October 13, 2025 • 27 mins
Reid Carter covers Drake's defamation lawsuit dismissed - judge rules Kendrick Lamar calling him a pedophile in "Not Like Us" was opinion, not fact, in the context of a heated rap battle. Twenty-three bodies found in Houston bayous this year spark serial killer fears, but officials insist there's no connection - retired detectives disagree, calling it "unlikely" to be coincidence. Mark Sievers returns to court fighting his death sentence for hiring his best friend to murder his wife Teresa with a hammer for insurance money and custody of their daughters. One celebrity lawsuit, one mysterious pattern of deaths, one husband on death row.
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Join our new FB groups page here. Take the poll!
Join the Celebrity Trials community on social media! We're building a passionate group of true crime enthusiasts who love diving deep into the most shocking cases in America.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching "Celebrity Trials Podcast" on either platform.
You'll get exclusive behind-the-scenes content, breaking news updates on cases we're covering, and early alerts when new episodes drop. Our social media is where Reid Carter's hottest takes live, including reactions that don't make it into the show.
But more importantly, it's where YOU come in. Share your theories, debate the verdicts, and connect with fellow listeners who are just as obsessed with justice as you are. Did the jury get it right? What questions do you still have? Your comments and insights often shape future episodes.
We cover the trials that matter, but our community makes the conversation unforgettable. Come for Reid's signature cynical commentary, stay for the incredible discussions with thousands of true crime fans who get it.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Caalarogus Shark Media, Good morning, I'm read Carter Monday, October thirteenth,
twenty twenty five. Finally a celebrity case that doesn't involve murder.
Drake sued Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's disk track
Not Like Us. Kendrick called Drake a pedophile. Literally Thursday,
(00:27):
a federal judge tossed the lawsuit. Her ruling in the
context of a heated rap battle, no reasonable listener would
believe Kendrick was stating facts its opinion protected speech. Drake's appealing.
Twenty three bodies have been found in Houston Bayous this year.
Officials say there's no serial killer, just coincidence, drownings, accidents,
(00:49):
nothing to worry about, But retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Jackaloni
isn't buying it. Something is afoot, he told Fox News
a coincidence unlikely. Bodies found every other day in the
same waterways, different ages, genders, ethnicities, no obvious pattern except
(01:09):
they all end up in Bayous and Houston residents are
launching their own investigations because they don't trust official answers.
And Mark Sievers is back in court fighting his death
sentence in twenty fifteen, he hired hitmen to murder his wife, Teresa,
with a hammer five insurance policies totaling four point four
million dollars. Mark attended her funeral and said, I was
(01:32):
and still am, the luckiest man in the world. Now
he's on death row, trying to overturn his conviction. I'm
Red Carter today.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Drake versus Kendrick the Houston Bayou mystery that officials refused
to investigate as serial killings and the husband who hired
hitman then gave a touching eulogy. This is Celebrity Trials.
Drake versus Kendrick Lamar, the most infamous rap battle in
hip hop history, and now a defamation lawsuit. Spring twenty
(02:06):
twenty four, the feud erupts. Drake and Kendrick, two of
hip hop's biggest stars, start trading distracks. It escalates quickly.
In April, Drake releases push ups, mocks Kendrick's height and
shoe size, questions his success. Kendrick responds with euphoria, insults
(02:27):
Drake's fashion sense, and questions his authenticity. Then it gets
vicious personal The insults become attacks. May twenty twenty four,
Kendrick drops not like Us. Judge Janette Vargas calls it
the metaphorical killing blow. The song has a catchy beat,
propulsive bassline. It becomes one of twenty twenty four's biggest songs,
(02:51):
wins Record of the Year and Song of the Year
at the Grammys, helps make the Super Bowl halftime show
the most watched ever. When Kendrick performs it, and the
lyrics explicitly called Drake a pedophile. I hear you like
him young. That's not subtle, that's direct. The song attacks
Drake as a colonizer of rap culture, makes insinuations about
(03:12):
his sex life, calls him out by name. The cover
art shows an aerial photo of Drake's Toronto mansion with
more than a dozen sex offender markers overlaid on it,
like Drake's house is full of registered sex offenders. Obviously exaggerated,
obviously doctored, but there it is, Drake's home marked as
a sex offender residence. January twenty twenty five, Drake files
(03:37):
a defamation lawsuit, not against Kendrick, directly against Universal Music Group,
the parent label for both artists. The lawsuit alleges UMG
intentionally published and promoted Not Like Us despite knowing it
contained false, defamatory allegations that it tarnished Drake's reputation and
decreased his brand value. Drake also blamed the song for
(04:00):
real world consequences attempted break ins at his Toronto home,
a security guard shot. The lawsuit claims the song suggested
listeners should resort to vigilante justice against Drake. UMG denies everything,
says the lawsuit is an affront to all artists and
their creative expression. Thursday, October ninth, Judge Vargas tosses the lawsuit.
(04:27):
Her written opinion is fascinating. She recaps perhaps the most
infamous rap battle in the genre's history, acknowledges that calling
someone a pedophile is certainly a serious accusation, then explains
why it's not defamation. Context matters. This is a rap battle,
not a news article, not a documentary, not investigative journalism.
