S5 E17 Truth Beneath the Waves - Uncovering the Lonnie Kocontes Story - True Crime and Wine Time

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mm hmmm. Hello everybody. Hello, I feel like a new person.

(00:20):
You've been like a new person all day and I
love that for you, and an easier Yes. Chat we
got a lot of chatters here. I got here with
baby live like it's an Annie time, so.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
You I have to say, woman, are rocking the live shows?
Oh you're live streaming all day every day.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
I feel like I'm over here just doing nothing.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
I may have been a busy lady lately, but you know,
we got some days off coming soon, which is nice.
But I've enjoyed it. I love it. It's a lot
of fun. I've missed it.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
I almost want Karen Reid trilled to start over because
I missed just popping in.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Don't worry. I'm sure there'll be more rants coming up
for sure. On that note, let's say hello to everybody.
Hell hello, don't forget to hit the like button on
your guys's way in.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Okay, not on your way out. But you know what
I learned about hitting the like button. If you've already
hit it and you hit it again, it takes away
your like.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
Yeah. Yeah, that's that's usually how that happens.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
I have to now watch it and look to make
sure I'm not taking away my like because when I
was doing the drugs thing, not the bad drugs, but
the kidney stone drugs, I noticed one day I did
it and then the stream ended and I was like, oh, no,
can I go.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Back and do it? Oh? Yes, they are what I
got my blue. Oh. I feel like a new woman.
I have makeup on.

Speaker 2 (02:05):
I even did my hair. We only did the front
of my hair. I didn't do the back.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Maybe we should do the intro to the show real
quick and then we can do Wait a minute, we
have an intro. Well, yeah, well we're what we're supposed
to say. I know you've been going for a few days,
but you haven't been gone like that long. You're right.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
I just assume everybody we're besties. They know, so I
don't have to always say hello.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Everyone.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Welcome to another episode of True Crime and Wine time.
I am your host, Terry true Crime and I'm Lama,
and we dive into some of the most job dropping,
horrific true crime stories.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Whilst being something smooth to take the edge off.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Suppoor a glass, lock your freaking doors, people, and let's
uncork the truth behind some of the darkest crimes I
do know how to remember.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
I do remember that we were supposed to do that. Fantastic.
You did a great job, nailed it. It's like you
haven't been gone that long at all.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, tell my brain that that can't remember anything.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
Well, you guys, Tonight we will be covering the case
of Lani Concante's, a successful attorney with a beautiful wife
who went missing on a Mediterranean cruise. That's right, that's
why I'm wearing my cruise scarf. I do have a
blue and white straped tink top, but you can barely
see it. But I'm ready for the seas. What are
you wearing, Terry? No, really, we don't do this, but

(03:32):
we did come dressed with the theme I did.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
I bought the cute little dress that I had bought
to wearing Monaco when I went there last October, and
I didn't get to wear it to the casino, so
I thought nice France is kind.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Of close to Italysa. I love that well. Before we begin, though,
if you're watching us on YouTube, please hit that leg
button like I told you too. But I'll remind you
again subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell
so you never miss when we go live or drop
an episode because we do a lot of face on
our channel. As Terry just said, I'm usually streaming all day,

(04:07):
every day, Sundays, all the days. And if you're listening
to this on a podcast platform, please please please please
leave a rating and review, as it helps our little
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don't forget to hit the like button there as well.

(04:28):
It's all free, guys, It's all free, and it's the
best way you can support us.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
So okay, I have to tell you I just laughed
because the night Bought just said every time you hit
like a lama earns a gabbl do the right thing.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Where does what happened to?

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Terry gets a glass of wine, Mamma gets the gavel,
and Terry gets a glass of wine.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
I mean, Lama does get a cap. Lama is getting
a gavel, rel Sin. It's so cute and I'm so
excited about it. Ye kid, night boy, could you add
that I get wanting to please? Yes?

Speaker 2 (05:00):
Now, guys, in case you're not aware, it is almost July,
and for those of you that are new here July,
I love July because it's my birthday month. But Lama
and I will be live in person July nineteenth and Marion, Ohio,
where we will be covering two Ohio specific cases, disappearance of

(05:25):
Andy Chapman and the unsolved murder of Joey Loubis. Tickets
are on sale now and you can follow the link
in the description of this video or in our about section.
Space is limited, guys, we are down to I think
ten tickets.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yeah, all yeah, everything else is sold so exciting.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Ten tickets left, So if you want to come and
see us, you need to book those tickets, Okay, cause
to the best of my knowledge, there is not going
to be any standing room because, to be honest, guys,
I never thought we would even need to consider that.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
Well, I am so excited about Hey, eighties, I'm so
excited about I'm excited to meet everyone that's coming to
the show. I'm excited to spend the weekend with my
besties who I've never got to meet before. I'm excited
about all the stuff we're going to do for our members.
I'm just I can't wait. It's like Christmas in July.
It is.

Speaker 2 (06:24):
And if you are a member, guys, you're not missing out.
We will live stream the show.

Speaker 1 (06:31):
I'm like, what is that. That's a different look.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
We will be live streaming the show for our members.
So if you can't join us in Ohio because it
is a bit of a trek, guys, I had to
look where Ohio was on the map. Okay, don't judge,
don't judge, Okay, judge, It's okay. But you can become
a member. We have multiple tiers, okay, so you could
pick a teer, you could book, you could buy just

(06:56):
one month if you want to see our live shows.
But the other thing, we're going to be doing some
impromptu live streams for members during the weekend while we're
drinking and having fun at the Airbnb. Oh boy, there
will be in DA's for everyone to sign. Just kidding,
just those of us. But so also, if you would

(07:20):
like to see us someplace closer to you, please fill
out our live event form or you can email me
Terry at tcwtmedia dot com and we will see what
we can set up.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yes, I'm so excited about it. Now as to what
we're drinking tonight, as you can see, my tongue is
already blue. So all I had in the fridge because
we're going to be out of town the next couple
of days, so we didn't bother to really pick anything up.
So what I had in my fridge though, it's still

(07:54):
this Gloria Rocket Pop margarita mix and some tequila. It's
not good. It's not good. I don't like it. I
don't love it. But you're drinking it. Well, it's not horrible. Okay,
you know, but it's not it's not great.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Okay, So you're not doing an endorsement to run out
and buy it.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
I mean you're saying not bad. Now.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
Is Rocket Pop like those red popsicles? Yes, hence the
I don't like those popsicles?

Speaker 1 (08:26):
Yeah, seem Yeah, it's it's just a little too too
much for me. Not a fan of that compare normally.
I'm a mango girl. Can't your tongue blue, which is
not great when you're live, say on camera? Yeah, but
that's all I got. So well, it's out of a
decision as lanakan Conte is makes. So I'm fine, No,

(08:48):
it's not no.

Speaker 2 (08:49):
Now, I'm going to just warn y'all ahead of time. Okay,
I am drinking. I have a bottle line and yes,
I've already gotten into it because I feel better today
that I have in weeks. But I didn't get a
bottle of wine from Italy. I did France, and guys,
I had to call my older son, Jeffa to learn

(09:10):
how to pronounce this. So guys, just bear with me. Okay,
he sent me the pronunciation. So let's see how I
do tonight. I am drinking Chateau Logrdon and it is
from the coat quote do profits. And it is a
rose okay, So it says it delivers an elegant and

(09:33):
refined profile with bright citrus flavors and delicate notes of
red fruit. And that I'm a Texas guirrel. And I
don't speak French.

Speaker 1 (09:43):
That is it. I mean, you did very well. I'm
very proud of you. It tastes really good.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
It's going to be one of those that's a little
too easy to drink. Oh, I mean, look, and I
just opened it.

Speaker 1 (09:56):
A little too easy, huh.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
I haven't looked to see what APV is because you're
drinking tequila, well, tequila and margarita mixed with tequila in it,
so it's pretty strong.

Speaker 1 (10:12):
Oh, it's not bad. It's only thirteen point five. Oh,
that's what my margarita is. So it's not bad, it's down,
You'll be fine, It's all good.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Now I have to say, are you really ready for
tonight's case?

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Because this guy I don't like? Lonnie?

Speaker 2 (10:30):
I've only known one Lonnie in my life that I like,
and it's not this guy.

Speaker 1 (10:35):
I don't like. I've ever met anybody named Lannie. No.
I knew someone had a dad named Lonnie, but I
didn't really know him. So I have no judgments on
the Lonnie's out there. This Lonnie's not great. He's not great,
but I don't know if he stands for all Lonnies.

Speaker 2 (10:51):
He's not, no, because I know a good Lonnie. So
let me tell you a little bit about mister Lonnie.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yes, please do okay?

Speaker 2 (10:59):
And I know his name is something like cos I'm
going to just call him Lonnie Dick.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
I hope everybody's okay. I don't think he deserves for
me to pronounce his name correct him. I mean that mustache,
that mustache, Okay.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
I don't think anybody's going to be a fan of
him by the time we're done.

Speaker 2 (11:22):
So' And I'm just gonna say, I somehow am noticing
in my notes. Somebody added the thing that I kept removing,
and I'm going to play captain for this. No, no,
thank you, okay, So Mith Tarra or excuse me, miss
Lammit is determined that I tell y'all this piece of
shit graduated from law school at University of Texas, Austin

(11:47):
with honors. Do not judge just Texas or Austin people.
This guy is not from here. He just went to
school here.

Speaker 1 (11:55):
M Okay, okay when I say it's not wasn't living here, okay.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
But he did become a successful but very deeply secretive
attorney whose polish exterior can sealed a very dark and
calculating nature. But he's literally a pls now. He was
known for his intelligence and his work ethic. I mean, guys,
he was a work course. He once held the respect

(12:25):
of colleagues and friends alike, but guys, behind closed doors,
he manipulated relationships for personal gain. It's especially with females
in my opinion. Now, Lonnie met Susan, who was a
PI for the law firm Lonnie worked at, and she

(12:46):
admired his dedication to his clients. The two became good friends.
Susan then met Bill Price, a retired DC copp turned PI. Bill,
if you're somehow watching this or see this, call me,
I would love to chat with you.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
I have. That's true, so many questions for I have
so many questions, both of them. Let's come on.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
So, now the two became partners in an investigation firm,
but they also became a loving couple. Okay, and Bill
like Susan, respected Lonnie and the two would become like brothers. Now,
a little side goog that I did on these two.
Did you know she trains dogs for the official dog show.

(13:37):
I think it's called Westminster or something like that. Oh really,
and he helped set them up and organize them.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
I did not know that.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
And she's a doctor, so that well. She they're really
good people.

Speaker 1 (13:51):
I mean, look at those dogs, like how durable they are.

