Based in Fact

In Episode 7, State of Florida v. Ashley McArthur, Kyle and Lisa looked at the case against Ashley Britt McArthur, a former crime scene investigator, who was convicted in 2019 of the September 8, 2017 murder of her friend, Taylor Wright, a private investigator and former police officer.  Taylor was involved in a contentious divorce and mistakenly trusted McArthur to hold money Taylor withdrew from a joint account.  Unfortunately for Taylor, McArthur spent Taylor’s money the moment she got it.  Then, McArthur decided to kill Taylor to cover up the theft.  We’ll talk about Taylor’s disappearance, McArthur’s thefts from Taylor and others and the case against McArthur, including her trial and direct appeal.

In Episode 6, Lisa and Kyle looked at the murder of Abraham Lee Shakespeare, a Florida lottery winner. In November, 2009, he was reported missing by his family, who hadn't seen, or heard from since early April, 2009. In October, 2008, Dee Dee Moore inserted herself into Abraham’s life, claiming she wanted to help him. By early 2009, it was obvious that her true intent was to help herself to all of Abraham's remaining assets. When the police investigation began, Moore’s attempts to cover up the murder led police to a home owned by Moore’s boyfriend, where they found Abraham’s body buried beneath a slab of concrete Moore had poured on 04/13/2009. Moore was arrested in February, 2010 and convicted in 2012. We’ll talk about the evidence against Moore, her ever-changing stories, her antics during trial and her appellate and post-conviction claims.

In Episode 5, State of Texas v. Yolanda Saldivar, Lisa and Kyle talked about the 1995 murder of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, an American singer-songwriter who was known as the “Queen of Tejano Music.” By the age of 23, Selena had broken barriers in the Tejano music industry, which until then, had been dominated by men (even in the minds of the audiences). In 1994, she won a Grammy Award and launched what would become a multi-million dollar fashion business. In early 1995, she was about to make her crossover debut as a solo pop artist in the English-language market. In February, 1995, she performed at a record breaking, sold-out concert at the Houston Astrodome. On March 31, 1995, Selena’s life was taken by Yolanda Saldivar, a fan who wormed her way into Selena’s inner circle and then took advantage of Selena’s trust.

In Episode 4, Lisa and Kyle talked about the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision vacating Glossip's conviction and remanding his case for a new trial in state court. In addition to talking about the evidence of Glossip's guilt that has been ignored by the media and his advocates over the years, they discussed the impact of the decision on the Van Treese family.

In Episode 3, Updates, Lisa and Kyle talked about the developments in cases covered in Seasons 1 through 3, including Oklahoma v. Richard Glossip, Oklahoma v. John Fitzgerald Hanson, Maryland v. Adnan Syed, Arkansas v. Echols, Baldwin and Miskelley, Texas v. Rodney Reed and Texas v. Melissa Lucio. Then, they looked at the proposed schedule for Season 4 and the some of the episodes they've planned.

In Episode 2, Roundup True Crime with Mike, Robert Glass and Jessica joined Lisa and Kyle to pay tribute to Robb Chadwick, a journalist with a life-long interest in the truth of true crime and fairness for victims. After his retirement, Robb researched and wrote about a number of cases, including the murders of Steve Branch, Chris Byers and Michael Moore in West Memphis, Arkansas and the Murder of Hae Minh Lee. Robb was a good friend to this podcast and others and his knowledge of the cases was impressive. He will be greatly missed. RIP, Robb Chadwick

Welcome to Season 4 of Based in Fact: A True Crime Podcast. We’re your hosts, Lisa O’Brien and Kyle Evans and this is Episode 1, State of Florida v. James Milton Dailey, Part 2. Guest co-host Rick Mullenax joins us to wrap up our look at the case against James Milton Dailey, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the May 5, 1985 murder of teenager Shelly Elizabeth Boggio. We’ll pick up where we left off in Part 1 with a look at Dailey’s renewed federal habeas efforts and four Motions to Vacate his conviction and sentence pursued in state court. Rick founded Burn After Reading, the YouTube channel that started with a deep dive into the West Memphis Three case and has expanded to shine a light on the shadier aspects of social media coverage of true crime, including the disappearance of Maura Murray and the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams by Richard Allen in Delphi, Indiana.

In Episode 17, State of Florida v. James Milton Dailey, Part 1. Lisa and Kyle are joined by guest co-host Rick Mullenax of Burn After Reading, the YouTube channel that started with a deep dive into the West Memphis Three case and expanded to shine a light on aspects of the shady social media coverage of true crime, including the disappearance of Maura Murray and the murders of Libby German and Abby Williams by Richard Allen in Delphi, Indiana. We talked about the case against James Milton Dailey, who was convicted and sentenced to death for the May 5, 1985 murder of teenager Shelly Elizabeth Boggio, including the case against Dailey, his trial, direct appeals and early state post-conviction efforts, up to the death warrant issued by Governor Ron DeSantis on September 25, 2019.

On Friday, December 20, 2024, I learned that Robb Chadwick passed away. Robb was a retired journalist, writer and blogger. He was also a good friend of the show, who was always willing to sit in when we needed a guest co-host. I will miss his insight and his knowledge about many cases. Robb was a kind, calm Southern gentleman. He will be missed.

In Episode 16,  Representative-elect Mitch Little of Texas House District 65 joined Lisa O'Brien to talk about State of Texas v. Robert Leslie Roberson, III.  Since 2016, Roberson's post-conviction attorneys and advocates, who were recently joined by Texas legislators, have engaged in a campaign of disinformation with the courts and the public in which they claim that Roberson’s conviction rests on a diagnosis of Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma.  Legislators issued a last-minute subpoena commanding Roberson’s appearance before their committee on October 21, 2024 and, with a last minute stay granted by the Texas Supreme Court, they were able to prevent his sentence from being carried out on October 17, 2024.  We talked about the facts of the case, the truth about Nikki’s cause of death and the court proceedings and extra-judicial shenanigans of Roberson’s advocates.

 About Mitch Little:

Mitch is a native Texan, who attended Harvard University where he graduated with honors in Government and played football for the Crimson for four years. In 2003, he earned his law degree from the University of Texas and is a successful business attorney. Mitch has fought for private property rights, represented victims of securities fraud, and helped entrepreneurs build companies in numerous industries, including real estate and oil and gas.. Mitch and his wife Kelly are proud parents to Molly, Matthew, and Lucy and they’re all active members of Sojourn Church in Carrollton.

In Episode 15, Lisa O’Brien and guest host Jennifer Harmon talked about State of Oklahoma v. Phillip Dean Hancock.  Hancock’s November, 2023 execution was preceded by controversy, including claims by their least favorite Oklahoma legislators (one former and one current),  who claimed that Hancock was exercising his “God-given right to defend himself,” when he brutally murdered two men, both of whom were unarmed and posed no threat to him.  They looked at the 2001 murders of Robert Jett, Jr. and James Lynch, III, the evidence against Hancock, his trial, direct appeals and state and federal post-conviction claims, including an effort to use DNA testing to prove his claims of self-defense.  Then they talked about the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board recommendation of clemency, Governor Stitt’s last minute denial and Hancock’s execution on November 30, 2023. 

Jennifer Harmon is a well-known community advocate and Alert Neighbor captain in midtown Tulsa. Born and raised in Tulsa, Jennifer is a Navy veteran and holds a Master of Divinity from Phillips Theological Seminary. Jennifer co-founded Justice For Peggy Gaytan in 2011.