(04:49):
Its two rappers trading insults in a public feud that
both participated in willingly. Vargas writes, a reasonable listener could
not have concluded that Not Like Us was conveying objective
facts about Drake. The broader context of a heated rap
battle with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants,
(05:10):
would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that the
song imparts verifiable facts. She notes the song as replete
with profanity, trash talking, threats of violence, and figurative and
hyperbolic language, all of which are indichia of opinion. A
reasonable listener, she says, would conclude that Lamar is wrapping
(05:31):
hyperbolic vituperations. Hyperbolic vituperations. That's legal language for over the
top insults. Vargas also addresses the cover art thirteen sex
offender markers on Drake's mansion, her ruling, no reasonable person
would view the image and believe that law enforcement had
designated thirteen residents in Drake's home as sex offenders. It's
(05:55):
obviously exaggerated and doctored. The judge considers the forum rap
battles aren't thoughtful investigations, they're not fact checked content. They're
artists insulting each other creatively. The average listener understands this.
Nobody hears a distrack and thinks, well, that must be
literally true because it's in a song. Drake's lawyers immediately
(06:19):
announce their appealing They believe the Court of Appeals will
overturn this ruling. U MG's statement from the outset this
suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression.
We're pleased with the dismissal and look forward to continuing
our work promoting Drake's music and investing in his career.
(06:39):
Think about the implications if Drake won. Every distrack becomes
a defamation lawsuit. Every rapper who calls another rapper a name,
questions their credibility, makes exaggerated claims, faces legal liability. Hip
hop battles, a fundamental part of the culture become legally dangerous.
(07:00):
Eminem's entire career would be litigation. Every beef would end
in court instead of on tracks. Artists would lawyer up
before releasing songs. The genre would fundamentally change. Kendrick didn't testify,
wasn't a defendant. This was Drake versus Universal Music Group,
Drake arguing that his own label should have protected him
from another artist on the same label, UMG arguing that
(07:23):
both artists have creative freedom and the label can't censor
one to protect the other. The song generated massive attention
for both artists. Kendrick got Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl.
Drake got a dismissed lawsuit, but the feud itself generated publicity,
streams engagement. Both artists benefited commercially even as they destroyed
(07:45):
each other lyrically. Will the appeal succeed. Probably not. First
Amendment protects opinion. Rap battles are clearly opinion. The context
is so obviously hyperbolic that no reasonable person mistakes it
for factual reporting. Courts protect artistic expression, especially when both
parties are public figures engaged in a voluntary public feud.
(08:06):
Drake could have responded with another disk track, could have
ignored it, could have addressed it in interviews. Instead, he sued,
and now Not Like Us is more famous than ever
because of the lawsuit, the strissand effect in action. Kendrick
Lamar called Drake a pedophile in a Grammy winning song.
The courts say that's protected speech. Welcome to hip hop.
(08:30):
We'll be right back with the Houston Bayou mystery and
twenty three bodies that officials refused to investigate as serial killings. Houston,
(08:52):
Texas America's fourth largest city, and this year, twenty three
bodies have been pulled from the city's Bayous official say
it's not a serial killer, just coincidence. Retired detectives say
that's unlikely, and Houston residents are conducting their own investigations
because they don't trust the answers they're getting. Late September,
(09:13):
officials announce five bodies found in five days. Houston police
claim the total for twenty twenty five is fourteen deaths,
but KPRC investigates using medical examiner records, the real number
is twenty two, and Wednesday, October ninth, another body is
found in white Oak by U twenty three. Last year,
(09:33):
twenty four bodies were found in Houston BYOUS this year,
with almost three months still remaining, we're already at twenty three,
one less than the entire previous year. But officials say
there's no pattern, no serial killer, nothing to worry about.
Mayor John Whitmyer, September twenty third, enough of misinformation and
wild speculation by either social media, elected officials, candidates, the media.
(09:56):
We do not have any evidence that there is a
serial killer loose in Houston, Texas. Strong denial, forceful definitive,
no evidence, just drownings accidents. Houston has two thousand, five
hundred miles of Bayous, people fall in, it happens, move along.
But Joseph Jackaloni, retired NYPD sergeant and criminal justice professor
(10:19):
at Penn State Lee High Valley, isn't buying it, he
told Fox News. Something is afoot, a coincidence unlikely. Jackoloni
says more work needs to be done. A careful inspection
of each case is warranted, including the forty eight hours
prior to the discovery of their disappearance. That's the key question.
What happened in the forty eight hours before these people
(10:42):
ended up in Bayous? Where were they? Who saw them?
How did they get to the water? Did they fall?
Were they pushed? Were they killed elsewhere and dumped? Houston
police say there's no pattern, but let's look at the victims.
The first found last month was jade Elise McKissick, twenty
(11:03):
years old University of Houston student. September eleventh. She left
a local bar, left her cell phone behind, went to
a gas station next door to buy a drink, walked
toward brays by You September fifteenth, her body was discovered.
No signs of trauma or foul play, police say. Lauren Johnson,
who sang with McKissick in Church told The Daily Mail,
(11:26):
Jade was such a light in our room. She was
talented and always had a smile on her face. Jade
was also a great friend to me, whom I looked
up to for her ambition and her go get it attitude.
I miss her so much and I hope her family
finds closure. Closure requires answers. How does a twenty year
old walk toward to buy you and end up dead
(11:48):
with no signs of foul play? What happened in those
four days between leaving the bar and being found? The
latest three identified seth Hanson thirty four, found September sixth,
sixteenth in White Oak Bayou. Arnulfo Alvarado sixty three, found
September eighteenth in Buffalo by You Mikaela Miller, age unavailable,
(12:10):
found nearly a week later. Police Captain Salaam Zia says
there's no pattern. It runs the gamut genders, ethnicities, age range,
and that's the official position. Different victims, different locations, different circumstances,
no connection. Twenty three people ages fourteen to sixty nine,
males and females, different ethnicities, all found in Houston Bayous.