Speaker 2 (13:55):
But they were like brothers. I mean they had a
bromance going on.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
I love that. Well. So Lannie then became interested in
Mickey Kanisake, a beautiful paralegal at his office. And yet
she is stunning. Mickey is stuck gorgeous way out of
mustache Man's league.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Oh he definitely got lucky.

Speaker 1 (14:21):
Well. After working closely together, their professional relationship became a
personal relationship. Like a lot of relationships, it was complicated,
but it was also marked by affection, ambition, and a
growing tension behind closed doors. So early on they seemed

(14:41):
to compliment each other well. Mickey was reserved and graceful
and deeply dependable, while Lannie was charismatic, assertive, and career driven.
Together they made a sharp professional couple. They married in
nineteen ninety five, but in a few years time the
cracks began to show. Friends and colleagues later recalled that

(15:04):
Mickey often seemed to walk on eggshells around Lonnie. He
was known to be controlling, particularly when it came to
finances and major decisions. Mickey, ever composed and non confrontational,
often kept her frustrations private, even from close friends. Now
this is not in our notes, but I kicked your

(15:29):
cut forage.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
I have to tell all of the women out there
because I had a bestie who was in a situation
with a man like this who controlled the finances.

Speaker 1 (15:40):
Guys, that is not okay. No, it's never good. It
is not okay.

Speaker 2 (15:45):
So I just needed to say that because that bothers me.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
You can agree to share your finances, but when somebody's like, no,
not good.

Speaker 2 (15:56):
You can agree to have a budget, but when someone
you just three hundred dollars playing golf and she says, hey,
I'm gonna go get my nails done for twenty five dollars,
you can't tell her no, she doesn't.

Speaker 1 (16:08):
Deserve it, right, No, I agree.

Speaker 2 (16:12):
So I just needed to say that because that bothers me.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
Okay. Now.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
In nineteen ninety nine, Lonnie was faced with a legal
crisis of his own, okay, and it cast a long
shadow over both his career and his personal life. Okay,
Lonnie was accused of having a sexual relationship with the
underage daughter of one of his legal clients.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Okay, not great, not great. Now.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
Allegation was explosive, not just because of its nature, okay,
but because it struck at the heart of his professional integrity.
And I mean, you think of an attorney, they shouldn't
be doing that, right, yeah.

Speaker 1 (16:52):
Now.

Speaker 2 (16:53):
He adamantly denied the claim, insisting that the accusations were
false and politically motivated. Nonetheless, the fallout was swift. Lottie
was fired from the prestigious law firm where both he
and Mickey worked.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
There was this nineteen ninety nine oh boy, okay.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
I mean I didn't know cancel culture started way back then.

Speaker 1 (17:18):
Well, wasn't this wouldn't this be like the time of
like the Bill Clinton, Michael Lewinsky stuff. Maybe no, that
was ninety seven. Maybe I was like, I don't know.
Nineteen ninety nine is a year I really try to forget. Oh,
you didn't party like it was nineteen ninety nine, And no,
I mean I was fourteen.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Disastrous has been number two in January of nineteen ninety nine.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
So it was a bad year. Bad year, okay. Through
Throughout the ordeal, Mickey stood by Lonnie's side, reportedly believing
in his innocence or at the very least wanting to
protect what they had built together to protect their asset
during the fallout, though, Lonnie and Mickey divorced on paper,

(18:04):
but continued living and operating like a married couple in
many respects. They maintained co ownership of their homes, spent
holidays and weekends together, and traveled occasionally, leading many in
their lives to believe they were reconciliating, reconciling. I've read

(18:25):
so many words today, you guys still reconciling? All right?
Lonnie did rent an apartment in downtown LA, near his office,
but still spent a lot of time at the home
he owned with Mickey. Mickey in particular, seemed hopeful that
the worst was behind them and that they could rebuild.

(18:46):
She spoke with excitement about their upcoming crews, seeing it
as a fresh start. Tragically, she didn't know that Lonnie
was still entangled with another woman, or that is that
his vision for their new beginning have far more sinister
end now, I don't know. Oh, could you put that

(19:09):
picture back up? A miss?

Speaker 2 (19:12):
Guys, I have to tell you I had to go
down a rabbit hole when I saw how much this
house cost.

Speaker 1 (19:18):
Oh boy, well it is California.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
I know, but I was like, that is like what
it was like when we lived in Brentway, California. You
could literally your neighbors next door in that window. Our
neighbors were Patty. Patty would call and say, hey you okay, No,
we're having sex.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
But thinks that.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
Is how close the houses are because you can't afford
land a million and.

Speaker 1 (19:43):
A half dollars. Wow, Wow, he's crazy. I don't so now.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
Lonnie sought out help from his close friends Bill and
Susan to fight, the legal charges from the accused sexual
relationship with the minor began an investigation into the accusations.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
Guys, they were.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
Able to prove that Lonnie was nowhere near where the
miner said the assault happened. All charges were eventually dropped.
And that's why I called it canceled culture. I saw
someone in the chat said, no, that's consequences.

Speaker 1 (20:19):
He didn't actually do that.

Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, So everyone's innocence until proven guilty. And I think
that's something that we fail to remember sometimes because.

Speaker 1 (20:34):
Hard it derailed his career. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
So now Bill Price and Lonnie shared a friendship that,
at first glamp appeared to be built on loyalty and trust.
But guys, like much of Lonnie the piece of shit,
the reality was far more complicated. The two met in California,
where they had developed a relationship. I mean, Bill Price

(21:02):
is a nice looking man. I'm just gonna say I
find him very attractive. But it evolved beyond casual acquaintances.
Bill was more than just a friend. He became something
of a confidante and later an instrumental figure in the
twisted saga surrounding Lonnie's criminal case. Their friendship had been

(21:23):
built over years, It would unfortunately be tested in courtrooms
and interrogration rooms, where prices role shifted from supportive companion
to key witness for the prosecution. Oh boy, he threw
out the bro code.

Speaker 1 (21:41):
Yeah, we'll have to see about that. Oh boy, that
is juicy to be fair.

Speaker 2 (21:46):
I mean, I'm sorry, I don't know what his age is,
but he's attractive.

Speaker 1 (21:51):
Older man. Well. In the early stages of their friendship,
Bill Price seemed to admire Lonnie's sharp legal mind and
persuasive charm. Lannie had a way of drawing people into
his orbit orbit intelligent, articulate, and seemingly successful. He often

(22:11):
gave off the impression of someone in control. Price, who
worked as a private investigator, occasionally collaborated with Lannie on
various personal professional matters. Note to self, don't do a
three hour long stream where you read when you have
a show a couple hours later, because words are then hard.

Speaker 2 (22:34):
Okay, I am sorry, is there? I need to know
what Annie is selling because then I see something about
Annie's going to New Orleans. Oh I need to know
when you're going because I might need to drive and
see you, especially if you're going to bring the cute little.

Speaker 1 (22:56):
One hann He's like, Nope, that's not okay.

Speaker 2 (23:00):
I was just thinking. I was like, that's I mean,
a woman who could just get birth in all of
a Suddens in New Orleans.

Speaker 1 (23:08):
She's party in, but not that kind of party now.
In early two thousand and six, Lonnie appeared to be
making a concerted effort to rekindle his relationship with his
ex wife, Mickey. After four years of being legally divorced,
they had never completely ended their relationship. Lonnie told Mickey
he was ready for a fresh start, that he wanted

(23:30):
to work less, live more, and focus on rebuilding what
they had lost. For Mickey, who was known for her
loyalty and quiet hopefulness, it seemed like a second chance
at love. She was excited. She told her friends and
family about the surprise cruise. Lonnie had planned a romantic
getaway through the Mediterranean on a ship called the Island Escape.

(23:55):
Sounds romantic and magical.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
I'm like, am I the only one sitting here going?
I would love for a man to plan me a
trip like that. Well, I mean I will say double
h for my birthday. When we first we weren't married, Joe,
we were just dating he planned me a trip and
only gave me hints and I had to guess where
we were going.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
He printed out an.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
Entire itinerary with pictures, booked everything. Oh wow, hasn't happened since,
but it was great and I have that memory and
I will never forget it.

Speaker 1 (24:31):
Yeah, but I think the more all of this story
is that you don't want them booking a cruise.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
I'm gonna say you don't. Not when you're reconciling, Not
when you're recon siling.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (24:44):
Now, At one point before the ill fated cruise, Lonnie
extended an unexpected invitation to his bill friend Bill, I
mean he don't Bill. He was planning a Mediterranean cruise,
just a short trip, he said, with his ex wife Mickey,
because he was considering rekindling their relationship. So Wannie said,

(25:06):
It's was meant to be a relaxing getaway and a
chance to see if the two could reignite the spark
they once had. Now in what seemed like a casual
gesture because guys, he had already booked the rooms when
he extended the invitation.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Huh, totally normal.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
So he was like, it'll be fun and scene and
who better to enjoy the beauty of Italy on the
open sea than with your close friends, right.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
I mean, if you invited me on a cruise, I'd
probably say yes.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
I'm like I'm saying, there's only a couple of people
I would say no to.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
I mean, the boat's big enough you can lose them,
So just satan and we're gonna find out you can
push them over the edge too. But as with most
things involving Lonnie, there was more going on beneath the surface.
According to Bill, the invitation didn't sit quite right at

(26:06):
the time. He felt it was odd that Lonnie would
want company on what was supposed to be a romantic
reconciliation voyage with his ex wife. The entire setup felt
slightly off. Why bring a third will? Why now? Bill
politely declined it first, but Lonnie persisted almost too much,

(26:27):
and eventually Bill agreed to the idea. But when Susan's
mom had to have emergency surgery, they canceled the trip.
I just I understand, just a side note for a second.
I know where you're going, and I'm with you. I
somebody once asked me, I think there's my therapist maybe
about going on a cruise, and she was like, oh,

(26:47):
Woilchie and el bofy ever go on a cruise, And
I was like, by ourselves, really, just us. I mean,
even if it's going to be romantic like that is
a long time to just be with one other person.
You know, it's not like we're gonna be romantic out
in public, like we're not sharing a room honeymoon.

Speaker 2 (27:06):
I can get because I've done it, but.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
You can't. I mean, you need other people.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Now, I will say on a cruise, if you haven't
done a cruise, you do meet other passengers. You become friends.
My very first cruise to Hawaii back in eighty nine,
I still keep in touch with some of the people
I met on there.

Speaker 1 (27:28):
So you do meet other people. I mean I lose
elbow feet in the grocery store. He just runs off,
so I know on day one of the cruise, I'm
just gonna lose him and then I'm gonna be by
myself for the next six days until he finally comes
wondering back as we're about to die. But you will
go meet some very interesting people. But I might really
talk and meet people that's not me. I'm not you, Terry.

