December 4, 2025 • 21 mins
Reid Carter covers fiery Day 2 testimony as Denny Hamlin called NASCAR's charter agreement his team's "death certificate" and accused the league of dictating what drivers say publicly. Michael Jordan grinned as his co-owner went to verbal combat with NASCAR's attorney. Internal documents revealed executives panicked over a "LIV Golf-type" breakaway threat. One year ago today, Luigi Mangione allegedly assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson - pretrial hearings continue as defense fights to suppress the gun and manifesto. Brian Walsh trial Day 2: Massachusetts State Trooper testified about laptop searches including "The Trashbag Killer" serial killer research and "10 ways to dispose of a body."
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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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Callaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm reed Carter. Thursday, December fourth,
twenty twenty five, One year ago Today, six forty five am, midtown, Manhattan.
Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, walking to the Hilton Hotel.
(00:23):
A masked gunman approached from behind. Three shots. Thompson fell.
The shooter fled on a bicycle. Today marks the one
year anniversary of an assassination that shocked corporate America. Luigi
Mangoni's pre trial hearings continue in Manhattan. His lawyers are
fighting to throw out the gun and manifesto that could
seal his fate. If they succeed, prosecutors lose their murder
(00:45):
weapon and their motive. The hearings could extend through today's
Grim anniversary. Charlotte, North Carolina, Day two of Michael Jordan
versus NASCAR turned into a verbal slugfest. Denny Hamlin, three
time Daytona five hundred winner and Jordan's co owner at
twenty three eleven Racing, went to war with NASCAR's attorney
(01:07):
for three and a half hours, called the twenty twenty
five charter Agreement. Essentially my team's death certificate, said he
tells fans what NASCAR wants him to say. That's my job.
You give me talking points. I say it to make
fans feel happy. Jordan sat in the front row, grinning
as his driver unloaded on the France Family Empire and Dedham, Massachusetts.
(01:33):
Day two of Brian Walsh's murder trial for the death
of his wife Anna brought disturbing testimony about his laptop searches.
A state trooper read through a binder of Google queries,
including ten ways to dispose of a dead body and
research on Patrick Kearney, a serial killer known as the
trash Bag Killer. Walsh's defense says he panicked after finding
(01:55):
his wife dead. Prosecutors say he planned her murder and
dismembered her body. I'm read Carter today. Three trials, an
anniversary of assassination, a driver declaring war on his own sport,
and a husband whose search history reads like a murder manual.
This is celebrity trials. Let's start in Charlotte, Western District
(02:21):
of North Carolina. Michael Jordan versus NASCAR Day two. Yesterday
we covered the explosive discovery documents, executives calling Hall of
Fame owner's stupid rednecks who should be flogged Jordan disrupting
jury selection just by existing Denny Hamlin breaking down crying
about his dying father's sacrifices. Day two was different. Day
(02:43):
two was war. Hamlin returned to the witness stand Tuesday morning,
three and a half hours of testimony. The first part
was direct examination by his own attorneys, but then came
cross examination by NASCAR attorney Lawrence Butterman. That's when things
got Hamlin openly showed his intense dislike for NASCAR, as
Budermann tried to use the driver's own words against him.
(03:07):
Start with Jim France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO, member of
the family that founded the sport in nineteen forty eight.
Hamlin testified he spotted France eating alone at lunch during
NASCAR Awards Week in Nashville back in twenty twenty three,
charter negotiations were ongoing. Hamlin was worried, so he joined
(03:27):
France for lunch came away very very discouraged. France told
Hamlin directly the problem in NASCAR as team spend too
much money. Said team should only be spending ten million
dollars per season. Current average is twenty million. Cut your
costs in half. Hamlin told France that wasn't realistic. We've
cut this grass so short, we're down to the dirt.
(03:50):
Asked France how he could ever recoup his investment in
the sport. France had no answer. The twenty twenty five
charter agreement was so bad. Hamlin told the jury, we
will not be in business if we sign this within
ten years. This is essentially my team's death certificate for
the future. NASCAR's attorney asked if bringing a lawsuit was
(04:12):
the right response. I think it was the only decision,
Hamlin said. It's time for change. All I knew is
we were right and what they did was wrong. Then,
Buttermann tried to weaponize Hamlin's own words. Showed the jury
a pitch deck Hamlin presented to Michael Jordan before they
formed twenty three to eleven Racing. The deck praised NASCAR's
(04:34):
financial model, praise the next gen car that was supposed
to cut costs, made the sports sound like a great investment.