(12:35):
Police say no connection, but retired NYPD sergeant Kevin Gannon
has a theory. Gannon believes the deaths could be connected
to the Smiley Faced killings, a controversial theory that claims
young college aged men found dead across the US were
murdered by organized serial killers. The FBI has rejected this theory,
(12:56):
most criminologists dismiss it, but Gannon in sissists. He told
Fox News, We've never seen drowning numbers like this before,
especially with a drowning occurring every other day in the
same location. He admits the age range doesn't match the
typical smiley face pattern, usually young men in their twenties,
but suggests the killers might be expanding their victim pool.
(13:19):
Gannon provides no evidence, just speculation based on a theory
the FBI calls unfounded, but his comments fuel the rumors.
Social media explodes with theories, TikTok videos warning people to
avoid byous amateur detectives launching investigations. TikTok user Darius Sticker,
(13:40):
let's set up a trap. As you know we have
a serial killer on the loose. Just the thought that
could possibly be my baby girl one day get snatched
up and found in a by you That really bothers me.
The police is clearly having a problem doing their job.
I'm not understanding. After the first body, why aren't there
people staking out and watching? Good question? Twenty three bodies
(14:02):
and ten months, Why no surveillance, Why no increased patrols,
Why no undercover operations? If officials truly believed these were murders,
wouldn't they be doing more? But officials maintain these are
drownings accidents. Houston Mayor John Whitmyer suggested drug and alcohol
abuse among the homeless could be a factor. Said, some
(14:24):
are thrown in by others living on the streets. That's
a theory based on speculation about a vulnerable population with
no evidence to support it. Jackloni, the retired NYPD sergeant,
called Whitmyer's remarks premature. You have sixteen bodies, he was
speaking before the latest deaths. You can't just say everybody's
dying and getting thrown into the river, and everybody's homeless.
(14:47):
You don't even know if they're from your town. That's
the problem. Autopsies aren't complete, causes of death aren't determined.
Some victims haven't been identified, but officials are already declaring
there's no seri real killer. How do they know without
completing investigations. Christa Gering, criminal justice professor at University of
(15:07):
Houston Downtown, explained to The Daily Mail why she doesn't
think it's a serial killer. When serial killers kill an individual,
there's a cooling off period, so to find multiple bodies
all at once or one day after the next is
not characteristic. Serial Killers also have signatures, specific methods, victim types.
(15:28):
They prey on vulnerable people in Houston. Gehing says, the
only pattern is these bodies show up in a by you.
But what if the pattern is the by you itself?
What if someone is targeting people near water or dumping
bodies in water knowing they'll be found, but evidence will
be degraded, Water washes away, DNA degrades trace evidence makes
(15:53):
time of death harder to determine. Wednesday's body number twenty
three was found in White Oak by You at one
hundred Marie Street around nine ten am. No obvious signs
of foul play, Police say, dive team recovered it, autopsy pending,
cause of death pending, everything pending, while officials maintain there's
(16:13):
no connection to the other twenty two bodies. The Daily
Mail reached out to Houston Police and the Harris County
Institute of Forensic Sciences for comment about when investigations might
be concluded. Houston Police said there were no new updates
to provide. No updates. Twenty three bodies ten months and
officials say there's nothing to investigate. Maybe they're right. Maybe
(16:37):
it's all coincidence. Twenty three people fell into Bayous or
drowned or died near water naturally, different ages, genders, locations, circumstances,
all unconnected. Just Houston's water problem getting worse this year.
Or maybe Joseph Jackaloni is right, something is afoot, a
coincidence unlikely. Maybe Houston has a serial killer targeting people
(17:01):
near Bayous. Maybe someone is getting away with murder because
officials refuse to connect the dots. Maybe twenty three families
deserve better answers than no signs of foul play while
autopsies sit incomplete. Houston residents don't trust official answers. They're
conducting their own investigations, launching amateur detective work, warning each
(17:22):
other on TikTok. Because when twenty three bodies appear in
your city's waterways and officials say it's nothing, you start
wondering what they're not telling you. Or maybe social media
is creating panic where none should exist. Maybe criminologists are
right that drownings happen more than people realize. Maybe officials
are being responsible by not declaring a serial killer without evidence.
(17:45):
But twenty three bodies in ten months, that's one every
two weeks, and we still don't know how most of
them died, What happened in those forty eight hours before
they ended up in the water, whether they were alone
or with someone, whether they fell or were pushed. Those
are the questions Joseph Jackaloni wants investigated. Those are the
(18:06):
questions Houston residents want answered. Those are the questions officials
aren't addressing while they insist there's nothing to worry about.
More in a moment, Lee County, Florida, June twenty eighth,
(18:27):
twenty fifteen, doctor Teresa Severs returns home from a family
vacation in Connecticut. She'd cut the trip short to see
patients at her holistic medical practice. The next morning, her husband,
Mark had driven her to LaGuardia Airport so she could
fly home alone. Teresa lands at Southwest Florida International Airport.
Surveillance cameras capture her last moments alive. She drives home
(18:50):
to Benita Springs, opens the front door. Two men are
waiting inside. They beat her to death with a hammer
seventeen strikes. The next morning, Teresa doesn't show up at work.
Mark calls a family friend and asks them to check
on her. The friend finds Teresa's body on the kitchen floor,
a hammer beside her. Mark attends the funeral, appearing distraught,
(19:13):
gives a touching speech, I was and still am the
luckiest man in the world, tears grief. The devastated widower,
except Mark hired the killers, planned the whole thing, and
investigators knew it from the start. Teresa Severs was born
Teresa Anne Grace Tottenham in nineteen sixty eight. Valedictorian of
(19:36):
her high school class. Wanted to be a doctor since
sixth grade, graduated from Ross University School of Medicine, completed
residency at University of Florida. Smart, driven, successful, she married
Mark Severs, the brother of one of her friends, in
two thousand and three. They had two daughters, aged eleven
and eight. When their mother was murdered in two thousand
(19:59):
and six, the family moved to Benita Springs. They opened
Restorative Health and Healing Center in Aestero, a holistic medical practice.
