In 1980, 25-year-old Karin Strom was finally taking her life back and starting over. She filed for divorce from her abusive husband< Steve, and left the couple’s home. However, her new lease on life was cut short when Karin was found murdered in the bedroom of the house she had once shared with Steve. 

As the investigation begins, all signs point to Steve being Karin’s killer. But physical evidence collected from the crime scene would reveal her true killer almost three decades later. 

Join us for today’s case to learn what truly happened to Karin. So, grab your cafecito, and let’s get started. 

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Ronald Cohen sold his home in Jericho, Long Island, in September 1999, and was ecstatic about it. The only thing left for him to do was remove a 55-gallon drum barrel from a crawlspace in the basement, per the new homeowner. That barrel had been in the home when Ronald initially moved many years earlier. Even back then, he tried to open the barrel but was unsuccessful, so he left it where he found it and forgot about it.

After managing to get it hauled out of the basement, he decided to pry open the container to see what was inside, and what he discovered truly terrified him. In the barrel, he saw a hand and a shoe sticking out, and he immediately called the authorities. Soon, detectives learned that the body in the barrel belonged to a woman who had also been 8-9 months pregnant at the time of her death and would later be identified as Reyna Marroquin.

Join us for today's case to learn what happened to Reyna and how she ended up murdered and sealed in a barrel. So, grab your cafecito, and let's get started.

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The Stockdale family was known in their community as a wholesome, tight-knit, loving family. Tim and Kathy raised their four sons, Calvin, Charles, Jacob, and James extremly sheltered from the rest of the world to keep them safe. They were not allowed to do a lot of what is considered normal for kids to do, such as watch TV and play video games amongts other things. 

So, when ABC's reality TV show, Wife Swap, knocked on their door, it was a surprise that they agreed to participate, allowing cameras into their life. When the episode featuring the Stockdales premiered in 2008, it gave an insight into how strict their upbringing had been and continued to be. 

Years later, in 2017, the nation was shocked to learn that Jacob Stockdale had shot and killed his mother, Kathy, and youngest brother, James, before turning the gun on himself. And people wondered if the reason had been because of how suffocated he had felt all of his life.

Join us for today's case to learn what happened that day in the Stockdale family home. So, grab your cafecito, and let's get started.

You can keep up with us on Instagram at @cafecitoandcrimepod

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America was introduced to Ariel Robinson, a teacher, during the 20th season of the Food Network's competition show "Worst Cooks in America," which aired in summer 2020. She won the competition and was awarded $25,000, which she stated she would use to help expand her family. Soon after, she and her husband, Jerry, went on to foster multiple children, including a 3-year-old girl named Victoria Rose Smith, in the hope of eventually adopting them. 

Everything seemed to be going well, with Ariel claiming on social media that Victoria was the daughter she never had. However, things took a terrible turn when, on January 14, 2021, EMS was called to the Robinson home regarding an unconscious child who would end up passing away, Victoria. When Victoria's autopsy confirmed that the cause of her death was blunt force trauma, her death was ruled a homicide. And as the investigation began, it didn't take long before Ariel and Jerry were arrested for her death. 

Join us for today's case to learn what happened to Victoria Smith. So, grab your cafecito, and let's get started.

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Every year for Christmas, Jean Wholaver and her family would make the drive to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to spend the holiday with her parents. In 2002, the plan was no different than it had been in previous years. However, this year, Jean and her daughters, Vicky and Izzy, would never make it to her parents’ home on Christmas Eve. The following day, Jean, Vicky and Izzy were found murdered in their home.  As the investigation began, the first suspect detectives looked into was Jean’s estranged husband, Ernest. And they soon learned that Ernest had a strong motive to want his family dead.

Join us for today's episode to learn what happened in the Wholaver home on Christmas Eve 2002. So, grab your cafecito, and let’s get started. 

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When 50-year-old Bill Hall Jr. was driving his motorcycle on October 10, 2013, he never imagined that it would be the last time he rode it. During a vehicle chase on the Texas Highway 1604 between Bill's wife, Frances Hall, and another woman he was seeing, Bonnie Contreras, Bill was run over and lost his life. After Bill’s death, Frances was arrested and charged with his murder.  However, she maintained that it had all been an accident, but Bonnie claimed otherwise. 

Join us for today's episode to learn what truly transpired on that faithful day that ended with Bill losing his life. So, grab your cafecito, and let's get started. 

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On Christmas Eve 2008, the Ortega family gathered for their annual celebration. The family, which included Joseph and Alicia Ortega, their five adult children, and their families, was spread out around the house. Some adults were playing poker, kids were playing video games, and others were hanging out outside by the pool. As everyone was enjoying themselves, there was a knock on the door at around 11:30 pm. The person at the door was someone dressed as Santa Claus. What was supposed to be a joyous occasion turned into an inconceivable nightmare when "Santa Claus" pulled out two guns and began shooting at everyone in sight. But the nightmare didn’t end there; it was just beginning. 

Join us for today’s case to find out what happened to the Ortega family. So, grab your cafecito, and let’s get started. 

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When people around Velma Barfield began dying in the late 60s and 70s, it seemed tragic rather than suspicious since they suffered from health issues. It began with her first husband, Thomas Burke, in 1969, followed by her second husband, Jennings Barfield, in 1971. The deaths continued, spanning from other family members to the elderly she began to take care of. However, when she began a relationship and eventually became engaged to a man named Stuart Taylor, who was in good health, and then died suddenly, suspicion surrounding his death arose. An autopsy at Stuart’s family’s request finally exposed Velma’s crimes. 

It was when Stuart’s family requested an autopsy be done that unraveled all of Velma’s crimes. Join us for today’s case to learn how far Velma truly went. So grab your cafecito, and let's get started. 

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On November 29, 1992, 39-year-old Sara Tokars was on her way back home, with her two kids, to Georgia, from spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her family down in Florida. Sara's family, the Ambrusko's, were waiting for Sara's call to let them know that she had arrived safely, but the call never came. Later that evening, two young boys knocked on the door of an isolated house and informed its occupants that their mother had been shot. Those two boys were Sara's sons, 6-year-old Ricky and 4-year-old Mike. When police arrived at the scene, they identified the woman who lay motionless and slumped over the steering wheel of a vehicle as Sara Tokars. As the investigation began, Sara’s husband, who was out of town, was ruled out as the killer. So, who could’ve wanted to kill a suburban mom whom no one had one bad thing to say about? 

Join us for today’s case to learn what happened to Sara. So, grab your cafecito, and let’s get started. 

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In the early morning of January 9, 2002, 12-year-old Ashley Pond headed to the school bus stop, but never arrived. As the search for Ashley began, her family and friends came together to help in any way they could. One of those people was 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis, who was Ashley's close friend and neighbor. However, in March, Miranda also vanished under the same suspicious circumstances as Ashley. It would take months after the girls' disappearance, but a big break in the case finally arrived. It was a call from the son of a suspect, confessing that he knew what had happened to Ashley and Miranda. 

Join us for today's case to learn what happened to Ashley and Miranda. So, grab your cafecito, and let's get started. 

You can keep up with us on Instagram at @cafecitoandcrimepod

Or you can send us a nice email to [email protected]