(27:50):
I'm just gonna sit there and like not talk to anybody.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
I mean, I will say, if you're rekindling. What I
find so interesting about rekindling listening to the Dateline. I
listened to that episode yesterday. They were legally divorced, but
they never ended their exclusive relationship.

Speaker 1 (28:12):
Okay, but I would still.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Say, even if you're having a difficult time in your
marriage or relationship, I could see wanting to take friends
because if things get dicey, you find the magic's not there,
you need somebody to talk to and somebody to get
rid of the awkwardness.

Speaker 1 (28:29):
Maybe yes, I mean why not? I don't know. But
to those looking in it looked like a kind and
generous gesture. Yet family and friends were somewhat puzzled by
the cruise boat chosen.

Speaker 2 (28:43):
Okay, the funny thing I have to say, and Kaptain,
I love you. She removed the comment I made about this.
I don't remember what it was, But okay, guys, remember
this guy's a multimillionaire.

Speaker 1 (28:58):
He is an attorney. That's true. This is not a
luxury cruise liner. Look at that romance just rekindling everywhere?
Nothing so romance like that exactly.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
So guys, let me tell you about this ship, the
Island Escape. It was built in nineteen eighty two as
a cruise ferry, so cars went on it. They put
cars to take places, okay, and then it was later
converted into a mid tier cruise ship by a joint
venture between Roal Caribbean and First Choice Holidays.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Guys.

Speaker 2 (29:34):
It was not like the normal gleaming luxury boats that
Roal Caribbean was known for. The Island Escape was a
more military style and it lacked ninety percent of the
upscale amenities found on most cruise ships.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
I mean, there's a buffet. I love that they included
the buffet and that there is a buffet, a buffet,
but the decor was simple.

Speaker 2 (29:56):
The state rooms were very small and the ship did
not have the normal features. Now, I don't know if
y'all saw in the video the thing that I found
interesting On Real Caribbean, if there's two twin beds, if
there's a couple, they will push the beds together and
turn it into whatever that makes for a couple. This

(30:18):
you couldnt put the beds together. Oh you slept in
single beds? The bestiees here, hi share? Okay, look at
the dress she's wearing in that photo. I am wearing
the same dress right now.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
I love that. I mean, the ship isn't it's not
that bad. It's probably affordable for many people. But he
had a lot of money. That's why.

Speaker 2 (30:46):
That's why, that's why it was weird. It's not that
the ship was bad.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
That is. I mean, it could do some work, but
it's it's affordable looking.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
It was affordable looking. But if you're rekindling and you're romantic,
instead of paying for your friend's cabin and trying to
get them to come on, maybe be just upgrade this ship. Yeah,
say weird Now, The Island Escape was scheduled to sail
from Spain to Sicily, then onto Naples and beyond. But

(31:18):
but guys, just get ready, okay, just buckle up, put
on your life jacket, because behind the scenes there were
troubling signs. Like I said, Lonnie had booked two cabins
inviting their friends Bill and Susan, something prosecutors you will
find out later argued could have been part of an
alibi strategy because guys, he insisted on a room with

(31:42):
a balcony. And what I'm going to say about that,
if you can afford a balcony on a cruise ship.
Spend the money on the balcony and drink less. Really
the reason why if not. Some rooms don't even have
a window. That's just like a little round hole. You
literally feel like you're in your closet and you're locked

(32:06):
in there. If you have a balcony, even if it's
the size of an apartment balcony, you can get out
and fill the fresh air and you can be out
there on port and you come in and out. There
is our famous.

Speaker 1 (32:22):
Cabin from one of our Murder Mystery parties last June,
as a matter of fact, when we had a cruise
ship the Murder Mystery party in Discord.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
So that's the one thing I learned about cruises since
I've been on several. Spend the extra money on that
balcony if you can, and just don't drink because the drink.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
No. No.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
So that's the very first cruise I went on in
eighty nine in school spring break, we went on the
Hawaii cruise. Guess what we thought The drinks were included.
And the night before your last night, they slipped a
little bill under your door. And when you pull it

(33:06):
up and you look, because you're two college kids.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Right, You're like.

Speaker 2 (33:11):
It was two thousand dollars and you had to pay
it before you kick it off the boat.

Speaker 1 (33:18):
See, I was always sending the impression drinks very inclusion,
but now I know.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
But nowadays you can I've heard because we haven't been
on a cruise in a while, you now can buy
drink packages. But yeah, you think about it. Each drink
is seven dollars. And when you're out by the pool
and on that.

Speaker 1 (33:37):
It is July nineteenth. Just Ian asked dumb question. I
will be in Mansfield end of July. When is that
wine thing? July nineteenth is when that is. I love
Mansfield is like super close where we're gonna be side.
Now I'm going to derail this entire show real quick.
It's kind of related but not. I just remember it

(33:58):
came out Tuesday because I haven't got to watch TV
the last two days because I've been researching and writing
the Crystal Rogers stuff. Okay, Terry afterwards, everybody, after we're
done with the show tonight, go on Netflix, all right,
because the documentary The Poop Cruise just came out. Are
you don't know what that is?

Speaker 2 (34:18):
A been there?

Speaker 1 (34:19):
Watch it? Already done? It. No, it's you watch it,
but I know what it is. If you've not been.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
On a cruise, don't watch it. If you have been
on a cruise, you can watch.

Speaker 1 (34:30):
It because you can.

Speaker 2 (34:32):
So Kelly p says she buys the drink pass on Carnival.
I mean I learned that lesson later.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
But yeah, I'm just saying, if I ever end up
going on a cruise, I feel that the universe is
going to be like, you know what, Lama poop cruise
for you? Yes, but what are all your worst fears
of a cruise that could happen?

Speaker 2 (34:51):
So you buy the travel you buy the travel insurance, Okay,
and if you suspect it's like one hundred and fifty
dollars for the cruise. If you suspect there's any problem,
and you go into a port and you're already seeing
some stuff's happening. If you have travel insurance, you can
accidentally miss getting back on the boat. Oh and they

(35:13):
will fly you to the next port. And then when
it gets stuck out there with all the poop stuff
going on, you're not on it.

Speaker 1 (35:21):
Well, after we're done today, go watch that on Netflix, guys,
and then leave a comment about what you thought about
poop Griz for me.

Speaker 2 (35:28):
And also if you also should research your cruise ships
because after Hurricane Katrina, they took some cruise ships and
took them to New Orleans for people to live on
because of the housing situation. After that all finished, they
put them back in service. Do not cruise on one

(35:50):
of those ships. I'm going to just tell you.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Did it. Don't do it. Oh, don't do mine. That's
some advice.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
Yeah, don't do it. I like cruising. Okay, So now
you tell us why they wanted a balcony.

Speaker 1 (36:05):
All right. So Lani and his ex wife Micky boarded
the Island Escape Okay in May two thousand and six.
To onlookers, they were just another middle aged couple trying
to rekindle what they once had, and the most romantic
ship known demand. Once aboard the Island Escape, the pair

(36:26):
settled into a routine of sight seeing, dining, and lounging again.
The ship was no luxury liner, but it offered a
scenic itinerary. It stops in Naples, Messina, and other Italian ports.
Fellow passengers reported the couple seemed mostly calm, though not

(36:46):
overtly affectionate, and it's not that weird to me. Look
at that statue. So this crew sounds freaking awesome.

Speaker 2 (36:53):
I go on this ship, but itineraryary was amazing worth it.

Speaker 1 (36:59):
I'll go on the ship, but it's not the actual
poop cruise. That's a difference cruise. But if I was
on this one and it turned into the poop cruise,
at least I'm going to really cool places. They were
not in the poop cruse. Spoilers, spoilers, all right. Anyway,
there was no dramatic public arguments, no loud disputes. They
appeared to be enjoying themselves, at least on the surface.

(37:23):
But beneath that comic sterior, something sinister was brewing, something
Mickey couldn't have predicted, but perhaps felt on a gut level.
Friends back home would later testify that she had doubts
about the trip and told someone that she knew she
was only going to keep the peace.

Speaker 2 (37:46):
Now, I'm going to just tell since one of my
besties on here, if any of my besties in real
life or.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Are YouTube besties.

Speaker 2 (37:56):
If you ever tell me you're going on a cruise
with your X to try to rekindle a romance because
you're trying to keep the peace. I am going to
tell you no, not no, but hell no. I just
came in time and oh boy, oh okay, hold on,

(38:17):
I am going to tell you no, because.

Speaker 1 (38:20):
If you're going on the wild Cruise to keep the peace,
you don't do it, so Savage says her, and the
gargle gargoyles thing have the same expression. They do that
they do and miss love that. Do not clip that,

(38:41):
Do not clip that, do not clip that.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
Okay, But I'm just saying, if you need to keep
the peace, don't go on it.

Speaker 1 (38:48):
Okay, that's true.

Speaker 2 (38:50):
Now, On the evening of May twenty fifth, two thousand
and six, the couple dine together on board. Now after dinner,
they were seen walking on deck. By the next morning,
Mickey was gone. Guys, Lonnie reported her missing, telling ship
personnel that she must have fallen overboard during the night. Guys,

(39:12):
just going to tell you that shit don't happen. Shit.

Speaker 1 (39:16):
I mean, look at this boat.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
It does not have those big huge balconies with low bars.

Speaker 1 (39:23):
Okay, okay, to see balcony, but okay, he claimed.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
They were walking together late at night when she said
she wanted to stay out and get some air. Now,
I am going to tell you we didn't include it here.
He made several different versions of this. They were more asinine.

Speaker 1 (39:43):
Each one, so I yeah, so yeah, okay.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
Now he returned to the cabin alone, he said, and
fell asleep.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
As does when their partner is missing.

Speaker 2 (39:55):
I mean one of his versions were they had wine.
They came back, we're having wine, and then he took
ambient and went to sleep.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
I mean he has.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
How did he know that she fell overboorn big exactly and.

Speaker 1 (40:10):
Sleep She could be anywhere on the shipping her first
things like, nope, she went in.

Speaker 2 (40:13):
The water, but he said he woke up only to
realize she hadn't returned by morning.

Speaker 1 (40:18):
Oh oh, what happened? Oh wow?

Speaker 2 (40:22):
But such efforts were launched, but they were futile. Mickey's
body wasn't immediately recovered, and to be honest, guys, they
didn't know if they would ever be able to recover her.
I mean, look at this, you're rekindling your romance. How
are you rekindling this if you're sleeping in separate beds,

(40:44):
If you can't lean over and touch the person and
kiss them good night, or let your toest touch or
are you really trying to rekindle any romance.

Speaker 1 (40:55):
There's a whole bottle of wine in the trash, yes,
but I mean it's nothing. But how are you I
don't get it. I don't either. I don't either.