Teresa was profiled in a local women's magazine shortly before
her death, living the dream. But Mark had problems, marriage problems,
money problems. He confided in his childhood friend, Curtis Wayne
(20:21):
Wright Junior, that Teresa was going to take their daughters
away that he couldn't afford to fight for custody. Wright
told Mark his only option was for Teresa to die.
Mark agreed, said he'd pay Right to help. The two
men planned how to kill her. Why five insurance policies
on Teresa, totaling four point four three three million dollars.
(20:44):
Mark wanted the money and wanted custody of his daughters.
Teresa alive was an obstacle. Teresa dead solved both problems.
Wright enlisted a third man, Jimmy Ray Rogers. Right paid
Rogers to help with the murder. Didn't know Teresa had
no connection to Florida. He was just a hitman for
hire who needed money. June twenty seventh, twenty fifteen, Write
(21:10):
rents a car in Hillsboro, Missouri, picks up Rogers. They
drive over one thousand miles to Florida. GPS logs track
the entire route. They stop at a gas station caught
on surveillance, arrive at the Severs home around six am
on June twenty eighth. They enter the property, disable the
security alarm, leave, drive to a local Walmart. Surveillance catches
(21:33):
them buying trash bags, wet wipes, black towels, black shoes,
and a lock picking kit. Return to the house wait.
Teresa lands in Florida that night, drives home, enters her house,
write in Roger's ambush her seventeen hammer strikes. They leave
immediately drive back to Missouri in the early hours of
(21:54):
June twenty ninth. For two months, no leads. Then August
twenty fifteen, police act on a tip, arrest Right and
Rogers in Missouri, both charged with murder. Rogers's girlfriend tells
police that Rogers admitted to the killing. Said Mark hired Wright,
who hired Rogers. By this time, Mark is under suspicion.
(22:17):
Hours after Teresa's funeral, investigators watched him throw computer equipment
into a dumpster behind the medical office. Initially cooperative, handing
over his cell phone, then he stops cooperating refuses to help.
December twenty fifteen, Mark is arrested and charged with murder.
The connection between him and Right is solid, the evidence overwhelming.
(22:39):
Curtis Wright takes a plea deal twenty five years in
exchange for testimony against Mark, and Rogers pleads guilty to
second degree murder. Sentenced in twenty sixteen. Jimmy Rodgers goes
to trial. Initially faces first degree murder and possible death penalty.
Convicted of the lesser charge of second degree murder plus
tresad passing October twenty nineteen. Found guilty December twenty nineteen.
(23:06):
Sentenced to life in prison. Mark Sievers goes to trial
December fourth, twenty nineteen. Convicted of first degree murder. The
jury unanimously recommends death. January third, twenty twenty, Judge Bruce
Kyle sentences him to death. Mark appeals twenty twenty two.
Florida Supreme Court affirms his conviction and denies his death
(23:29):
row appeal November seventeenth, twenty twenty two. Appeal rejected. Two
weeks later, Mark files a new motion for rehearing. Today
October thirteenth, twenty twenty five, Mark Sievers is back in court,
fighting to have his conviction and death sentence overturned. Jail
records show he's been transferred from death row to Lee
(23:51):
County custody for the hearing. What's his argument We don't
know yet. He's already lost one appeal, The Florida Supreme
Court already reviewed and rejected his claims. This hearing might
be his last chance. The evidence against him is overwhelming,
writs testimony, GPS data, surveillance footage, the insurance policies, his
(24:11):
behavior after Teresa's death, the computer equipment thrown in a dumpster,
his refusal to cooperate once he became a suspect, and
that eulogy. I was and still am, the luckiest man
in the world, said while standing over the coffin of
the wife he had murdered for insurance money. That's not grief,
(24:33):
that's performance. That's a psychopath playing the role of devastated widower.
Teresa's daughters live with their maternal grandmother now have since
May twenty sixteen. They lost their mother to murder and
their father to prison. Their teenagers now would be about
twenty and seventeen, growing up knowing their father hired hitmen
(24:55):
to murder their mother. Right is eligible for release in
twenty forty one. If he his full sentence, he'll be
in his sixties. Rogers is serving life without parole, will
die in prison. Mark Sievers sits on death row at
Union Correctional Institution. Unless this appeal succeeds, he'll be executed.
Florida uses lethal injection. Mark planned a murder for hire
(25:18):
that left his daughter's orphaned and his wife beaten to
death on the kitchen floor. The state plans to kill
him for it. Today's hearing will determine if he gets
another chance, if the conviction stands or gets overturned, if
the death sentence remains or gets reduced. We'll cover the
outcome when it's announced. That's celebrity trials for Monday, October thirteenth,
(25:44):
twenty twenty five. Drake sued Universal Music Group because Kendrick
Lamar called him a pedophile. In Nott like US, judge
ruled its opinion in the context of a rap battle,
not defamation, dismissed Drake's appealing. First Amendment protects hyperbolic V
two operations in distracks. Twenty three bodies found in Houston
bayous this year. Officials say no serial killer, just coincidence.
(26:09):
Retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Jackaloni disagrees something is afoot, a
coincidence unlikely. Houston residents are conducting their own investigations because
they don't trust official answers. Autopsy's incomplete, causes of death unknown,
but officials already declared there's nothing to investigate. Mark Sievers
(26:31):
is back in court fighting his death sentence for hiring
hitman to murder his wife, Teresa with a hammer, five
insurance policies, four point four million dollars, two daughters. He
attended her funeral and said he was the luckiest man
in the world. The Florida Supreme Court already denied his appeal.