Hamlin had an answer. I believed NASCAR when they told
me it would cut operating costs by forty percent. That
never happened. He trusted the league. The league lied Butterman
then showed clips from a podcast appearance where Hamlin praised
(04:57):
the next gen car publicly, the the same car twenty
three to eleven is now using as evidence of NASCAR's
monopoly power. Hamlin fired back, all my public comments are
out of context. What I do publicly is put out
positive messages. That's my job. You give me talking points.
I say it to make fans feel happy. Booterermann asked
if that means people can't trust what Hamlin says publicly,
(05:21):
that's nonsense. Hamlin shot back, but then he said the
quiet part out loud. If he was negative publicly, you
guys have an issue with that, and there would be
repercussions at the racetrack. You're able to essentially dictate how
I do. Make it make sense. NASCAR's star driver is
testifying under oath that the league controls what drivers say publicly,
(05:43):
that speaking negatively about NASCAR has consequences on the track,
that every positive public statement is a talking point, not
genuine enthusiasm. Twenty three eleven's profit margin two point two
six percent. Hamlin said he's one sponsor away from having
all this profit gone. His optimistic goal is to reach
(06:04):
ten percent profit margin, that's the dream. But Budermann had
ammunition too, showed the jury messages from Jordan's chief financial
officer Gene Mason and co owner Curtis Polk, calling Hamlin
a terrible businessman who spends money recklessly. Hamlin brushed it off,
(06:24):
said it was their job to keep him in check.
Me and Michael, we want to win. Michael Jordan, sitting
in the front row, nodded and smiled throughout Hamlin's combative testimony.
Jordan was visibly delighted, grinning, smirking, shaking his head, laughing.
His driver was going to war with the France Family Empire,
(06:45):
and Jordan loved every second. Boterman pressed on damages. Twenty
three eleven is asking the jury for two hundred five
million dollars a nine hundred percent return on Hamlin's ten
million dollar investment. Isn't that excessive? Hamlin struggled to answer,
said he'd leave financial questions to the experts, but his
message was clear, we want to be made whole for
(07:07):
what you guys did to us. The afternoon brought NASCAR
executive Scott Prime to the stand, Executive vice president for strategy,
the team's attorney Jeffrey Kessler began building his anti trust
case using Prime's own internal memos. Showed the jury how
NASCAR was concerned about a possible live golf type situation,
(07:29):
a breakaway stock car series that could threaten their monopoly.
Prime's strategy documents laid out options to counter that threat.
One option strengthen relationships with Speedway Motorsports, the company that
owns many of the major tracks. That relationship did strengthen.
NASCAR's sanction agreement with Las Vegas Motor Speedway included a
(07:52):
two year exclusivity clause extending beyond the contract term, meaning
the track couldn't host any rival series until twenty six,
exactly the window when a breakaway series would most likely form. Then,
Kessler showed a document Prime prepared for a meeting with
senior executives and Jim Franz. The document laid out two
(08:12):
pathways forward Pathway one, NASCAR has all the leverage and
the teams will almost have to sign the terms we
put in front of them. Prime testified he disagreed with
that approach, pushed for compromise. Other executives agreed with him.
Kessler showed text messages from then NASCAR president Steve Phelps,
citing a chart that had zero wins for teams. Then
(08:35):
COO Steve O'Donnell texted that the lack of support for
teams would result in a nineteen ninety eight f the
team's dictatorship Redneck Southern Tiny Sport. Kessler argued Jim Frantz
chose the first pathway anyway forced the agreement through despite
his own executive's objections. Prime denied it, said progress had
(08:57):
been made from my point of view where we land
was strong for the teams, But when Kessler ran through
the list of everything teams had asked for during negotiations,
Prime had to admit NASCAR didn't ultimately concede on any
of them. Prime's testimony continues today. Here's what's emerging. NASCAR's
(09:19):
own documents show executives worried about their monopoly power being challenged.
Their own texts show frustration with leadership treating teams poorly,
their own strategy memos show plans to lock up tracks
with exclusivity clauses, and their own star driver is testifying
that the league controls public messaging and punishes dissent. Michael
(09:41):
Jordan is betting two hundred five million dollars that a
jury will see what he sees. A family empire that
squeezes teams dry while calling them rednecks behind their backs,
make it make sense. We'll be right back with the
one year anniversary of Brian Thompson's assassination and Luigi Mangoni's
(10:02):
ongoing fight to suppress the evidence against him. Welcome back
to celebrity trials. I'm reed Carter December fourth, twenty twenty four,
(10:23):
exactly one year ago today, Brian Thompson was fifty years old,
CEO of United Healthcare, married father of two from Minnesota,
walking to work on a cold December morning in Manhattan.
