He faces the death penalty if convicted and quot. Okay,
(12:00):
you guys, if you're not familiar with this case, it's
all over true crime podcasts. You just have to look
up the Idaho murder cases. But we do recommend you
catch up with true crime garages coverage, so for context
and those unfamiliar. Brian Coberger's DNA was said to have
been discovered at the crime scene on a knife sheaf
at the scene of the crimes. However, according to the article,
(12:22):
end quote. Instead of challenging the conclusion that the DNA
on the knife sheaf belonged to the defendant, the defense
is expert. Disclosures reveal that the defense plans to argue
the DNA on the knife sheaf does not prove defendant
was ever at the crime scene, and the knife sheath
itself could have been planted by the real perpetrator. End quote. Okay,
(12:46):
this type of defense will allow the defense to acknowledge, yes,
this is his DNA possibly, however, he didn't put it
at the scene he was framed. Now would this mean
he is going to name the real perper And does
this mean that the defense then has to provide a
theory so tight to give the jury a doubt of
guilt for Brian? Will be following what the defense team
(13:08):
comes up with. Fay proceed to go with the defense
that Brian was framed. The defense team claims the evidence
found on the knife is not absolute. A Fox News
segment explains in more detail the defense's argument about excluding
the DNA evidence from the trial. Take a listen to this, guys.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Let's bring in criminal defense a journey LEXI rigged in
Now from RLR to the LR at issue here, and
without getting too wonky, does the defense have a good
argument should this evidence be excluded? You know, I'm not.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Sure that all of the evidence would be excluded, but
I think that they are trying to pinpoint the language
around the evidence. What they don't want is somebody getting
up on the stand and saying that the evidence was inconclusive,
which could lead a jury to believe that that means
that maybe his DNA was under her finger nails. I mean,
just in Layman's terms, these people are not scientists that
(14:03):
are going to be deciding this and even reading the motion.
I think that the lawyer that actually even wrote the
motion is a DNA expert herself, because this is very,
very convoluted in terms of the science. But they don't
want to confuse a jury by saying inconclusive and then
have people go back in the jury room and say, well,
that must mean if they can't exclude him, then he
is included. But the biggest bombshell in that report was
(14:26):
actually kind of at the end, and it was almost
almost like an afterthought in the I'm sorry, I said
report in the motion, and it said that further testing
actually excluded Brian Coberger so that they tested that sample
and he was actually excluded. So there's going to kind
of be some competing testimony in the trial.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
You make an important point. Science can get wonky, can
get complicated for a jury. So bottom line this for us,
if somehow this DNA evidence is excluded, is there enough
other evidence to convict or could call the worker actually
be found not guilty of these murders.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
Well that's the sixty thousand dollars question. And he's got
some very talented attorneys. He's got a lot of attorneys
who represent him even in other states, who have been
allowed to participate in the proceedings. So I think this
entire case really comes down to the DNA, and we've
actually learned a lot through the motions. One of the
things a few weeks ago that we learned just by
(15:25):
listening to the oral argument is is the defense had
said that the prosecution has never said how he's actually
connected with these victims. And so we learn a lot
sort by reading these filings and hearing what's being said
that is not otherwise coming out. And so the DNA
either way is going to be crucial.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Jen and I will be at the True Crime Podcast
Festival this year. That's right, your true Crime and Headlines
host will be there representing true Crime and Headlines and
Missing in Hushtown seasons one and two from our network,
Fire Eyes Media, and we're all so excited to be
with fellow Fireized network podcast Weird True Crime. Gina and
(16:05):
Amber will also be there representing their podcast. This festival
is July eighteenth through the twentieth at the Double Tree
Boston North Shore Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. This is for
true crime professionals, enthusiasts, producers, advocates, families, fans, et cetera.
Jen and I would love to visit with you. Let's
hang out there, Let's grab a meal altogether, grab a drink,
(16:26):
and talk about all things true crime and podcasting and
victim advocacy. To purchase your ticket, use our twenty percent
off code Hush twenty at check out and visit their
website True Crime Podcast Festival dot com for more details
and we hope to see you there. Thank you for
joining us for weekly dispatch. We'll be back next week
for the next weekly dispatch. To submit a case, please
(16:48):
email us Outreach at Fireeyesmedia dot com. I remember you're wanted,
your loved and your butt looks great. Bye guys, fire
(17:29):
Eyes Media,
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