This might be his last chance. I'm reed Carter. One
(26:54):
celebrity lawsuit without bloodshed, one city with twenty three bodies
and no answers. One huss been on death row for
hiring murder See you tomorrow. This is celebrity trials. By
the way, we have a poll going in our Facebook
group's page. Do you want to hear more classic celebrity trials,
more current murder cases or is the mix just right?
(27:15):
Let us know. Search celebrity trials in Facebook groups or
follow the link in the show notes. We'd love to
hear from you.
Caalarogus Shark Media, Good morning, I'm read Carter Monday, October thirteenth,
twenty twenty five. Finally a celebrity case that doesn't involve murder.
Drake sued Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's disk track
Not Like Us. Kendrick called Drake a pedophile. Literally Thursday,
(00:27):
a federal judge tossed the lawsuit. Her ruling in the
context of a heated rap battle, no reasonable listener would
believe Kendrick was stating facts its opinion protected speech. Drake's appealing.
Twenty three bodies have been found in Houston Bayous this year.
Officials say there's no serial killer, just coincidence, drownings, accidents,
(00:49):
nothing to worry about, But retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Jackaloni
isn't buying it. Something is afoot, he told Fox News
a coincidence unlikely. Bodies found every other day in the
same waterways, different ages, genders, ethnicities, no obvious pattern except
(01:09):
they all end up in Bayous and Houston residents are
launching their own investigations because they don't trust official answers.
And Mark Sievers is back in court fighting his death
sentence in twenty fifteen, he hired hitmen to murder his wife, Teresa,
with a hammer five insurance policies totaling four point four
million dollars. Mark attended her funeral and said, I was
(01:32):
and still am, the luckiest man in the world. Now
he's on death row, trying to overturn his conviction. I'm
Red Carter today.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Drake versus Kendrick the Houston Bayou mystery that officials refused
to investigate as serial killings and the husband who hired
hitman then gave a touching eulogy. This is Celebrity Trials.
Drake versus Kendrick Lamar, the most infamous rap battle in
hip hop history, and now a defamation lawsuit. Spring twenty
(02:06):
twenty four, the feud erupts. Drake and Kendrick, two of
hip hop's biggest stars, start trading distracks. It escalates quickly.
In April, Drake releases push ups, mocks Kendrick's height and
shoe size, questions his success. Kendrick responds with euphoria, insults
(02:27):
Drake's fashion sense, and questions his authenticity. Then it gets
vicious personal The insults become attacks. May twenty twenty four,
Kendrick drops not like Us. Judge Janette Vargas calls it
the metaphorical killing blow. The song has a catchy beat,
propulsive bassline. It becomes one of twenty twenty four's biggest songs,
(02:51):
wins Record of the Year and Song of the Year
at the Grammys, helps make the Super Bowl halftime show
the most watched ever. When Kendrick performs it, and the
lyrics explicitly called Drake a pedophile. I hear you like
him young. That's not subtle, that's direct. The song attacks
Drake as a colonizer of rap culture, makes insinuations about
(03:12):
his sex life, calls him out by name. The cover
art shows an aerial photo of Drake's Toronto mansion with
more than a dozen sex offender markers overlaid on it,
like Drake's house is full of registered sex offenders. Obviously exaggerated,
obviously doctored, but there it is, Drake's home marked as
a sex offender residence. January twenty twenty five, Drake files
(03:37):
a defamation lawsuit, not against Kendrick, directly against Universal Music Group,
the parent label for both artists. The lawsuit alleges UMG
intentionally published and promoted Not Like Us despite knowing it
contained false, defamatory allegations that it tarnished Drake's reputation and
decreased his brand value. Drake also blamed the song for
(04:00):
real world consequences attempted break ins at his Toronto home,
a security guard shot. The lawsuit claims the song suggested
listeners should resort to vigilante justice against Drake. UMG denies everything,
says the lawsuit is an affront to all artists and
their creative expression. Thursday, October ninth, Judge Vargas tosses the lawsuit.
(04:27):
Her written opinion is fascinating. She recaps perhaps the most
infamous rap battle in the genre's history, acknowledges that calling
someone a pedophile is certainly a serious accusation, then explains
why it's not defamation. Context matters. This is a rap battle,
not a news article, not a documentary, not investigative journalism.
(04:49):
Its two rappers trading insults in a public feud that
both participated in willingly. Vargas writes, a reasonable listener could
not have concluded that Not Like Us was conveying objective
facts about Drake. The broader context of a heated rap
battle with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants,
(05:10):
would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that the
song imparts verifiable facts. She notes the song as replete
with profanity, trash talking, threats of violence, and figurative and
hyperbolic language, all of which are indichia of opinion. A
reasonable listener, she says, would conclude that Lamar is wrapping
(05:31):
hyperbolic vituperations. Hyperbolic vituperations. That's legal language for over the
top insults. Vargas also addresses the cover art thirteen sex
offender markers on Drake's mansion, her ruling, no reasonable person
would view the image and believe that law enforcement had
designated thirteen residents in Drake's home as sex offenders. It's
(05:55):
obviously exaggerated and doctored. The judge considers the forum rap
battles aren't thoughtful investigations, they're not fact checked content. They're
artists insulting each other creatively. The average listener understands this.
Nobody hears a distrack and thinks, well, that must be
literally true because it's in a song. Drake's lawyers immediately
(06:19):
announce their appealing They believe the Court of Appeals will
overturn this ruling. U MG's statement from the outset this
suit was an affront to all artists and their creative expression.