Annual investor conference at the Hilton Hotel scheduled for later
that day six forty five am. A masked figure approached
(10:46):
from behind on West fifty fourth Street, raised a nine
millimeter handgun shot Thompson in the back. Thompson fell to
the sidewalk. The shooter fled on a bicycle disappeared into
Central Park. Five days later, a cuss to mure at
a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, thought a man eating breakfast
looked like the suspect. She was right. Luigi Mangione was arrested,
(11:09):
found with a gun, fake ID, and a notebook prosecutors
say contains his manifesto. One year later, Mangioni is still
fighting to keep that evidence from a jury. This week's
pre trial hearings in Manhattan are focused on one question.
Did police violate Mangioni's constitutional rights when they searched his backpack? Monday,
(11:30):
prosecutors played surveillance footage the killing itself, which had aired publicly,
but also new footage from inside the McDonald's body camera
video from Pennsylvania officers the nine to one to one
call from the restaurant manager. He looks like the suspect,
she told dispatchers. I can only see his eyebrows because
he's wearing a beanie and a medical face mask. Mangione
(11:53):
sat stoically in court, gray suit, checkered shirt. Court officers
removed his handcuffs so he could take notes. He pressed
a finger to his lips as he watched himself get arrested.
The defense argument is straightforward. Police searched Mangione's backpack without
a warrant. An officer was heard on body camera saying
(12:13):
she was checking to make sure there wasn't a bomb
in the bag. Mangoni's lawyers call that an excuse designed
to cover up an illegal warrantless search. If the judge agrees,
the gun and notebook get thrown out. Prosecutors lose the
weapon that allegedly killed Thompson, lose the writings where Mangioni
allegedly described wanting to whack a health insurance executive, lose
(12:35):
the passages praising Ted Kaczinski, Lose the references to the
deadly greed fueled health insurance cartel. The defense also wants
to suppress statements Mangioni made before being read his Miranda rights.
When officers asked for identification, he allegedly said his name
was Mark Rosario, same fake name prosecutors say he used
(12:55):
to check into a Manhattan hostile days before the killing.
Hearings are expected to last more than a week. More
than two dozen witnesses could be called. Court officials say
testimony could extend through today's one year anniversary of the murder.
Mangoni faces separate state and federal charges. State charges carry
life in prison. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
(13:20):
Neither trial has been scheduled yet a few dozen Mangoni
supporters watched Monday's hearing from the back of the courtroom.
One wore a green shirt that said, without a warrant,
it's not a search, it's a violation. Another woman held
a Luigi video game character doll. There are people who
think Luigi Mangioni is a hero, who romanticize what he
(13:41):
allegedly did, who treat him like a vigilante fighting a
corrupt health care system. But Brian Thompson was a person
fifty years old, husband, father, shot in the back while
walking to work. No trial, no jury, no defense, just
execution on a Manhattan sidewalk. The healthcare system may have problems,
(14:03):
valid problems, problems that anger millions of Americans, But murder
isn't activism. It's terrorism. And whatever constitutional arguments Mangioni's lawyers
make this week, the fundamental fact remains a man is dead,
shot from behind on his way to work. Brian Thompson
(14:24):
should be alive today, should be with his family, should
be celebrating the holidays. Instead, we mark the one year
anniversary of his murder while his alleged killer fights to
suppress the evidence against him. Rest in peace, Brian, Someone
has to say your name coming up the trash bag
killer Brian Walsh's laptop searches take center stage as prosecutors
(14:48):
walk jurors through his alleged murder manual. Welcome back to
celebrity trials. I'm reed. Carter Dedham, Massachusetts Norfolk Superior Court,
(15:09):
Commonwealth versus Brian Walsh. Day two yesterday we covered opening statements.
The prosecution's theory. Brian Walsh murdered his wife Anna on
New Year's Day twenty twenty three, dismembered her body, and
spent days trying to cover up the crime. His Google
searches tell the story best way to dispose of a body,
(15:29):
how to dismember? Is it possible to clean DNA off
a knife? The defense theory. Anna just died suddenly in bed.
Brian panicked, found her body after a New Year's Eve party,
started googling in a state of shock. Never murdered anyone.
