Crime and Motive

In May 1995, Harvard sophomore Trang Ho was found murdered inside her dorm suite — the attack carried out by someone shockingly close to her. The killing stunned the Harvard campus and left classmates asking how such violence could erupt behind dorm room walls.  

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Trang’s journey from Vietnam to Harvard, her rise as a standout scholar, and the troubling signs of obsession and isolation her roommate Sinedu Tadesse revealed before everything collapsed in violence. Behind the ivy-covered walls, this case revealed painful truths about mental health, cultural isolation, and the consequences of ignoring red flags.

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In April 2008, 22-year-old college student Lola Martinez was found murdered inside her dorm apartment at Purdue University Fort Wayne. At first, investigators feared a random attack. But the truth was far more shocking: the killer was not a stranger, but her roommate’s mother.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow Lola’s story from her childhood in New Mexico to her new life in Indiana, and the overlooked red flags in Tina Morris’s past that led to a fatal confrontation. This disturbing case of campus violence exposes the dangers that can arise when rules are ignored and trust is misplaced.

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A Yale graduate student is gunned down just blocks from his fiancée’s apartment.

Kevin Jiang, 26, was an Army veteran, a man of faith, and a rising scholar in environmental science. He had just proposed to the woman he loved, and the couple was planning their future together. But on a February night in 2021, a minor car collision became the opening move in a calculated attack that left Kevin dead in the street.

The investigation that followed would take detectives far beyond the quiet New Haven neighborhood where it happened. Surveillance footage, stolen cars, and a trail of discarded evidence pointed to an unlikely suspect—a former MIT graduate with no connection to Kevin, but a hidden link to his fiancée. What began as a baffling, seemingly random murder unraveled into a manhunt across multiple states for a fugitive who nearly planned the perfect crime.

In this episode of Murder U, we follow the case from the night of the shooting to the dramatic conclusion—and the chilling truth behind a killer driven by obsession.

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He agreed to fight in a fraternity boxing match. The following night he was dead.

A college student steps into the ring for a charity boxing event—just days before his 21st birthday. Hours later, he suffered a fatal brain injury. The match was organized by a fraternity, held off-campus, and widely attended by students. University officials were aware the event was happening but did not intervene.

There was no licensed referee, no paramedics on standby, and no official oversight. In this episode of Murder U, we examine the death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia, the fatal safety lapses that led to his collapse, and the legal loopholes that allowed the fight to happen in the first place. As Valencia’s family pushes for reform, a state grapples with how to stop it from happening again.

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A college student vanishes after a late-night stop at a gas station. Nineteen-year-old Aniah Blanchard had just texted a friend when she pulled into a convenience store in Auburn, Alabama—and was never seen again. Her car was found days later, abandoned and damaged, miles away from where she disappeared.

As investigators pieced together the timeline, surveillance footage showed a man inside the store at the same time as Aniah. He had a violent criminal history and was out on bond for attempted murder. But did their paths actually cross? What started as a missing persons case quickly turned into a race against time—and raised urgent questions about how he was free at all. 

The case made headlines nationwide, fueled in part by Aniah’s stepfather, UFC fighter Walt Harris, whose public pleas brought widespread attention. For many, it became a symbol of a justice system that failed her. And years later, with no trial date set, her family is still waiting for answers.

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A father is gunned down after pulling over to move a tire. Jared Bridegan had just dropped off his twin children at his ex-wife Shanna Gardner's home when he stopped on a quiet Jacksonville Beach road. His two-year-old daughter was still in the back seat when someone opened fire, killing Jared in what looked like a senseless act of violence. But police quickly realized this was no random attack. 

As detectives began to unravel the case, they found themselves drawn into a tangled web of custody disputes, strained relationships, and carefully concealed resentment. What began as a search for a masked gunman soon led investigators to Jared’s past—and raised serious questions about who might have wanted him gone, and why. 

Now, with multiple arrests made and a high-stakes trial on the horizon, prosecutors say this was a calculated plot to eliminate a devoted father. But with the case still unfolding, the full truth has yet to be tested in court. 

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(00:00:00) The Last Walk Home

(00:01:19) Who was Kristin?

(00:03:33) The night of May 24, 1996

(00:05:28) Early investigation missteps

(00:05:55) Who is Paul Flores?

(00:08:47) A family that wouldn’t stop

(00:09:52) A podcast changes everything

(00:10:45) A new interest

(00:11:07) Backyard searches & secret recordings

(00:11:55) Flores family secrets

(00:12:24) The push for justice

(00:16:05) What really happened?

Kristin Smart left a Cal Poly frat party and was never seen again. The nineteen-year-old freshman was last spotted walking back to campus with fellow student Paul Flores, who claimed he left her near his dorm. Kristin's face was soon splashed across missing-person posters and billboards as her family desperately searched for answers. Rumors swirled, leads dried up, and Paul stayed silent. 

It would take a relentless community, a backyard excavation, and secret recordings to finally bring new attention to the case — and push authorities closer to the truth.

What really happened to Kristin Smart that night — and why did it take decades for the truth to start coming out?



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When 18-year-old Katie Autry was found barely alive inside her Western Kentucky University dorm room, it triggered a frantic search for her killers. 

Katie had been beaten, assaulted, and set on fire in a crime so vicious it stunned the world. Detectives soon focused on two young men with ties to the area, unraveling a web of shifting stories, surprising alibis, and a trial that left many wondering if the full truth ever came out.

In this episode of Murder U, we examine the evidence, the contradictions that clouded the case, and the lasting impact on campus safety.


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A single rock, hurled from a passing car, turned an ordinary drive home into a fatal ambush. Nineteen-year-old Alexa Bartell was on the phone with a friend when it happened — the last words anyone would hear from her. What started as a reckless thrill for three teenagers ended in an unthinkable tragedy that shattered a family and shocked the entire community.

In this episode of Murder U, we trace the devastating final moments of Alexa’s life and the chaotic hours that followed as investigators raced to piece together what happened. From scattered debris on a Colorado highway to a growing list of similar attacks, detectives soon realized this wasn’t an isolated act of violence. It was part of a disturbing spree.

We’ll explore the suspects’ twisted motivations, the public outrage that fueled the manhunt, and the courtroom moments that finally brought some measure of justice. Along the way, we examine how a choice made in a matter of seconds can destroy lives forever. 

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She thought they were her best friends... until they led her into the woods and pulled out the knives.

In this episode of Murder U, we examine the shocking murder of 16-year-old Skylar Neese, an honors student from Star City, West Virginia, who vanished after slipping out of her bedroom window one summer night. 

For months, her disappearance remained a mystery—until one of the killers broke down and confessed to a crime so cold and calculated, it stunned the country. We follow the unraveling friendship between Skylar, Shelia Eddy, and Rachel Shoaf, and how petty teenage drama escalated into a deadly conspiracy. This story reveals the dark side of adolescent alliances, including chilling confessions and the justice that followed.

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