We're pleased with the dismissal and look forward to continuing
our work promoting Drake's music and investing in his career.
(06:39):
Think about the implications if Drake won. Every distrack becomes
a defamation lawsuit. Every rapper who calls another rapper a name,
questions their credibility, makes exaggerated claims, faces legal liability. Hip
hop battles, a fundamental part of the culture become legally dangerous.
(07:00):
Eminem's entire career would be litigation. Every beef would end
in court instead of on tracks. Artists would lawyer up
before releasing songs. The genre would fundamentally change. Kendrick didn't testify,
wasn't a defendant. This was Drake versus Universal Music Group,
Drake arguing that his own label should have protected him
from another artist on the same label, UMG arguing that
(07:23):
both artists have creative freedom and the label can't censor
one to protect the other. The song generated massive attention
for both artists. Kendrick got Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl.
Drake got a dismissed lawsuit, but the feud itself generated publicity,
streams engagement. Both artists benefited commercially even as they destroyed
(07:45):
each other lyrically. Will the appeal succeed. Probably not. First
Amendment protects opinion. Rap battles are clearly opinion. The context
is so obviously hyperbolic that no reasonable person mistakes it
for factual reporting. Courts protect artistic expression, especially when both
parties are public figures engaged in a voluntary public feud.
(08:06):
Drake could have responded with another disk track, could have
ignored it, could have addressed it in interviews. Instead, he sued,
and now Not Like Us is more famous than ever
because of the lawsuit, the strissand effect in action. Kendrick
Lamar called Drake a pedophile in a Grammy winning song.
The courts say that's protected speech. Welcome to hip hop.
(08:30):
We'll be right back with the Houston Bayou mystery and
twenty three bodies that officials refused to investigate as serial killings. Houston,
(08:52):
Texas America's fourth largest city, and this year, twenty three
bodies have been pulled from the city's Bayous official say
it's not a serial killer, just coincidence. Retired detectives say
that's unlikely, and Houston residents are conducting their own investigations
because they don't trust the answers they're getting. Late September,
(09:13):
officials announce five bodies found in five days. Houston police
claim the total for twenty twenty five is fourteen deaths,
but KPRC investigates using medical examiner records, the real number
is twenty two, and Wednesday, October ninth, another body is
found in white Oak by U twenty three. Last year,
(09:33):
twenty four bodies were found in Houston BYOUS this year,
with almost three months still remaining, we're already at twenty three,
one less than the entire previous year. But officials say
there's no pattern, no serial killer, nothing to worry about.
Mayor John Whitmyer, September twenty third, enough of misinformation and
wild speculation by either social media, elected officials, candidates, the media.
(09:56):
We do not have any evidence that there is a
serial killer loose in Houston, Texas. Strong denial, forceful definitive,
no evidence, just drownings accidents. Houston has two thousand, five
hundred miles of Bayous, people fall in, it happens, move along.
But Joseph Jackaloni, retired NYPD sergeant and criminal justice professor
(10:19):
at Penn State Lee High Valley, isn't buying it, he
told Fox News. Something is afoot, a coincidence unlikely. Jackoloni
says more work needs to be done. A careful inspection
of each case is warranted, including the forty eight hours
prior to the discovery of their disappearance. That's the key question.
What happened in the forty eight hours before these people
(10:42):
ended up in Bayous? Where were they? Who saw them?
How did they get to the water? Did they fall?
Were they pushed? Were they killed elsewhere and dumped? Houston
police say there's no pattern, but let's look at the victims.
The first found last month was jade Elise McKissick, twenty
(11:03):
years old University of Houston student. September eleventh. She left
a local bar, left her cell phone behind, went to
a gas station next door to buy a drink, walked
toward brays by You September fifteenth, her body was discovered.
No signs of trauma or foul play, police say. Lauren Johnson,
who sang with McKissick in Church told The Daily Mail,
(11:26):
Jade was such a light in our room. She was
talented and always had a smile on her face. Jade
was also a great friend to me, whom I looked
up to for her ambition and her go get it attitude.
I miss her so much and I hope her family
finds closure. Closure requires answers. How does a twenty year
old walk toward to buy you and end up dead
(11:48):
with no signs of foul play? What happened in those
four days between leaving the bar and being found? The
latest three identified seth Hanson thirty four, found September sixth,
sixteenth in White Oak Bayou. Arnulfo Alvarado sixty three, found
September eighteenth in Buffalo by You Mikaela Miller, age unavailable,
(12:10):
found nearly a week later. Police Captain Salaam Zia says
there's no pattern. It runs the gamut genders, ethnicities, age range,
and that's the official position. Different victims, different locations, different circumstances,
no connection. Twenty three people ages fourteen to sixty nine,
males and females, different ethnicities, all found in Houston Bayous.
(12:35):
Police say no connection, but retired NYPD sergeant Kevin Gannon
has a theory. Gannon believes the deaths could be connected
to the Smiley Faced killings, a controversial theory that claims
young college aged men found dead across the US were
murdered by organized serial killers. The FBI has rejected this theory,
(12:56):
most criminologists dismiss it, but Gannon in sissists. He told
Fox News, We've never seen drowning numbers like this before,
especially with a drowning occurring every other day in the
same location. He admits the age range doesn't match the
typical smiley face pattern, usually young men in their twenties,
but suggests the killers might be expanding their victim pool.
(13:19):
Gannon provides no evidence, just speculation based on a theory
the FBI calls unfounded, but his comments fuel the rumors.