Day two brought the receipts literally. Massachusetts State Police Trooper
(15:54):
Nicolas Guarno took the stand. Forensic analyst testified about data
extracted from Walsh's MacBook laptop, read through a binder of
Google searches that prosecutors say prove premeditation. January first, twenty
twenty three, the day Anna allegedly died, the searches began
(16:14):
ten ways to dispose of a dead body. If you
really need to best way to dispose of a body,
How long does DNA last? How long for a dismembered
body to decompose? Guarino testified about each search one by one,
time stamps you are else the digital footprint of what
(16:35):
prosecutors call a calculated killer. But it got worse. Walsh
also searched for Patrick Kearney. Who's Patrick Kearney? A serial
killer known as the trash bag Killer, active in California
in the nineteen seventies, murdered at least twenty one young men,
dismembered their bodies, stuffed the remains in trash bags, dumped
(16:58):
them along highways. Ian Walsh was researching the trash bag
Killer the day after his wife went missing January Tewond
brought more searches how to remove a hard drive from
an Apple laptop. Walsh was trying to cover his digital
tracks too late. The searches were already SYNCD. Here's the
technical detail that sank Walsh. His laptop shared an Apple
(17:21):
account with his young son's iPad. When police asked Walsh
about disturbing searches found on the child's tablet, Walsh said,
I don't use that iPad, so that's really weird. But
the searches weren't made on the iPad. They were made
on Walsh's laptop and sinked automatically. The iPad was just
a mirror showing what daddy was googling. The jury also
(17:43):
heard recordings of Walsh's interviews with police in the days
after Anna was reported missing. He was asked if he'd
ever hurt his wife. No, I would never do that,
Walsh said in the recording. My wife and I got
along very very well. My whole family wouldn't work without
my wife. I would never hurt my wife. I mean
I love her. Police asked where he thought she might be.
(18:06):
Walsh suggested the SPA. Said she had no issues at work.
Everyone loves Anna. Then came the January eighth interview. Former
state trooper Michael Proctor confronted Walsh about the searches, how
to get blood out of hardwood floors, how to dispose
of a body in the trash, how to stop a
(18:27):
body from decomposing, How do you explain that. Proctor asked,
I don't Walsh said, I have no idea. He was
arrested shortly after. Cohasset Police Sergeant Harrison Schmidt continued his
testimony from day one. Described items recovered from dumpsters where
investigators believe Walsh disposed of evidence, Anna's COVID nineteen vaccination card,
(18:49):
her hunter boots, a black coat, a hatchet, a hack
saw with DNA linking to both Anna and Brian. The
jury saw photos of a cut on Walsh's thumb the
day he was a rare, the kind of cut you
might get from handling sharp tools. Schmidt also testified about
a bizarre ransom email. Days after Anna was reported missing,
(19:09):
an email arrived from someone named Richard Walker, claiming to
be holding Anna for ransom. Wanted one hundred twenty seven
thousand dollars. If she doesn't pay the money, then she
will never be back. Investigators trace the email geolocated to Nigeria,
a scam artist in Africa trying to profit from a
(19:30):
missing person's case. Prosecutors aren't alleging Walsh sent it, just
another layer of chaos in a case full of disturbing details.
Under cross examination, defense attorney Larry Tipton, worked to poke holes,
pointed out that police found no evidence Walsh ever saw
the Facebook messages between Anna and William Fastow, the man
she was having an affair with. If Walsh didn't know
(19:52):
about the affair, that undermines the motive theory. Tipton also
noted that dark searches weren't found on Walsh's devices before
j January first, twenty twenty three. If Walsh planned the murder,
why no research beforehand? The defense theory Walsh didn't plan anything.
He found his wife dead, panicked, started googling in a
desperate attempt to figure out what to do. But here's
(20:14):
what the defense can't explain. Walsh already pleaded guilty to
improperly disposing of Anna's body and misleading police. He admits
he got rid of her remains, admits he lied to investigators.
The only question is whether he killed her or found
her already dead. A wife dies suddenly in bed with
no apparent cause. Husband's first instinct is to google how
(20:36):
to dismember a body and research a serial killer known
for stuffing victims in trash bags. Then spend days buying
hack saws and hatchets and cleaning supplies, then throw the
tools in dumpsters near his mother's apartment. That's the panic defense.
That's what the jury has to believe to acquit. Testimony
continues today. Uber Lift and Jet Blue representatives are expected.