Speaker 2 (41:10):
Well, ambient Amy apparently needs to confirm is fantastic.

Speaker 1 (41:18):
Let's say a.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
Lunesta Terry water the yard naked. So Amy, you bring
the ambient I'll bring the lunesta.

Speaker 1 (41:29):
Okay, Ohio is getting weird.

Speaker 2 (41:32):
In case y'all are wondering. Amy's in the background so
we can see her, but y'all can't so her facial expressions.
So Savage just said they had bigger beds and basic training.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
I believe, But look at all those pillows. Though they
up on the pillows.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
On this I know, but normally, if your purple ships
can push the beds together, they couldn't on this ship
because they were bolted to the walls.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
Oh well, I guess that makes makes makes sense anyway. So,
after Mickey was reported missing from the Island Escape Cruise
ship on May twenty six, two thousand and six, Lonnie
returned to California with a composed but somber demeanor. Ship
officials conducted a search but no one had seen anything unusual.

(42:20):
There were no cameras showing her alone on deck and
no known witnesses to a fall. Lonnie had called his
friends Bill and Susan, where he confided in them that
he was scared because he felt everyone was being mean
to him and they didn't speak English. Mick. He was

(42:41):
worried about getting caught up in a foreign court system,
so Bill, being the good friend, booked Lonnie a ticket
to Tampa, Florida, where he lived, but Lonnie changed the
ticket and flew to California instead, telling Bill he just
wanted to go home. I am going to tell y'all.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
At first, I could totally see if you don't speak
the language and you're not in a foreign country, I
could see being scared and wanting to get the heck
out of Dodge. I don't think I would leave that day.
That's just me, okay, I was missing. Yeah, I have
way around the world and just leave her there. That

(43:25):
tells me you know something. I agree, But wasn't it
Italy And I could be wrong that I forget the
girl's name. She got put in jail for killing her
n then got out.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
Amanda Amanda knocks knocks.

Speaker 2 (43:46):
Yes, so I could see why you would be nervous.

Speaker 1 (43:50):
I could see.

Speaker 2 (43:52):
But you're an attorney, for God's sake, you are an attorney, right,
so weird. But now back in California, Lottie began reaching
out to close friends, including his longtime confident and private

(44:12):
investigator Bill. The calls were frequent, and from the start,
Lottie seemed deeply focused on the legal implications of what happened. Okay,
I'm not going to shame him on that. He is
an attorney. He probably, I mean, we think everything true crime.
He probably thinks everything legal. I think that's more than fair.
That's being I mean, very very fair. That's his job.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
And really, when you have a job like that, it
becomes like exactly way of thinking. Now, it's not that weird.

Speaker 2 (44:40):
There were no security videos, no illnesses, and no physical
evidence to prove what had occurred. Rather than sounding distraught
about this, his tone was matter of fact. He was
more concerned about what authorities might try to allege than
the mystery of Mickey being Yeah.

Speaker 1 (45:01):
See, that's the red flag there. That's that's where you're like, oh, buddy,
like I get you when I think of legal stuff. Yeah,
I'll give you a pass, but what yeah, come on. Well,
according to Bill, Lannie also asked him to look into
maritime law, wondering aloud about what jurisdiction might apply in

(45:23):
a case where someone vanishes in international waters. How did
much you want to bet that he probably already looked
this up before he went absolutely.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Now, back when I think it was in February, JT
told us about Marytown law because guys, I learned some
things as somebody whose crews several times, I learned some
things that were shocking. That is a maritime law. So
I having to just tell you, if you're going on
a cruise, check out the laws and see.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
Who owns the ship. I don't think people know that
was a very interesting for me.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
Because I just assumed I'm an American. I caught the
boat in America. Don't we follow American laws?

Speaker 1 (46:09):
I just why would Lonnie reach out to Bill. Bill's
a private investigator. Lannie is a freaking lawyer, So why
is he not looking at the laws as opposed to
the private investigator? Right? Yep?

Speaker 2 (46:23):
Like what.

Speaker 1 (46:25):
Why would you even do that? Anyway? So, at first
these questions could have been interpreted as the worries of
a man afraid of being wrongly blamed if that does happen, right,
because I always say, first suspect is the boyfriend, husband,
and there's a reason for that. Statistically it is. But
soon even Bill began to sense something was off. Lonnie's

(46:48):
focus wasn't on grief for closure. It was on strategy,
which I then, he's a lawyer, so I do give
him a little bit of grace there. Still, though, without
any concrete evidence, no conclusions could be drawn. After all,
it could have been an accident. Mickey was known to
enjoy quiet moments alone and could have lost her balance

(47:11):
on the darkened deck. It was tragic, but was it
really suspicious? I mean, I don't know. I mean, first,
I don't think so.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
I mean, I am that person. I always try to
give grace, try to be understanding.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
I hate it when law.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
Enforcement says, oh, they were guilty because they didn't act
the way I felt they should have.

Speaker 1 (47:34):
Until we've been in it. How can I judge somebody
when I've never been there? Sure, But then people always
say that when people are acting like way out and
You're like, that is not normal at all, Okay, not
even closed. You can't even get a pass for that
that it's okay, but.

Speaker 2 (47:49):
Okay, Well I'm always extra So can you imagine if
I am in that situation, the cops are going to
be like, oh, she did it, she is over the top.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
Oh would you pull a Karen. It's hysterical. I'm dreaming.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
So, I mean, people are gonna be like, yeah, that's
just her, that's just her. But now Lonnie told her
informed Bill that the FBI was going to work the case.

Speaker 1 (48:17):
Guys, Bill was like, this is good news. Yes, the
X Files. I love that.

Speaker 2 (48:24):
You know.

Speaker 1 (48:24):
What I want to do, friends that are listening, is
I've never seen The X Files in its entirety. I also,
like when it was on TV, I've never went back.
Now that you know you can stream, think right, so
I've only ever seen f episodes that would like air
out of order on TV's totally not in its entirety.

(48:45):
I've probably seen maybe like four episodes and that was
literally like twenty five years ago. Yeah, yeah, and you
say I'm out of touch girls was last night?

Speaker 2 (48:57):
Stop stop hey we oh you just broke the membership rule.
You know that we called me out on members only.

Speaker 1 (49:09):
I've never even heard of the labyrinth.

Speaker 2 (49:11):
Okay, I said, wow, Well, let me tell you, Scully
made me question my sexuality.

Speaker 1 (49:18):
Oh well, I mean she's fanciastic. She was hot. Okay,
she is hot. She is hot.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
So anyway, guys, Mickey had gone missing without a trace,
and her remains were found miles away. Okay, now It'salian
authorities opened a formal investigation.

Speaker 1 (49:42):
Guys.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
US officials began reviewing Lannie's return, behavior, and financial moves
after the trip. Okay, he began taking steps to access
joint accounts and investments that he and Mickey want shared.
Because remember when he he got in trouble or he
thought he was going to be in trouble, they put

(50:04):
everything in her name, but he could still.

Speaker 1 (50:06):
Access the accounts.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
Okay, he said these were tied to their ongoing relationship
and shared plans for the future. Some friends believed him,
others weren't so sure. I'm not a friend, but I
don't believe him. Okay, I don't believe him.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
Now.

Speaker 2 (50:25):
As the investigation grew, so did the questions about what
really happened on the ship and whether the story Lonnie
told was the full truth. Guys, if your partner goes missing,
you do not start trying to access bank accounts within

(50:45):
a matter of days. You don't call the insurance company.

Speaker 1 (50:50):
You'll tell you.

Speaker 2 (50:51):
Don't do that because guess what that makes you, suss
It makes you guilty before inescent.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
It's not going to help beer casing. We'll just put
it that way. We'll just put it that way. Now.
Mickey's body was recovered from the Mediterranean Sea around May
twenty seven, two thousand and six. That is the same
day that Lannie left Italy and flew back to California.

Speaker 2 (51:20):
Interesting, right, I need to ask a question for the chat.
I need everyone to put in the chat. If you
are on a cruise with someone you love or we're
married too, and they're missing, I want to know if
you would the next day after reporting them missing, if

(51:40):
you would leave. I just need to know, because guys, I.

Speaker 1 (51:44):
Would not be leaving, no way, no way.

Speaker 2 (51:48):
So I just need other people because maybe I'm just
so extra that I would not leave no anyway.

Speaker 1 (51:56):
So an official autopsy was performed on June sixteenth in Valencia, Spain.
I don't know why it took that many weeks for
an autopsy to happen. That's a long time. May twenty seventh,
the June sixteenth. That's maybe it was because it was
out on water. There might have been issues of where

(52:17):
the jurisdiction goes. So where does that go?

Speaker 2 (52:21):
Josh Minkwitz dateline. They had to ship the body somewhere
else from where it was found because they couldn't do
it there and that small little providence, so they had
to go through a process to get it there. It
wasn't a place that they were prepared to do this.

Speaker 1 (52:38):
Kind of Oh, well, then that makes a little bit
more sense. And then because that was my question.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
Yeah, and then when I just you know, watched that yesterday,
I saw that, I was like, okay, now that makes sense.

Speaker 1 (52:53):
Well Italian pathologist doctor Ricci, that's just what I'm not
going to try with that. What's been a first name,
Petra Tanino. Doctor Ricci reported several significant trauma around the
base of her neck, deep hemorrhaging bruises consistent with strangulation,

(53:17):
not accidental injury. The severe neck trauma was central to
the conclusion that her death was caused by foul play,
not a fall or drowning, and even more telling was
the absence of water in her lungs or stomach, despite
being found floating in the sea, Mickey had not inhaled water,

(53:40):
indicating she was already deceased when her body entered the water.
He should have known that.

Speaker 2 (53:47):
I mean, I have to tell you, but that's one
thing I didn't look into. He must have been a
corporate attorney. Must he was nowhere. But now I am
more worried. Please tell me you're not talking.

Speaker 1 (54:03):
About Lonnie, no, doctor Ritchie. Okay, that's what I was thinking.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
But I just needed to make sure we were clear
because I was going to assume. Why would we check
her armpits?

Speaker 1 (54:17):
It's from the murder trial. Remember the coroner checked their
arm pits. That's how long they've been which was that's right? Okay? Yeah,
well Buffy, it could have Buffy says, nobody noticed in
strangling her. My guess is it happened in their room
and then he tossed her over the balcony of his
And is my guest so far in the story of
probably what's.

Speaker 2 (54:38):
And something that we don't talk about, right, And you
said he got a balcony, right, he did.

Speaker 1 (54:43):
Okay, But here's the thing. They did not question.

Speaker 2 (54:50):
The people in the rooms next to them to see
if they heard or heard any fighting.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
Mmm.