Social media explodes with theories, TikTok videos warning people to
avoid byous amateur detectives launching investigations. TikTok user Darius Sticker,
(13:40):
let's set up a trap. As you know we have
a serial killer on the loose. Just the thought that
could possibly be my baby girl one day get snatched
up and found in a by you That really bothers me.
The police is clearly having a problem doing their job.
I'm not understanding. After the first body, why aren't there
people staking out and watching? Good question? Twenty three bodies
(14:02):
and ten months, Why no surveillance, Why no increased patrols,
Why no undercover operations? If officials truly believed these were murders,
wouldn't they be doing more? But officials maintain these are
drownings accidents. Houston Mayor John Whitmyer suggested drug and alcohol
abuse among the homeless could be a factor. Said, some
(14:24):
are thrown in by others living on the streets. That's
a theory based on speculation about a vulnerable population with
no evidence to support it. Jackloni, the retired NYPD sergeant,
called Whitmyer's remarks premature. You have sixteen bodies, he was
speaking before the latest deaths. You can't just say everybody's
dying and getting thrown into the river, and everybody's homeless.
(14:47):
You don't even know if they're from your town. That's
the problem. Autopsies aren't complete, causes of death aren't determined.
Some victims haven't been identified, but officials are already declaring
there's no seri real killer. How do they know without
completing investigations. Christa Gering, criminal justice professor at University of
(15:07):
Houston Downtown, explained to The Daily Mail why she doesn't
think it's a serial killer. When serial killers kill an individual,
there's a cooling off period, so to find multiple bodies
all at once or one day after the next is
not characteristic. Serial Killers also have signatures, specific methods, victim types.
(15:28):
They prey on vulnerable people in Houston. Gehing says, the
only pattern is these bodies show up in a by you.
But what if the pattern is the by you itself?
What if someone is targeting people near water or dumping
bodies in water knowing they'll be found, but evidence will
be degraded, Water washes away, DNA degrades trace evidence makes
(15:53):
time of death harder to determine. Wednesday's body number twenty
three was found in White Oak by You at one
hundred Marie Street around nine ten am. No obvious signs
of foul play, Police say, dive team recovered it, autopsy pending,
cause of death pending, everything pending, while officials maintain there's
(16:13):
no connection to the other twenty two bodies. The Daily
Mail reached out to Houston Police and the Harris County
Institute of Forensic Sciences for comment about when investigations might
be concluded. Houston Police said there were no new updates
to provide. No updates. Twenty three bodies ten months and
officials say there's nothing to investigate. Maybe they're right. Maybe
(16:37):
it's all coincidence. Twenty three people fell into Bayous or
drowned or died near water naturally, different ages, genders, locations, circumstances,
all unconnected. Just Houston's water problem getting worse this year.
Or maybe Joseph Jackaloni is right, something is afoot, a
coincidence unlikely. Maybe Houston has a serial killer targeting people
(17:01):
near Bayous. Maybe someone is getting away with murder because
officials refuse to connect the dots. Maybe twenty three families
deserve better answers than no signs of foul play while
autopsies sit incomplete. Houston residents don't trust official answers. They're
conducting their own investigations, launching amateur detective work, warning each
(17:22):
other on TikTok. Because when twenty three bodies appear in
your city's waterways and officials say it's nothing, you start
wondering what they're not telling you. Or maybe social media
is creating panic where none should exist. Maybe criminologists are
right that drownings happen more than people realize. Maybe officials
are being responsible by not declaring a serial killer without evidence.
(17:45):
But twenty three bodies in ten months, that's one every
two weeks, and we still don't know how most of
them died, What happened in those forty eight hours before
they ended up in the water, whether they were alone
or with someone, whether they fell or were pushed. Those
are the questions Joseph Jackaloni wants investigated. Those are the
(18:06):
questions Houston residents want answered. Those are the questions officials
aren't addressing while they insist there's nothing to worry about.
More in a moment, Lee County, Florida, June twenty eighth,
(18:27):
twenty fifteen, doctor Teresa Severs returns home from a family
vacation in Connecticut. She'd cut the trip short to see
patients at her holistic medical practice. The next morning, her husband,
Mark had driven her to LaGuardia Airport so she could
fly home alone. Teresa lands at Southwest Florida International Airport.
Surveillance cameras capture her last moments alive. She drives home
(18:50):
to Benita Springs, opens the front door. Two men are
waiting inside. They beat her to death with a hammer
seventeen strikes. The next morning, Teresa doesn't show up at work.
Mark calls a family friend and asks them to check
on her. The friend finds Teresa's body on the kitchen floor,
a hammer beside her. Mark attends the funeral, appearing distraught,
(19:13):
gives a touching speech, I was and still am the
luckiest man in the world, tears grief. The devastated widower,
except Mark hired the killers, planned the whole thing, and
investigators knew it from the start. Teresa Severs was born
Teresa Anne Grace Tottenham in nineteen sixty eight. Valedictorian of
(19:36):
her high school class. Wanted to be a doctor since
sixth grade, graduated from Ross University School of Medicine, completed
residency at University of Florida. Smart, driven, successful, she married
Mark Severs, the brother of one of her friends, in
two thousand and three. They had two daughters, aged eleven
and eight. When their mother was murdered in two thousand
(19:59):
and six, the family moved to Benita Springs. They opened
Restorative Health and Healing Center in Aestero, a holistic medical practice.
Teresa was profiled in a local women's magazine shortly before
her death, living the dream. But Mark had problems, marriage problems,
money problems. He confided in his childhood friend, Curtis Wayne
(20:21):
Wright Junior, that Teresa was going to take their daughters
away that he couldn't afford to fight for custody. Wright
told Mark his only option was for Teresa to die.