(20:59):
They'll test about Anna's travel records or lack thereof, because
prosecutors say she never got on that flight to Washington,
never left the house alive. Anna Walsh was thirty nine
years old, Serbian immigrant real estate executive, mother of three
young children who are now in state custody. Her body
(21:20):
has never been found, but the tools allegedly used to
dismember her were recovered from the trash with her DNA
on them. Someone has to say her name. Anna Walsh,
thirty nine years old, gone
Callaroga Shark Media. Good morning, I'm reed Carter. Thursday, December fourth,
twenty twenty five, One year ago Today, six forty five am, midtown, Manhattan.
Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, walking to the Hilton Hotel.
(00:23):
A masked gunman approached from behind. Three shots. Thompson fell.
The shooter fled on a bicycle. Today marks the one
year anniversary of an assassination that shocked corporate America. Luigi
Mangoni's pre trial hearings continue in Manhattan. His lawyers are
fighting to throw out the gun and manifesto that could
seal his fate. If they succeed, prosecutors lose their murder
(00:45):
weapon and their motive. The hearings could extend through today's
Grim anniversary. Charlotte, North Carolina, Day two of Michael Jordan
versus NASCAR turned into a verbal slugfest. Denny Hamlin, three
time Daytona five hundred winner and Jordan's co owner at
twenty three eleven Racing, went to war with NASCAR's attorney
(01:07):
for three and a half hours, called the twenty twenty
five charter Agreement. Essentially my team's death certificate, said he
tells fans what NASCAR wants him to say. That's my job.
You give me talking points. I say it to make
fans feel happy. Jordan sat in the front row, grinning
as his driver unloaded on the France Family Empire and Dedham, Massachusetts.
(01:33):
Day two of Brian Walsh's murder trial for the death
of his wife Anna brought disturbing testimony about his laptop searches.
A state trooper read through a binder of Google queries,
including ten ways to dispose of a dead body and
research on Patrick Kearney, a serial killer known as the
trash Bag Killer. Walsh's defense says he panicked after finding
(01:55):
his wife dead. Prosecutors say he planned her murder and
dismembered her body. I'm read Carter today. Three trials, an
anniversary of assassination, a driver declaring war on his own sport,
and a husband whose search history reads like a murder manual.
This is celebrity trials. Let's start in Charlotte, Western District
(02:21):
of North Carolina. Michael Jordan versus NASCAR Day two. Yesterday
we covered the explosive discovery documents, executives calling Hall of
Fame owner's stupid rednecks who should be flogged Jordan disrupting
jury selection just by existing Denny Hamlin breaking down crying
about his dying father's sacrifices. Day two was different. Day
(02:43):
two was war. Hamlin returned to the witness stand Tuesday morning,
three and a half hours of testimony. The first part
was direct examination by his own attorneys, but then came
cross examination by NASCAR attorney Lawrence Butterman. That's when things
got Hamlin openly showed his intense dislike for NASCAR, as
Budermann tried to use the driver's own words against him.
(03:07):
Start with Jim France, NASCAR's chairman and CEO, member of
the family that founded the sport in nineteen forty eight.
Hamlin testified he spotted France eating alone at lunch during
NASCAR Awards Week in Nashville back in twenty twenty three,
charter negotiations were ongoing. Hamlin was worried, so he joined
(03:27):
France for lunch came away very very discouraged. France told
Hamlin directly the problem in NASCAR as team spend too
much money. Said team should only be spending ten million
dollars per season. Current average is twenty million. Cut your
costs in half. Hamlin told France that wasn't realistic. We've
cut this grass so short, we're down to the dirt.
(03:50):
Asked France how he could ever recoup his investment in
the sport. France had no answer. The twenty twenty five
charter agreement was so bad. Hamlin told the jury, we
will not be in business if we sign this within
ten years. This is essentially my team's death certificate for
the future. NASCAR's attorney asked if bringing a lawsuit was
(04:12):
the right response. I think it was the only decision,
Hamlin said. It's time for change. All I knew is
we were right and what they did was wrong. Then,
Buttermann tried to weaponize Hamlin's own words. Showed the jury
a pitch deck Hamlin presented to Michael Jordan before they
formed twenty three to eleven Racing. The deck praised NASCAR's
(04:34):
financial model, praise the next gen car that was supposed
to cut costs, made the sports sound like a great investment.
Hamlin had an answer. I believed NASCAR when they told
me it would cut operating costs by forty percent. That
never happened. He trusted the league. The league lied Butterman
then showed clips from a podcast appearance where Hamlin praised
(04:57):
the next gen car publicly, the the same car twenty
three to eleven is now using as evidence of NASCAR's
monopoly power. Hamlin fired back, all my public comments are
out of context. What I do publicly is put out
positive messages. That's my job. You give me talking points.