Speaker 2 (54:57):
And then when Bill and Susan went back on the ship,
the cruise company refused to give out the list of passengers.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
And they couldn't get it.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
And because of maritime laws in countries they couldn't get it.
Now their social media would be able to find out
who was on that ship right now. Such an absence
is a forensic red flag.

Speaker 1 (55:25):
Guys.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
We all know if there is not water and the lungs,
this person did not drown. Okay, sorry, patreants, it's Antonio.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
So it's Petra Antonio Ici. All right, I'm going to
show off. Okay, I'm just guessing. I'm just guessing. Okay. Now.

Speaker 2 (55:48):
In addition to the strangulation bruses, guys, the autopsy uncovered
some other disturbing findings. I want to give another alert
that that I'm getting ready to say some things that
are not very comfortable. There was evidence of trauma to
her inner thighs, suggestive perhaps a physical struggle or sexual assault.

(56:15):
It was also noted that a skull fracture or brain
hemorrhaging likely from a blunt object, possibly a wine bottle,
which added feather proof of a encounter exactly Neither of

(56:35):
these injuries aligned with an accidental fall overboard. There was
also zero water found, like we said, in her lungs. So, guys,
the pattern of trauma for strangulation, leg bruising, skull injuries
and lack of drowning guys instantly ruled out accidental death

(56:56):
or suicide. I mean even US people could figure that out, right.

Speaker 1 (57:04):
So when the FBI and the Italian authorities received these
aue tipsy findings, autopsy.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
Okay, woman, you said all tipsy, you said autips I
loved it. Autipsy right now, I miss snap that because
autipsy needs to be our word going forward. Anytime it
says autopsy, it needs to be autipsy.

Speaker 1 (57:30):
In fairness, I have not had a break today.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
I've read that I love I wasn't shading you.

Speaker 1 (57:35):
I love it, okay, because I have an eighty So
it's gonna happen real fast. Anyway, what was I saying? Okay? So,
the FBI and the Italian authorities received these autipsy findings,
and it transformed the investigation. No longer was mcke's disappearance
treated as a tragic maritime accident. It was now unmistakably

(58:00):
classified as a murder. Case, the precise medical evidence became
pivotal in steering investigation focus onto Lonnie, the last person
with Mickey before she disappeared. Instead, the autopsy report exposed
a violent, premeditated act, triggering both US and Italian authorities

(58:22):
to intensify their scrutiny and coordination in building a homicide case.
Can we put autopsy on some merch BALI you're in
the chat, I write that down please, I will wear
it now. Remember when miss and girlfriend on the ship,
I would complain and stay on the ship and say, well,

(58:43):
virgos are a mythic getaway.

Speaker 2 (58:45):
Meditations that I think I said I and this is
saying a lot. Hopefully my ex husbands aren't listening. Even
if my ex husbands fell off of a cruise ship
that I was on, I wouldn't leave the next day.
Mm hmm, I mean, I'm sorry. There's just something wrong
with that.

Speaker 1 (59:06):
Yeah, it's really weird and suspicious. It is, okay. So
remember when Lannie disembarked from the Island Escape in Italy
the day after reporting Mickey missing. He didn't immediately return
to his California home. Nope. Instead, he took a curious
detour and went to Riverside, California, and met a woman.

(59:32):
This woman, later identified as Amy Wynn, was not just
a friend or a casual acquaintance. She was someone with
whom Lannie had been cultivating a romantic relationship, one that
quietly overlapped with his rekindling connection to Mickey. Look at
this lady's ma'am.

Speaker 2 (59:53):
Okay, what I have to remind you all. We call
it rekindling. They divorced, but they stayed a couple.

Speaker 1 (01:00:03):
Yeah. I thought that was great to get caught.

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
So they were trying to rekindle. And what he said
that meant living in the same house.

Speaker 1 (01:00:12):
And no longer living in.

Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
Separate places a Riverside Yeah, I know. My Jeffy used
to live there and there was a shooting in his
apartment in his condo complex.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
Yeah that mine. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:00:31):
Now, the choice to visit Amy rather than heading home
to grieve or assists with the unfolding investigation raised eyebrows
in hindsight.

Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
Totally normal. I yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
At the time, Lani kept his trip under wraps. Okay, guys,
there was no public declarations of love, no explanations offered.
He was not on TV crying.

Speaker 1 (01:01:00):
I believe there was none. Of that. Wow, did you
like that? That was good? That was very good. Perfect now.

Speaker 2 (01:01:07):
But so to anyone watching, it looked like a grieving
man returning home from a tragic accident with no emotions.

Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
But guys, privately, he.

Speaker 2 (01:01:19):
Was taking calculated steps, steps that now suggest he was
shifting gears, distancing himself emotionally and geographically from the cruise
that he paid for and from Mickey.

Speaker 1 (01:01:35):
Yeah again, he's a lawyer. He must not have been
a criminal lawyer.

Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
Or no, he had to be doing credit collections or something,
because he was.

Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Doing all the wrong, wrong things now meditation, I agree.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
If you're already divorced, do not go back.

Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (01:02:01):
There's a reason he left, oh lady, and Gray says
that guy I went to college with got divorced from
his wife after he was arrested for embezzlement and put
everything in her name before he went to trial, and
they stayed together.

Speaker 1 (01:02:15):
She knows where all the money does? I mean, if
he's in prison, it's all hers right right now. Amy,
the other woman, for her part, didn't appear to know
the full extent of what had happened. Lonnie told her
that Mickey had fallen overboard and that the situation was
being handled by authorities in Europe. He reassured her, focusing

(01:02:38):
on the future and making promises that painted Mickey as
part of the past. It was only after the news
broke about Mickey's body being found, which was like literally
the next day, and the cause of death confirmed as strangulation,
that things took a darker turn. Investigators would later learn
that Lonnie began transferring money and real estate assets into

(01:03:03):
Amy's name almost immediately upon returning to California. Definitely makes
me think he's some kind of financial leader.

Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
Yeah, now, guys, just you know, the trip to see
Amy wasn't just a romantic detour, Okay, it's a big
freaking red flag, okay, or a clue. And it's a
clue that suggested Lonnie's priorities were not aligned with the
narrative of a man devastated by the sudden loss of

(01:03:34):
a former spouse he was supposedly trying to reconcile with.
Instead of staying in Italy to assist in the search
or to provide statements to investigators, Lonnie.

Speaker 1 (01:03:50):
Being the piece of shit he is, was focused on
the next chapter of his life.

Speaker 2 (01:03:55):
Okay, one that didn't include Mickey. To those who would
later reconstruct the timeline, this stop over with Amy would
become a piece at a much larger, far more unsettling
piece of the puzzle. And guys, stuff that makes me
want to scream the F word.

Speaker 1 (01:04:17):
I think I feel like Terry's gonna pop an F
word in here, right, hey.

Speaker 2 (01:04:25):
And this can pop the C word. Me Just throwing
an F word isn't gonna hurt. But I'm sorry, wait
to you, just wait, just wait, people.

Speaker 1 (01:04:34):
Now. The other woman in Lonnie's tangle of romantic history
was Amy Howynn, a soft spoken fifth grade teacher originally
from Vietnam. Lonnie met Amy online in the mid two thousands.
Oh boy, look at that old af metsha gun. That's

(01:04:54):
not what it looks like now, right, I imagine that
this is I have never been a dot com, never
been on that. I don't know now. Lonnie met Amy
online right during a period when he and Mickey were
still legally divorced but maintaining an exclusive relationship. Cheating yeah right,

(01:05:15):
and he remember he had his own apartment in downtown
La Ammy was warm, trusting, and by many accounts, deeply
enamored with Lannie, but she's a teacher, Dayton a lawyer
like of course, right anyway, their relationship escalated quickly, so quickly,
in fact, that they secretly married in July twenty or

(01:05:40):
two thousand and five, and before this murder.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
And I do he's still an exclusive relationship with Mickey.
He's cheating on both of these women.

Speaker 1 (01:05:56):
It's crazy this guy.

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
To my knowledge, nowhere did we see they had children,
so at.

Speaker 1 (01:06:03):
Least he didn't grew do that.

Speaker 2 (01:06:07):
Now, guys, what makes Amy's involvement go shocking, like what
is it?

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
Shock all? Does that it? Right? Shock all? Anyway?

Speaker 2 (01:06:22):
Was how little anyone in Lonnie's life knew about him
knew about her. Guess what, guys, Bill Price and his
partner Susan McQueen were shocked to discover that Lonnie and
Amy ever married, and that Amy was ever even in
the picture. I mean it's literally like, oh shit, who

(01:06:46):
is this.

Speaker 1 (01:06:49):
God? I'm like, I'm tried, I mean he's now.

Speaker 2 (01:06:56):
Lonnie had kept Amy completely hidden from his circle. He
did lavish her with expensive gifts. He bought her Alexis
a large home and promises of a future. But guys,
that marriage was short lived.

Speaker 1 (01:07:12):
I mean he can't afford a queen size bed on
a cruise, Bacon by Alexis.

Speaker 2 (01:07:18):
That's why I said that it was not a luxurious cruise,
because he was paying for all of that. Now, within
a few months, Lonnie quietly divorced Amy and returned to Mickey,
framing that Mediterranean cruise as a chance to rekindle their relationship.

(01:07:42):
That's where the rekindle comes from.

Speaker 1 (01:07:44):
He's always about rekindling things.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
He had no idea he had been dipping his wick
in somebody else's candle.

Speaker 1 (01:07:53):
Oh boy, well, when our favorite Bill Price found out
that Lannie had taken a detour to visit another woman
instead of flying straight home after Mickey's disappearance, he was stunned.
You know why, because he's a gentleman and him and
Susanne are perfect and amazing, and Bill was also deeply unsettled.

(01:08:17):
Bill was also furious and told Lonnie this made him
look very suspicious. Yes, yes, sorry, dope, meditation says good thing.
I watched a lot of trials. I knew where this
was going. I know.

Speaker 2 (01:08:30):
I'm like, guys, that is the reason you watch live trials.

Speaker 1 (01:08:36):
Wait, no, that's not why. It's not the reason it's
called education.

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
You learned about the legal system, you learn about things
people do. I'm sorry, it is why you watch it.

Speaker 1 (01:08:51):
You learn so you know. As Lonnie's longtime friend and
former private investigator, Bill had always believed he understood how
Lonnie operated. But this move just it didn't sit right
with him. He couldn't reconcile the image of a man
who just lost someone he claimed to love with, one
who days later was visiting on new romantic interests and

(01:09:14):
already looking ahead. He would never do that to Susanne ever,
or Susan. Oh, Susan, sorry Susan anyway, So it didn't
feel like grief to Bill. It felt like evasion. In hindsight,

(01:09:35):
that detour became a turning point for Bill. It was
the moment he began to question everything Lonnie had told
about him, told him about what really happened on that cruise.
Oh boy, okay, sorry didn't This wine might be too good.