Mark agreed, said he'd pay Right to help. The two
men planned how to kill her. Why five insurance policies
on Teresa, totaling four point four three three million dollars.
(20:44):
Mark wanted the money and wanted custody of his daughters.
Teresa alive was an obstacle. Teresa dead solved both problems.
Wright enlisted a third man, Jimmy Ray Rogers. Right paid
Rogers to help with the murder. Didn't know Teresa had
no connection to Florida. He was just a hitman for
hire who needed money. June twenty seventh, twenty fifteen, Write
(21:10):
rents a car in Hillsboro, Missouri, picks up Rogers. They
drive over one thousand miles to Florida. GPS logs track
the entire route. They stop at a gas station caught
on surveillance, arrive at the Severs home around six am
on June twenty eighth. They enter the property, disable the
security alarm, leave, drive to a local Walmart. Surveillance catches
(21:33):
them buying trash bags, wet wipes, black towels, black shoes,
and a lock picking kit. Return to the house wait.
Teresa lands in Florida that night, drives home, enters her house,
write in Roger's ambush her seventeen hammer strikes. They leave
immediately drive back to Missouri in the early hours of
(21:54):
June twenty ninth. For two months, no leads. Then August
twenty fifteen, police act on a tip, arrest Right and
Rogers in Missouri, both charged with murder. Rogers's girlfriend tells
police that Rogers admitted to the killing. Said Mark hired Wright,
who hired Rogers. By this time, Mark is under suspicion.
(22:17):
Hours after Teresa's funeral, investigators watched him throw computer equipment
into a dumpster behind the medical office. Initially cooperative, handing
over his cell phone, then he stops cooperating refuses to help.
December twenty fifteen, Mark is arrested and charged with murder.
The connection between him and Right is solid, the evidence overwhelming.
(22:39):
Curtis Wright takes a plea deal twenty five years in
exchange for testimony against Mark, and Rogers pleads guilty to
second degree murder. Sentenced in twenty sixteen. Jimmy Rodgers goes
to trial. Initially faces first degree murder and possible death penalty.
Convicted of the lesser charge of second degree murder plus
tresad passing October twenty nineteen. Found guilty December twenty nineteen.
(23:06):
Sentenced to life in prison. Mark Sievers goes to trial
December fourth, twenty nineteen. Convicted of first degree murder. The
jury unanimously recommends death. January third, twenty twenty, Judge Bruce
Kyle sentences him to death. Mark appeals twenty twenty two.
Florida Supreme Court affirms his conviction and denies his death
(23:29):
row appeal November seventeenth, twenty twenty two. Appeal rejected. Two
weeks later, Mark files a new motion for rehearing. Today
October thirteenth, twenty twenty five, Mark Sievers is back in court,
fighting to have his conviction and death sentence overturned. Jail
records show he's been transferred from death row to Lee
(23:51):
County custody for the hearing. What's his argument We don't
know yet. He's already lost one appeal, The Florida Supreme
Court already reviewed and rejected his claims. This hearing might
be his last chance. The evidence against him is overwhelming,
writs testimony, GPS data, surveillance footage, the insurance policies, his
(24:11):
behavior after Teresa's death, the computer equipment thrown in a dumpster,
his refusal to cooperate once he became a suspect, and
that eulogy. I was and still am, the luckiest man
in the world, said while standing over the coffin of
the wife he had murdered for insurance money. That's not grief,
(24:33):
that's performance. That's a psychopath playing the role of devastated widower.
Teresa's daughters live with their maternal grandmother now have since
May twenty sixteen. They lost their mother to murder and
their father to prison. Their teenagers now would be about
twenty and seventeen, growing up knowing their father hired hitmen
(24:55):
to murder their mother. Right is eligible for release in
twenty forty one. If he his full sentence, he'll be
in his sixties. Rogers is serving life without parole, will
die in prison. Mark Sievers sits on death row at
Union Correctional Institution. Unless this appeal succeeds, he'll be executed.
Florida uses lethal injection. Mark planned a murder for hire
(25:18):
that left his daughter's orphaned and his wife beaten to
death on the kitchen floor. The state plans to kill
him for it. Today's hearing will determine if he gets
another chance, if the conviction stands or gets overturned, if
the death sentence remains or gets reduced. We'll cover the
outcome when it's announced. That's celebrity trials for Monday, October thirteenth,
(25:44):
twenty twenty five. Drake sued Universal Music Group because Kendrick
Lamar called him a pedophile. In Nott like US, judge
ruled its opinion in the context of a rap battle,
not defamation, dismissed Drake's appealing. First Amendment protects hyperbolic V
two operations in distracks. Twenty three bodies found in Houston
bayous this year. Officials say no serial killer, just coincidence.
(26:09):
Retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Jackaloni disagrees something is afoot, a
coincidence unlikely. Houston residents are conducting their own investigations because
they don't trust official answers. Autopsy's incomplete, causes of death unknown,
but officials already declared there's nothing to investigate. Mark Sievers
(26:31):
is back in court fighting his death sentence for hiring
hitman to murder his wife, Teresa with a hammer, five
insurance policies, four point four million dollars, two daughters. He
attended her funeral and said he was the luckiest man
in the world. The Florida Supreme Court already denied his appeal.
This might be his last chance. I'm reed Carter. One
(26:54):
celebrity lawsuit without bloodshed, one city with twenty three bodies
and no answers. One huss been on death row for
hiring murder See you tomorrow. This is celebrity trials. By
the way, we have a poll going in our Facebook
group's page. Do you want to hear more classic celebrity trials,
more current murder cases or is the mix just right?
(27:15):
Let us know. Search celebrity trials in Facebook groups or
follow the link in the show notes. We'd love to
hear from you.
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