I say it to make fans feel happy. Booterermann asked
if that means people can't trust what Hamlin says publicly,
(05:21):
that's nonsense. Hamlin shot back, but then he said the
quiet part out loud. If he was negative publicly, you
guys have an issue with that, and there would be
repercussions at the racetrack. You're able to essentially dictate how
I do. Make it make sense. NASCAR's star driver is
testifying under oath that the league controls what drivers say publicly,
(05:43):
that speaking negatively about NASCAR has consequences on the track,
that every positive public statement is a talking point, not
genuine enthusiasm. Twenty three eleven's profit margin two point two
six percent. Hamlin said he's one sponsor away from having
all this profit gone. His optimistic goal is to reach
(06:04):
ten percent profit margin, that's the dream. But Budermann had
ammunition too, showed the jury messages from Jordan's chief financial
officer Gene Mason and co owner Curtis Polk, calling Hamlin
a terrible businessman who spends money recklessly. Hamlin brushed it off,
(06:24):
said it was their job to keep him in check.
Me and Michael, we want to win. Michael Jordan, sitting
in the front row, nodded and smiled throughout Hamlin's combative testimony.
Jordan was visibly delighted, grinning, smirking, shaking his head, laughing.
His driver was going to war with the France Family Empire,
(06:45):
and Jordan loved every second. Boterman pressed on damages. Twenty
three eleven is asking the jury for two hundred five
million dollars a nine hundred percent return on Hamlin's ten
million dollar investment. Isn't that excessive? Hamlin struggled to answer,
said he'd leave financial questions to the experts, but his
message was clear, we want to be made whole for
(07:07):
what you guys did to us. The afternoon brought NASCAR
executive Scott Prime to the stand, Executive vice president for strategy,
the team's attorney Jeffrey Kessler began building his anti trust
case using Prime's own internal memos. Showed the jury how
NASCAR was concerned about a possible live golf type situation,
(07:29):
a breakaway stock car series that could threaten their monopoly.
Prime's strategy documents laid out options to counter that threat.
One option strengthen relationships with Speedway Motorsports, the company that
owns many of the major tracks. That relationship did strengthen.
NASCAR's sanction agreement with Las Vegas Motor Speedway included a
(07:52):
two year exclusivity clause extending beyond the contract term, meaning
the track couldn't host any rival series until twenty six,
exactly the window when a breakaway series would most likely form. Then,
Kessler showed a document Prime prepared for a meeting with
senior executives and Jim Franz. The document laid out two
(08:12):
pathways forward Pathway one, NASCAR has all the leverage and
the teams will almost have to sign the terms we
put in front of them. Prime testified he disagreed with
that approach, pushed for compromise. Other executives agreed with him.
Kessler showed text messages from then NASCAR president Steve Phelps,
citing a chart that had zero wins for teams. Then
(08:35):
COO Steve O'Donnell texted that the lack of support for
teams would result in a nineteen ninety eight f the
team's dictatorship Redneck Southern Tiny Sport. Kessler argued Jim Frantz
chose the first pathway anyway forced the agreement through despite
his own executive's objections. Prime denied it, said progress had
(08:57):
been made from my point of view where we land
was strong for the teams, But when Kessler ran through
the list of everything teams had asked for during negotiations,
Prime had to admit NASCAR didn't ultimately concede on any
of them. Prime's testimony continues today. Here's what's emerging. NASCAR's
(09:19):
own documents show executives worried about their monopoly power being challenged.
Their own texts show frustration with leadership treating teams poorly,
their own strategy memos show plans to lock up tracks
with exclusivity clauses, and their own star driver is testifying
that the league controls public messaging and punishes dissent. Michael
(09:41):
Jordan is betting two hundred five million dollars that a
jury will see what he sees. A family empire that
squeezes teams dry while calling them rednecks behind their backs,
make it make sense. We'll be right back with the
one year anniversary of Brian Thompson's assassination and Luigi Mangoni's
(10:02):
ongoing fight to suppress the evidence against him. Welcome back
to celebrity trials. I'm reed Carter December fourth, twenty twenty four,
(10:23):
exactly one year ago today, Brian Thompson was fifty years old,
CEO of United Healthcare, married father of two from Minnesota,
walking to work on a cold December morning in Manhattan.