Speaker 2 (01:09:58):
It's going down way too easy, But I also haven't
been able to feel good and enjoy stuff. So don't
think I'm being an alcoholic over here, guys. It just
feels really good to feel normal.

Speaker 1 (01:10:11):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:10:13):
In the months following Mickey's death, Lonnie slipped back into
his life with an unsettling ease. Okay, he resumed his
law practice, and he continued his romantic relationship with Amy,
and quietly, as we mentioned earlier, he began maneuvering to
gain access to Mickey's financial assets. Now, on the surface,

(01:10:37):
it appeared he was grieving in his own way and
moving forward. Guys, everybody has the white right to agrieve. However,
I agree, lady and Gray. I would punch him in
the face.

Speaker 1 (01:10:51):
What a horrible way to be born with a punchable face,
So unfortunate for it.

Speaker 2 (01:10:55):
But I don't ever want to say that. We don't
have You know, you have the right to grieve your
own way.

Speaker 1 (01:11:00):
Okay, sure, but this way I'm gonna make you look good,
that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:11:06):
But to Bill Price, Lonnie's longtime friend, something just didn't
feel right. Bill had been one of the first people
Lonnie called after Mickey disappeared. Remembered, and Bill helped get
him the flight out, and the tone of that call
stuck with him. He looking back, because hindsight's always twenty twenty, right, Sure,

(01:11:29):
Lonnie sounded more concerned about legal implications than the emotional loss.
I think Bill started putting into his mind what would
I do if Susan and I had got on this
cruise and what if this happened to Susan?

Speaker 1 (01:11:45):
How would I have been? Yeah? Because he's a great
guy and a good friend. I mean, he flew him back,
you know, through all this, Bill, you're a good friend
and a good guy. Okay, now, Annie.

Speaker 2 (01:11:57):
Guys, hold on to your butts because I'm a out
to make Lama pissed. Lonnie was a very good friend
to Bill at one time. Really, Okay, Bill was in
the hospital. There were some things going on. Let's just
say Lonnie stepped in and made shit happen. All of

(01:12:20):
a sudden, Bill got the care he needed and was
entitled to, and it saved Bill's life. That helped kind
of cement their friendship. So fine, fine, Lonnie did one
good thing.

Speaker 1 (01:12:40):
That's a pretty good thing.

Speaker 2 (01:12:40):
One so and it's a good thing because Bill's here
with us today.

Speaker 1 (01:12:43):
So to give.

Speaker 2 (01:12:48):
Him out probably, But I always try to give people
where credit is due. But that's about all the credit
I can give to Lonnie.

Speaker 1 (01:12:55):
That's about it. Sorry, that's fair. Well. As Lonnie continue
to navigate life post cruise. Bill found himself in a
painful position. I would be too, caught between his loyalty
to a friend and his instincts as a seasoned investigator.
He began to replay their conversations in his mind, noting

(01:13:16):
how Lannie's words felt more like a careful, curated narrative
than a raw recounting of grief. Oh, look at him,
he looks sad there, But look at his gold chain. Buddy, Okay,
wonder what that is hanging from that. I don't know.
I know that's Bill. I know it's a dop claw.
I don't think. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:13:37):
Bill. Could you call me or message me and tell
me what you're wearing on your Florida shirt.

Speaker 1 (01:13:42):
The focus was always on what couldn't be proven, no witnesses,
no video, no evidence, not on what had actually happened.
And then there was the timing the cruise, Mickey's disappearance,
and the detour to Amy. It's not looking.

Speaker 2 (01:14:03):
Great, it's not now. Bill and Susan took up Lonnie's
case even though they found something's off, but they were
true friends. They began trying to put together the facts
on why Lonnie could not have been the person who
killed Mickey and that it had to have been another passenger. Guys,

(01:14:26):
as they looked into it, they started to feel a
little more unsettled.

Speaker 1 (01:14:30):
Oh sorry, I'm so sorry. Are you going. I just
have to say that.

Speaker 2 (01:14:39):
Annie is probably asleep, and I hope she is sleeping,
because when you have a new baby, baby sleeps, you sleep.
Mm hmm, you sleep whenever you can. There's no shame
in that.

Speaker 1 (01:14:55):
No, you guys are not but leaden graces. Are you boring?
Are we boring you? Lama? No, I just barely slipped
in the last three days researching and writing all of
car Crystal Rogers for you guys. So I've gotten very
little sleep in the last couple of days. Actually, guys,
we know elboth been keeping her away. What. Yes, he's

(01:15:15):
been asleep before me most nights. Now. Bill suggested that
Lonnie prove his innocence by taking a lie to Texas test. Well,
guess what, Lonnie failed it, and he failed it so
spectacularly that the polygraph the polygraph examiner asked Bill if

(01:15:37):
he was in on it and then went to say,
you know he's guilty, right, Yeah, that's saying something that
is bad. That's bad that's really really bad. But Bill
still wasn't one hundred percent sold that Lonnie hadn't done
anything wrong and thought his dear friend had just made

(01:15:58):
some bad decisions and was about how he would look
because of how he acted, which is fair. I'm not
a big believer in polygraphs, so I.

Speaker 2 (01:16:06):
Mean I am here with Bill because I always try
to look to the best in people, and if it's
a good friend, I totally would be the same way.

Speaker 1 (01:16:16):
But here's the thing about this. It doesn't say this here,
but we already know the FBI was looking into this.
That's who was looking into this, and they have their
own examiners that do polygraphs, and each of their agents
have to go through a polygraph. So in this instance,
the polygraph actually does mean something more to me than

(01:16:39):
I mean, that is a big deal to important people
have to go through.

Speaker 2 (01:16:45):
And Bill used someone he knew very well who was
very skilled at this. They asked eleven questions.

Speaker 1 (01:16:52):
I believe it was oh wow, that's it.

Speaker 2 (01:16:54):
Yeah, So I mean he felt that bad. They were
like yeah, and that's why the guy came out. So
the dateline episode, if anybody you know just needs more
of this case, it's called something waters, But I mean,
is it not the FBI?

Speaker 1 (01:17:09):
Who it wasn't Bill? Oh well, my mistake, listeners, I apologize.
I was under the impression that it was No.

Speaker 2 (01:17:17):
Bill went to a friend before the FBI. He was
the guy was one of the top light detector guys
in the world. So I mean he went to one
of the tops. So like the FBI, I believe that
said had used him. Okay, so we're still the same

(01:17:37):
caliber of So he's not just a It's not like
somebody Addison from the Chase Lackey case where's he went to.
This was a real person, open water.

Speaker 1 (01:17:48):
Thank you, Kappain.

Speaker 2 (01:17:50):
But no, the guy came out literally and looked at
Bill and like, you're in on this right, you know
this guy did it?

Speaker 1 (01:17:57):
Yikes.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
And but Bill is thinking attorney probably didn't answer the
questions right because he's thinking this, He's thinking that I
do love that Bill gave the benefit of the doubt. Now, guys,
in early two thousand and nine, two thousand and nine, yeah,
that was a long time ago. Three years after Mickey's death,

(01:18:20):
Lonnie asked Bill and Susan to visit his ex wife,
Amy Wynn. So Bill was growing increasingly weary of Lonnie.
He and Susan agreed, but guys. When they arrived at
Amy's home, Susan went inside first, while Bill waited outside,

(01:18:42):
listening from the car. As the meeting began, I appreciate
that a woman going She's been through a lot. She's
asked all these questions, so I appreciate this.

Speaker 1 (01:18:53):
Oh well, I mean they are private investigators. They do
know how to slide in there the right way. Well.
Susan started out gently, asking Amy how she was doing
and whether she'd spoken with investigators, but the conversation quickly
took a dramatic turn when Amy, visibly shaken, revealed that

(01:19:16):
Lannie had told her the cruise with Mickey was a setup.
That's right, contrary to her earlier Grand Jerry testimony, because
there was some of that. Amy now said Lonnie had
planned Mickey's death before the trip, and she admitted she
had been terrified ever since. I mean, I would he

(01:19:39):
killed a woman he was married to and little. I
don't blame Amy, Yeah, I don't blame her in the
slightest for just being scared.

Speaker 2 (01:19:50):
It gets worse, Okay, what done Susan and Bill even
more was Amy's next revelation. Lonnie had allegedly told Amy
that a well connected friend helped arrange Mickey's murder, and
that friend, Lonnie claimed was Bill Price. So Susan was shocked, paused,

(01:20:18):
and asked Amy if she knew Bill was listening.

Speaker 1 (01:20:22):
Then guys.

Speaker 2 (01:20:23):
Bill entered the room. He directly asked if she believed
Lonnie had implicated him, and Amy said yes, explaining that
Lonnie had deliberately made her fear Bill and suggested he
had dangerous connections. She was scared of more than the
fact that he had killed Mickey. He was connected.

Speaker 1 (01:20:49):
Yeah, that's I do not like that. I don't like that,
you know. In that moment was a breaking point for Bill.
I mean I'd be like, oh what, No, I.

Speaker 2 (01:21:03):
Mean, this is your row, this is your friend, this is.

Speaker 1 (01:21:09):
You know. Hearing Amy's confession firsthand made it crystal clear
she wasn't lying, Her fear was palpable, and her story
ring true. Whatever loyalty Bill had once felt towards Lannie
was gone. As I would it would be the same
for me. I'm like, I wish I probably would help

(01:21:31):
you out in this scenario, but like, you didn't even
come ask me so no, like, okay.

Speaker 2 (01:21:40):
Now, after talking with Amy and the felt polygraph test
for Bill, the revolt, all of this shattered any lingering
beliefs that Lannie was innocent. Now you take that with
the troubling behavior that Lonnie had exhibited since Mickey's disappearance,
his cold dior, his leal posturing in his detour to

(01:22:03):
visit another woman. Guys, Bill was like, yeah, this is
something else.

Speaker 1 (01:22:11):
This isn't great. It's not great. It's not great, my friend,
it is not great. Recognizing that he could no longer
stay silent, Bill contacted federal investigators. That's all right, eh.
He and Susan shared what they knew, including Lonnie's fixation

(01:22:32):
on forensic details and how he disturbingly referred to Mickey
as the body during phone calls. And I just want
to say, you hear that, mcalberts. It is suspicious when
you refer to someone you know as the guy in

(01:22:53):
the snow or some guy anything but their actual name
is suspicious. Okay, suspicious? I agree? Yeah? Yeah, So why
everybody's blooming noise? Okay?