Annual investor conference at the Hilton Hotel scheduled for later
that day six forty five am. A masked figure approached
(10:46):
from behind on West fifty fourth Street, raised a nine
millimeter handgun shot Thompson in the back. Thompson fell to
the sidewalk. The shooter fled on a bicycle disappeared into
Central Park. Five days later, a cuss to mure at
a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, thought a man eating breakfast
looked like the suspect. She was right. Luigi Mangione was arrested,
(11:09):
found with a gun, fake ID, and a notebook prosecutors
say contains his manifesto. One year later, Mangioni is still
fighting to keep that evidence from a jury. This week's
pre trial hearings in Manhattan are focused on one question.
Did police violate Mangioni's constitutional rights when they searched his backpack? Monday,
(11:30):
prosecutors played surveillance footage the killing itself, which had aired publicly,
but also new footage from inside the McDonald's body camera
video from Pennsylvania officers the nine to one to one
call from the restaurant manager. He looks like the suspect,
she told dispatchers. I can only see his eyebrows because
he's wearing a beanie and a medical face mask. Mangione
(11:53):
sat stoically in court, gray suit, checkered shirt. Court officers
removed his handcuffs so he could take notes. He pressed
a finger to his lips as he watched himself get arrested.
The defense argument is straightforward. Police searched Mangione's backpack without
a warrant. An officer was heard on body camera saying
(12:13):
she was checking to make sure there wasn't a bomb
in the bag. Mangoni's lawyers call that an excuse designed
to cover up an illegal warrantless search. If the judge agrees,
the gun and notebook get thrown out. Prosecutors lose the
weapon that allegedly killed Thompson, lose the writings where Mangioni
allegedly described wanting to whack a health insurance executive, lose
(12:35):
the passages praising Ted Kaczinski, Lose the references to the
deadly greed fueled health insurance cartel. The defense also wants
to suppress statements Mangioni made before being read his Miranda rights.
When officers asked for identification, he allegedly said his name
was Mark Rosario, same fake name prosecutors say he used
(12:55):
to check into a Manhattan hostile days before the killing.
Hearings are expected to last more than a week. More
than two dozen witnesses could be called. Court officials say
testimony could extend through today's one year anniversary of the murder.
Mangoni faces separate state and federal charges. State charges carry
life in prison. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
(13:20):
Neither trial has been scheduled yet a few dozen Mangoni
supporters watched Monday's hearing from the back of the courtroom.
One wore a green shirt that said, without a warrant,
it's not a search, it's a violation. Another woman held
a Luigi video game character doll. There are people who
think Luigi Mangioni is a hero, who romanticize what he
(13:41):
allegedly did, who treat him like a vigilante fighting a
corrupt health care system. But Brian Thompson was a person
fifty years old, husband, father, shot in the back while
walking to work. No trial, no jury, no defense, just
execution on a Manhattan sidewalk. The healthcare system may have problems,
(14:03):
valid problems, problems that anger millions of Americans, But murder
isn't activism. It's terrorism. And whatever constitutional arguments Mangioni's lawyers
make this week, the fundamental fact remains a man is dead,
shot from behind on his way to work. Brian Thompson
(14:24):
should be alive today, should be with his family, should
be celebrating the holidays. Instead, we mark the one year
anniversary of his murder while his alleged killer fights to
suppress the evidence against him. Rest in peace, Brian, Someone
has to say your name coming up the trash bag
killer Brian Walsh's laptop searches take center stage as prosecutors
(14:48):
walk jurors through his alleged murder manual. Welcome back to
celebrity trials. I'm reed. Carter Dedham, Massachusetts Norfolk Superior Court,
(15:09):
Commonwealth versus Brian Walsh. Day two yesterday we covered opening statements.
The prosecution's theory. Brian Walsh murdered his wife Anna on
New Year's Day twenty twenty three, dismembered her body, and
spent days trying to cover up the crime. His Google
searches tell the story best way to dispose of a body,
(15:29):
how to dismember? Is it possible to clean DNA off
a knife? The defense theory. Anna just died suddenly in bed.
Brian panicked, found her body after a New Year's Eve party,
started googling in a state of shock. Never murdered anyone.