Speaker 2 (01:23:10):
Speaking of the mcalberts, really quick, whoever on discord posted
the video of Jackson standing in the front yard of
the mcalberts house screaming out and somebody inside recording it.
It's on the discord. I forget which channel, somebody else else.
It was interesting. You could hear aj every time he screamed.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
Was this like they were testing it out? They were
testing it. I haven't been able to be over there.
Kottie Jackson was testing it. Oh, I love that. I'm
definitely gonna chip. By the way, if you guys enjoy
us being live and the chatters, we do have a
discord server where we all hang out when we're not
live and streaming. You guys, it's called the Courtyard. If

(01:23:55):
you don't know how it works, that's okay, just go
ahead and join. We are all very friendly and will
help teach you how it works. But that's where we
all hang out. We watch shows together, documentaries, talk about
true crime, you can find court documents, the whole shebang.
So that is where we all are. And you can
see that Alan Jackson video she was just talking about.

Speaker 2 (01:24:13):
Yeah, I mean that's where we share personal we get
to know you a little bit better.

Speaker 1 (01:24:18):
It's like a cool place. That's true. I haven't been
able to be on much lately, but I try to
be honest often as I can.

Speaker 2 (01:24:26):
You need to get a new Producer's what I'm thinking,
because you is not helping you out. Oh wait a minute,
you are the producer. Sorry you wait to just talk
to yourself, sweetheart.

Speaker 1 (01:24:40):
And Amy's sitting there, like, what's you say she is not?
She is the AP or is she the producer? She is? Yeah? Yeah,
Oh I did not see. They didn't discuss that with me.

Speaker 2 (01:24:55):
I am so sorry, I miss I thought she was
the producer of her own show.

Speaker 1 (01:24:59):
I mean, no, I'm the star. I'm just getting the star. Okay,
get people are now.

Speaker 2 (01:25:10):
These insights did help humanize the case for law enforcement
and underscored a calculated mindset that did not align with
Lonnie's public claims of grief. Bill also took his own
polygraph test to prove he was being truthful.

Speaker 1 (01:25:28):
Okay, guys.

Speaker 2 (01:25:29):
This strengthened that he was not in on it.

Speaker 1 (01:25:34):
He was not in on it. I mean I'd probably
do the same thing and goats Now. At the request
of investigators, Bill began recording his phone conversations with Lannie.
Oh that's right, playing the role of a supportive friend

(01:25:57):
while gently drawing out inconsistency in Lonnie's story. These conversations
revealed a man speaking in legal terms rather than emotional ones,
someone focused more on evidence evidence gaps than the loss
of a loved one. Bill's decision to come forward, record
these calls and stand by the truth would prove to

(01:26:20):
be a turning point, breathing new life into a case
that might otherwise have gone cold. I mean, Bill, I'm
in a row of this story. If you guys interested,
Bill Price is the hero.

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
If it wasn't for him, I personally don't think Mickey
would have ever gotten justice.

Speaker 1 (01:26:38):
I think they would have had a very difficult time now.

Speaker 2 (01:26:42):
He approached each call as a trusted confidante, calm, not accusatory,
and prompting Lonnie to share details. These calls revealed a
disconcerting pattern. Lonnie repeatedly avoided emotional expressions and in dead
maintained that legalistic tone, which guys, I get he is attorney,

(01:27:06):
but not want a loved one.

Speaker 1 (01:27:07):
I'm sorry. I think you sometimes you got to take
your work hats off, and it's okay, But I don't
think you.

Speaker 2 (01:27:15):
Have a choice in a traumatic situation if you truly
love that person. I personally don't think Lonnie could love
anyone but himself.

Speaker 1 (01:27:22):
But that's just me. I mean there's people I don't
even love that I would still be.

Speaker 2 (01:27:28):
Torn apart, and like, I don't think knows the concept
of love. Yeah, but he focused obsessively on forensic specifics,
fixating on Mickey's bodies, her injuries, and the absences of witnesses,
and one unsettling moment, he referred to his as we

(01:27:49):
mentioned his ex wife simply as the body like the
mcalberts that totally screwed him up.

Speaker 1 (01:27:58):
Guys, let's just be honest. Yes, Yeah. After Bill Price
handed over the recordings and information of federal authorities, the
trajectory of the investigation into Mickey's death changed dramatically. What
had long lingered in limbo as a suspicious but unproven

(01:28:19):
death was now rapidly transforming into a well supported homicide case.
Bill's recordings, particularly with Amy's taped confession that Lonnie had
admitted to planning Mickey's death before the cruise, were treated
as game changing evidence. These weren't just offhand comments. They
pointed to clear premeditation and manipulation, delivered by someone Lonnie

(01:28:43):
had trusted to keep quiet. Hmm. Too bad for you
to Lannie. With Bill's cooperation and the tapes in hand,
investigators now had a compelling narrative backed by real voices,
and that will get you and go everydog like you

(01:29:03):
are screwed at that scene. At that point when you
get recorded, your only choice then is to take the stand.
If you don't take the stand, yeah, now I agree,
are found guilty. It's not a good idea, it's not great.

Speaker 2 (01:29:15):
Should me just throw something out there to make everybody's
head spin? M hmm. If this was to happen in
today's time, what if it was a I.

Speaker 1 (01:29:26):
Don get me started on air? Well, that's a whole
different episode. We can talk about that in members only.
I have opinions, and you too, because I don't like
that we're on here.

Speaker 2 (01:29:35):
I had somebody who called me, several former co workers.
My voice was used that they stole from YouTube for
the podcast. So, guys, we're gonna have to start thinking
about the audio part instead of just listening record with cameras.

Speaker 1 (01:29:51):
People. This was two thousand and six, though you guys,
I know, well a couple of years. It was the
odds when was taken.

Speaker 2 (01:29:57):
Now you need to start and so the good news.
The fallout for Lonnie was immediate. In Damning Okay, law
enforcement began re examining his financial records, discovering that shortly
after Mickey's death, Lonnie attempted to transfer nely one million
dollars from accounts that had been in Mickey's name or

(01:30:20):
shared between them. Prosecutors also uncovered that he had purchased
property with Amy after the cruise using some of those funds. Guys, see,
he was trying to pull Amy into this shit too.
I personally think he was trying to set her up somehow.
I don't know how, but I don't know. The financial

(01:30:42):
movers helped support the special circumstances charges of financial gain.
Investigators also took a closer look at the timeline of
Lonnie's behavior, including his detour to see Amy, his quick
return to California, and his legal efforts to access Mickey's estate.

Speaker 1 (01:31:03):
All of it, guys, as.

Speaker 2 (01:31:04):
We know, made us picture a man who was not
concerned with the loss of an ex He was more
worried about the logistics.

Speaker 1 (01:31:15):
Of the money. Oh yes, oh yes. But in twenty thirteen,
guys Alani was arrested and charged with first degree murder
with the special circumstance of financial gain. Oh, he lost
the mustache. He initially denied the allegations and mounted a

(01:31:36):
vigorous legal defense. His attorneys argued issues of jurisdiction since
Mickey's body was recovered in Italy, and challenged the admissibility
of key evidence, but prosecutors held firm. Oh, they sure did.
The combination of physical evidence from Mickey's autopsy, digital trails,
emails and financial records, and testimonial evidence, particularly Bill's recordings,

(01:32:01):
created a solid foundation. NJOG ruled that California did have
jurisdiction because the planning and motive, especially the financial ones,
originated there. The legal proceedings dragged on for several years,
with numerous delays and defense motions, of course, But you

(01:32:25):
probably didn't think all that through, didn't he guys? You
know what I found out are researching this. Hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:32:32):
If Double eight was to have planned this in Texas
and then did this to me, they would have gone
for the death penalty in Texas because you planned it
here in the state.

Speaker 1 (01:32:46):
It's an actual charge too.

Speaker 2 (01:32:48):
But because in Texas you went across state and international
lines to create practice.

Speaker 1 (01:32:54):
Oh, that's the charges. Oh, I see what you're saying.

Speaker 2 (01:32:58):
It's like automatic death. There would be no chance of
life without pearol, he would be he'd be a goner
because Texas puts them.

Speaker 1 (01:33:07):
They kill him. I mean, doubleh.

Speaker 2 (01:33:11):
As you're listening, you need to get a better plan.

Speaker 1 (01:33:15):
Okay, oh my goodness.

Speaker 2 (01:33:17):
Now during the delays of the legal stuff, Lonnie, guys,
just buckle up. Okay, we already hating, but just get ready.
Lannie tried to hire someone to kill Amy Yes so
that she could not testify against him.

Speaker 1 (01:33:37):
Guys, I told you it was a piece of shit.

Speaker 2 (01:33:39):
Now that someone was Lonnie's cellmate and another inmate with
gain connections, so that they could make her death like
a gang murder. The cellmate told his lawyer, and both
of the inmates recorded Lonnie when he talked to them.

Speaker 1 (01:33:55):
From then on.

Speaker 2 (01:33:56):
They also set him up with a guy on the
outside who was actually a cop. But guys, thankfully, Lonnie
was stupid. He was smart, but he was stupid. This
plot was discovered and Lonnie was not successful. I mean,
he was intelligent, he graduated with honors.

Speaker 1 (01:34:14):
He was stupid. I in my opinion, I mean no,
it's real, real, friggin stupid. But you know that's that's a.

Speaker 2 (01:34:23):
Long let's just hear because you're going to tell us
how even stupider he was.

Speaker 1 (01:34:27):
Well, I mean he was successful though, in having two
counts of solution solicitation to commit murder and one count
of solicitation to bribe a witness added to his charges. Yeah,
could job Lonnie emailing it? See, he wanted the killer

(01:34:47):
to have Amy sign a letter saying that she had
lied to the police about Lonnie wanting to kill Mickey.
After she signed, they were supposed to kill her. Sir,
Oh my goodness, something anything else?

Speaker 2 (01:35:05):
Seriously crazy? This guy was a successful, smart attorney, even
in finance face. An attorney of any type should have
known this wasn't the way to go.

Speaker 1 (01:35:18):
I mean, there's always bad people at their jobs. Or
doesn't mean he was graduating all a's in law school
and got high marks on the bar exam, right, there's
got to be a lower level that he was a
good attorney.

Speaker 2 (01:35:30):
I think greed clouded his judgments and then it just
if you back somebody into the wall. I think he
was trying anything he could. He was like, I'm already
going to get jail for life.

Speaker 1 (01:35:43):
What's one more so in humorous yeah every time.

Speaker 2 (01:35:48):
By the time the trial finally began in twenty twenty,
the prosecution had a well organized and damning case. Guys
Bill testified at length, walking the jury through his taped
conversations with Lonnie, his meeting with Amy, and he had
to admit the moment he realized his friend had used

(01:36:09):
him as a cover for murder, and he went on
to recount Lonnie's tone in the recordings was void of
sorrow in field instead like we said, with legal stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:36:22):
Now.