Day two brought the receipts literally. Massachusetts State Police Trooper
(15:54):
Nicolas Guarno took the stand. Forensic analyst testified about data
extracted from Walsh's MacBook laptop, read through a binder of
Google searches that prosecutors say prove premeditation. January first, twenty
twenty three, the day Anna allegedly died, the searches began
(16:14):
ten ways to dispose of a dead body. If you
really need to best way to dispose of a body,
How long does DNA last? How long for a dismembered
body to decompose? Guarino testified about each search one by one,
time stamps you are else the digital footprint of what
(16:35):
prosecutors call a calculated killer. But it got worse. Walsh
also searched for Patrick Kearney. Who's Patrick Kearney? A serial
killer known as the trash bag Killer, active in California
in the nineteen seventies, murdered at least twenty one young men,
dismembered their bodies, stuffed the remains in trash bags, dumped
(16:58):
them along highways. Ian Walsh was researching the trash bag
Killer the day after his wife went missing January Tewond
brought more searches how to remove a hard drive from
an Apple laptop. Walsh was trying to cover his digital
tracks too late. The searches were already SYNCD. Here's the
technical detail that sank Walsh. His laptop shared an Apple
(17:21):
account with his young son's iPad. When police asked Walsh
about disturbing searches found on the child's tablet, Walsh said,
I don't use that iPad, so that's really weird. But
the searches weren't made on the iPad. They were made
on Walsh's laptop and sinked automatically. The iPad was just
a mirror showing what daddy was googling. The jury also
(17:43):
heard recordings of Walsh's interviews with police in the days
after Anna was reported missing. He was asked if he'd
ever hurt his wife. No, I would never do that,
Walsh said in the recording. My wife and I got
along very very well. My whole family wouldn't work without
my wife. I would never hurt my wife. I mean
I love her. Police asked where he thought she might be.
(18:06):
Walsh suggested the SPA. Said she had no issues at work.
Everyone loves Anna. Then came the January eighth interview. Former
state trooper Michael Proctor confronted Walsh about the searches, how
to get blood out of hardwood floors, how to dispose
of a body in the trash, how to stop a
(18:27):
body from decomposing, How do you explain that. Proctor asked,
I don't Walsh said, I have no idea. He was
arrested shortly after. Cohasset Police Sergeant Harrison Schmidt continued his
testimony from day one. Described items recovered from dumpsters where
investigators believe Walsh disposed of evidence, Anna's COVID nineteen vaccination card,
(18:49):
her hunter boots, a black coat, a hatchet, a hack
saw with DNA linking to both Anna and Brian. The
jury saw photos of a cut on Walsh's thumb the
day he was a rare, the kind of cut you
might get from handling sharp tools. Schmidt also testified about
a bizarre ransom email. Days after Anna was reported missing,
(19:09):
an email arrived from someone named Richard Walker, claiming to
be holding Anna for ransom. Wanted one hundred twenty seven
thousand dollars. If she doesn't pay the money, then she
will never be back. Investigators trace the email geolocated to Nigeria,
a scam artist in Africa trying to profit from a
(19:30):
missing person's case. Prosecutors aren't alleging Walsh sent it, just
another layer of chaos in a case full of disturbing details.
Under cross examination, defense attorney Larry Tipton, worked to poke holes,
pointed out that police found no evidence Walsh ever saw
the Facebook messages between Anna and William Fastow, the man
she was having an affair with. If Walsh didn't know
(19:52):
about the affair, that undermines the motive theory. Tipton also
noted that dark searches weren't found on Walsh's devices before
j January first, twenty twenty three. If Walsh planned the murder,
why no research beforehand? The defense theory Walsh didn't plan anything.
He found his wife dead, panicked, started googling in a
desperate attempt to figure out what to do. But here's
(20:14):
what the defense can't explain. Walsh already pleaded guilty to
improperly disposing of Anna's body and misleading police. He admits
he got rid of her remains, admits he lied to investigators.
The only question is whether he killed her or found
her already dead. A wife dies suddenly in bed with
no apparent cause. Husband's first instinct is to google how
(20:36):
to dismember a body and research a serial killer known
for stuffing victims in trash bags. Then spend days buying
hack saws and hatchets and cleaning supplies, then throw the
tools in dumpsters near his mother's apartment. That's the panic defense.
That's what the jury has to believe to acquit. Testimony
continues today. Uber Lift and Jet Blue representatives are expected.
(20:59):
They'll test about Anna's travel records or lack thereof, because
prosecutors say she never got on that flight to Washington,
never left the house alive. Anna Walsh was thirty nine
years old, Serbian immigrant real estate executive, mother of three
young children who are now in state custody. Her body
(21:20):
has never been found, but the tools allegedly used to
dismember her were recovered from the trash with her DNA
on them. Someone has to say her name. Anna Walsh,
thirty nine years old, gone
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