Speaker 2 (01:36:23):
Amy's recorded confession was also played for the jury, delivering
a chilling first hand account of Lonnie's manipulation tactics and
his alleged attempts to make her Phil fear Beryl Eh
came and talk fear Bill himself. The wine just kicked in.

Speaker 1 (01:36:43):
That is great. I love it. That is him with
an amish beard. I was on mute. I'm sorry because
I had a train coming through. Yes, for some reason,
this man can grow a mustache in the nineties, but
by twenty twenty only neck beard. So okay. Now. During

(01:37:04):
the trial, the prosecution laid out a clear timeline of premeditation.
They presented forensic evidence, including the autopsy results showing strangulation
and lack of water in Mickey's lungs, proving she was
dead before she entered the sea. They also outlined Lonnie's
financial actions after her death, transferring to large sums of money,

(01:37:25):
purchasing property, and trying to consolidate assets previously in Nicky's
name Mickey's name. Most damning, however, were the recorded conversations
between Lonnie and Bill Price and Amy's confession, which revealed
Lonnie's calculated and cold demeanor and his attempts to manipulate

(01:37:46):
those closest to him.

Speaker 2 (01:37:49):
Now, in July twenty twenty, after years of delays, twist
and all the investigative Breakthroughsannie thankfully was convicted of the
first degree murder of his ex wife, Mickey Kanasaki. After
just an hour of deliberations. The jury found that I

(01:38:13):
mean an hour.

Speaker 1 (01:38:16):
That is not great. I mean an hour, guys.

Speaker 2 (01:38:22):
But not only had he killed Lot or killed Mickey,
he had done so with these special circumstances of financial gain,
plotting her death in order to claim over a million
dollars in shared assets and life insurance. Now, guys, the
verdict mark the end of a case that had remained
unsolved for fourteen years, and offered long awaited justice to

(01:38:46):
Mickey's family, friends, and those who fought to uncover the
truth behind her death. Now, since Lonnie was sentenced to
life in prison without parole, the DA's office dropped the
additional charges for solicitation against Amy and bribing a witness.
Good news. While he felt an appeal, he was denied.

(01:39:09):
He was sold sucking of.

Speaker 1 (01:39:11):
Buttercups talking to no one.

Speaker 2 (01:39:14):
Now, I mean, this judge that that is so not
a kind of looks a little a little bit like
Brian Cranston, Like Brian.

Speaker 1 (01:39:24):
He definitely looks got a Cranston look. M hmmm. I
love it so for Mickey's loved ones, the conviction brought
a sense of closure, but of course not peace right.
It never does. The brutal nature of her death and
the betrayal by someone she had once trusted, left scars
that no sense could erase. Friends described makee as independent, accomplished,

(01:39:48):
and kind, a woman who deserved more than to become
the target of a cold, calculated plot. And I agree,
I agree piece Mickey. And that's just so frustrating because
it just never needed to happen. I still don't. I still,

(01:40:09):
let's get into our closing thoughts real quick, you guys,
Because one, I still don't understand. He has a buttload
of money anyway, he has a lawyer. Why are you
doing this for a finance? Like I can't wrap my head.
But he controlled her money anyway, so like what is
the point? And they're not even legally married, so it's

(01:40:29):
not like if he wanted to be with Amy, she
would I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:40:34):
He could have just taken all of the money she
put him on the account. Yeah, I just he could
have just taken it all.

Speaker 1 (01:40:42):
There was no reason to kill her. I don't understand.
I don't understand and listen to this guy obviously, I
think we can all agree he is just something else.
This guy. He thought he was so clever and smarter
than everyone else. But arrogance will get you every time,
for sure. And it sounds like Amy is lucky to

(01:41:03):
be alive. And I hope she is living a good
life now because I don't believe for a second she
ever wanted or thought or considered any thing that happened
in the first place. Because it's Lonnie and he's not
a very truthful guy in reality, right, I think a
real shout out to Bill because without him, Mickey probably

(01:41:27):
would never get the justice that she deserved.

Speaker 2 (01:41:32):
And I agree with you. I hope Amy is Govin
living a good life because Lannie never loved her. I
personally wonder if he married her setting this plan up.
They were only married for a couple of months, that's true,
and then he got her by property you. I mean,
I think it was a long term plan. Attorneys plan ahead.

(01:41:57):
They have to try to plan or what if this happens?
To what if this happens? I think he set her
up from the beginning.

Speaker 1 (01:42:03):
Well, we know he is a man of strategy. We've
just talked about it for the last hour. Go to thinking.
I don't think he ever loved her. I don't it
too bad. All I can ever.

Speaker 2 (01:42:15):
Say about Lonnie is that he was never an Alan Jackson.
And I'm not talking about the country music star guys
he may.

Speaker 1 (01:42:24):
Have wanted to be.

Speaker 2 (01:42:25):
When they say he was successful in LA, he was
not Alan Jackson successful in LA. Because I can just
I don't know. I'm just thinking, I'm guessing Alan Jackson
his house costs.

Speaker 1 (01:42:38):
More than a million dollars. Oh, can's just me?

Speaker 2 (01:42:41):
That is just my two cents. But all I can
say about Lonnie is he sucks. They don't like him,
and he is exactly where he needs to be, and
I hope they take care of him.

Speaker 1 (01:42:54):
Every time he drops this soap, I'll just say, we
didn't really bring this up, but it is crazy. She
died into thousand and six this trial what twenty that
many years It took justice to get for Mickey, and
sometimes justice moves slow. And I know a lot of
people don't like that, but guess what, they got it
and they got it good.

Speaker 2 (01:43:14):
I seek safe and I would rather them be slow
and do it right than rest to judgment like the Commonwealth.
But guys, before we go, if you like what you
heard tonight, be sure to follow all of our socials
and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Speaker 1 (01:43:36):
It's totally free. Guys. You get to see us for free,
okay for free. Now.

Speaker 2 (01:43:43):
If you're listening on the podcast apps, please download, give
us a rating. All of that helps us tremendously in
getting our podcast out there. But I also want to
tell you, if you're listening on the podcast apps, you
need to go and see the craziness that you miss
on screen with us. There's a lot of facial expressions,

(01:44:04):
there's a lot of comments. There's a whole lot that
you're missing out on, okay, and I don't want you
to miss out on it now. Next week we will
not have our normal true crime and wine time on
Thursday night because it is right before the fourth of July.
But guys, we are going to have a very special

(01:44:29):
Tuesday evening episode of a special true crime in kid
time Monkey. But my granddaughter will be our guests and
she will present the Lion King case the murder scar
So be sure to be here this for this Tuesday
at eight pm Eastern for something a little different than usual.

Speaker 1 (01:44:51):
Guys.

Speaker 2 (01:44:52):
She was given a full outline to fill out you
know me, and then she had to come in front
of the produce U Sir to hear why she needed
to do all of this.

Speaker 1 (01:45:03):
And Lama and I will be there.

Speaker 2 (01:45:05):
We will be asking her questions. We are going to
make sure she knows her shit.

Speaker 1 (01:45:11):
Yeah, I mean she's getting trained by the bus over here.
So oo, I'm so excited about It's gonna be so
cute and wholesome, a little change of place, something lighthearted,
no high stakes or consequences, and I'm sure monkey Bot's
going to do an amazing job.

Speaker 2 (01:45:26):
I'm so excited, and it gets us into the holiday
weekend for fourth of July.

Speaker 1 (01:45:30):
We don't we don't need any of that other stuff
that's right now. If you need more of Terry and I,
you can always find us doing something here on our
True Crime and Wine Time YouTube channel. There is a
buttload of content, so if we're not on, there is
something for everyone because every Monday and Wednesday, Terry hosts
her show Midday Missing, where she covers missing person cases

(01:45:53):
that don't seem to get a lot of attention. You
can also find these on anywhere you listen to podcas
We've turned those into podcast forums now. Now she is
taking a little bit of hiatus, but she will be
back July seventh with all new episodes of mid Day Missing.
Then I have my show Couch Court with Mama, where
we are currently deep diving into the Crystal Rogers case.

(01:46:18):
I mean, and when I say deep diving, I mean
you're going deep, like very very deep. And I will
be covering the trial as that's going on right now,
but it's not on video or audio, so kind of
gotta wait for stuff to come out. But I will
be covering that as well. Now. I'm also finally finishing
up Couch Court with Lama After Dark, my multi part

(01:46:40):
series which is all about the Sean Diddy culms, federal
sex trafficking and Rego case. You guys, some of the
stuff that has come out about that has been absolutely
shocking to hear if you want. I mean, it seems
a little dark, but I also it's wide. Okay, let's
be honest.

Speaker 2 (01:46:59):
The things you have had to say that been priceless.

Speaker 1 (01:47:04):
Yeah, yeah, whatever you think should be on your Bingo card, Nope,
it's gonna be a whole different Bengo card than you
could expect. But you can find all of my coverage
on that with our US Versus Sean Diddycomb's playlists and
if you become a member on our YouTube channel, Terry
and I are doing members only live shows every week

(01:47:27):
once a week for the month of July. We're coming
up with new things to do with July for our members,
so I don't want to spoil anything yet, but they
are a lot of fun. You can become a member
by clicking the join button and selecting which to your
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guys' support that we can get the lights on and

(01:47:47):
the true crime stories flowing.

Speaker 2 (01:47:51):
Oh that's and guys, remember, by being a member, you
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stream show.

Speaker 1 (01:48:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:48:01):
I have a show that we're working on that we'll
be coming up in the next couple of months here
in Austin that I will be doing on the Rodney
Reid case. And if you live in Texas or adjacent
you know a lot about it. So by being a member,
you get to watch it almost like you're there with us.

Speaker 1 (01:48:20):
I'm very excited about what we have coming for our
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I did not mention. But if you do click the
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Speaker 2 (01:48:57):
Even Jasper got a gifted a membership.

Speaker 1 (01:49:00):
I know the goat. It is truly so kind and.

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I didn't even wasn't even the one who gifted it. So, guys,
I want to thank you all for joining us. And
I know you'll probably get tired of hearing me say this,
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(01:49:26):
please enjoy your wine time because I've missed out on
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Speaker 1 (01:49:34):
I have caught up tonight. That's all I got left.
Well you guys, Thank you everyone for listening and supporting us.
Until next time, take care of your mind, take care
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S5 E17 Truth Beneath the Waves - Uncovering the Lonnie Kocontes Story

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}S5 E17 Truth Beneath the Waves - Uncovering the Lonnie Kocontes Story