Crime Curious

In this redo special guest episode, we dive into the killing of 22‑year‑old Brian Barrett, a young man caught in the crossfire of an online fantasy world created by Thomas Montgomery, a married, middle‑aged coworker posing as a teenage Marine sniper named “Tommy.” When both men fell for the same woman—an online persona known as “TalHotBlonde”—jealousy turned into obsession, and obsession turned into a calculated ambush in the parking lot of the Dynabrade factory in Buffalo, New York. 

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Thomas Montgomery – I Can't Believe It's NonFiction

Online Fantasy Romance Ends In Murder | by Elan Cassandra | Chameleon | Medium

Talhotblond (2009) | Watch Free Documentaries Online (watchdocumentaries.com)

Online Love Triangle, Deception End in Murder - ABC News (go.com)

'MarineSniper' and 'Talhotblond's' IMs - ABC News (go.com)

love_letter_100319.pdf (go.com)

22-Year-Old New York Man Murdered After Being Drawn Into Internet Love Triangle | Fox News

An IM Infatuation Turned to Romance. Then the Truth Came Out. | WIRED

Talhotblond documentary by Barbara Schroeder 2009

This week on Crime Curious, we’re taking you into three different missing‑person cases—each one baffling in its own way, each one desperately in need of answers. From a father who went missing on the way to his child's birth, to a murder trial without a body, these stories span different circumstances, different timelines, and different kinds of heartbreak, but they all share one thing: someone vanished, and the truth never followed. One of these cases comes with a twist so unexpected it changes everything you thought you understood.

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Todd A. Yopek – The Charley Project

Todd A. Yopek

Todd Yopek | Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults

Danielle Stislicki vanished 8 years ago in Oakland County: Where things stand in murder case

Danielle Stislicki murder: Judge sets Floyd Galloway Jr.'s trial for next year with new motions expected | FOX 2 Detroit

Danielle Stislicki murder: Judge sets Floyd Galloway Jr.'s trial for next year with new motions expected | FOX 2 Detroit

The puzzling death of Mateusz Kawecki in Poland — StrangeOutdoors.com

Guy Disappears On His Way To His Daughter's Birth, Family Finds His Decapitated Body In Their Barn 6 Months Later - Oola

On a dark stretch of Highway 277 in Bronte, Texas, 26‑year‑old Brandon Lawson vanished after a frantic 911 call that still chills listeners to this day. His truck was found abandoned, his phone went silent, and his final words—rambling, panicked, and cryptic—sparked years of theories about what really happened in that field. In this episode, we break down Brandon’s last known movements, the eerie audio that fueled nationwide speculation, and the heartbreaking search that followed.

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Sources are listed verbally within this episode

In the early hours of May 11, 2012, a quiet street in Derby, England was engulfed in flames. Inside the burning semi‑detached home were six sleeping children—unaware that the fire racing toward their bedrooms had been deliberately set. As the nation mourned, investigators uncovered a shocking truth: the blaze was part of a twisted plot orchestrated by the children’s own parents.

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Mick Philpott Now: Where is He Today? Is Mick Philpott in Jail?

Mick Philpott - Wikipedia

The crimes of Mick Philpott: From attempted murder to the arson that killed his children – Overview & Analysis | Crime+Investigation UK

Man who killed six children in fire to be released from prison early | UK News | Sky News

Paul Mosley: Mick Philpott accomplice who killed six in fire dies

We’re changing things up for the week to bring you a deep, atmospheric dive into a true spiritual mystery: the story of James Leininger, a child who remembers a past life as a World War II pilot. This is more than a curiosity piece. It’s a story about how memory shapes identity, how grief and meaning intersect, and how one family’s experience can challenge what we think we know about life and what might come after it.

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James Leininger (reincarnation case) – Psi Encyclopedia

The Boy Who Remembered His Past Life as a WWII Fighter Pilot

Psychic Teachers podcast

February 20, 2026 Marked the 10 year anniversary of the horrific events that took place on a cold night in Kalamazoo Michigan. In this re-do case special we cover the crimes of Jason Dalton who claimed the Uber drive share app he used to pick up passengers told him who should live and who should die. 

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Neighbors say Kalamazoo shooting suspect 'liked guns' (freep.com)

Managing the Response to a Mobile Mass Shooting | National Police Foundation

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/03/19/uber-call-botched-kalamazoo-shootings/81915560

Lawyer for Michigan Uber Driver's Family Shares New Details on Alleged Shooting Spree - ABC News (go.com)

Kalamazoo shooter saw 'devil' on Uber app and blames visions for killing spree | Michigan | The Guardian

In June 2011, two‑year‑old October “Toby” Perez was rushed to a Salt Lake City hospital with catastrophic injuries—injuries prosecutors later said were the result of months of hidden abuse inside a cramped Great Falls, Montana home. Her mother’s boyfriend, David Wayne Hyslop, was soon charged with deliberate homicide, a crime that would expose alarming failures in the systems meant to protect vulnerable children.

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Recent tragedies cast doubt on Montana's child-protection services

Death of toddler October Perez: Hyslop guilty

Hyslop relief request denied – Hi-Line Today

Murder by Child Protective Services in Great Falls Montana - Lawless America

Judge denies Hyslop's request for post-conviction relief

On a frigid November night in 1989, 21‑year‑old David Braley slipped out of the Take Five Music Hall in Concord, New Hampshire—and vanished into the darkness. Four months later, his badly beaten body surfaced in the Merrimack River, miles away in Manchester. What happened in the hours between those two moments has haunted investigators and Braley’s family for more than three decades.

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Disappearance and Death of David Braley | New Hampshire Department of Justice

The Suspicious Death of David Braley: Concord, NH Cold Case, 1989 — Murder, She Told: Maine & New England True Crime

New Hampshire cold case: Who killed David Braley?

When 16‑year‑old Laurie Show was found brutally attacked in her Lancaster, Pennsylvania home, the community was shaken to its core. What unfolded next was a chilling story of obsessive jealousy, escalating harassment, and a deadly plan carried out by classmates Lisa Michelle Lambert and Tabitha Buck, with the help of Lawrence “Butch” Yunkin.

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Tabitha Buck freed on parole after serving nearly 28 years in prison for 1991 murder of Laurie Show

Lisa Michelle Lambert | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Crime Library – Criminal Minds & Methods

Laurie Show Endured Jealousy-Fueled Campaign of Terror Before Murder

Legacy: The Untold Story of Laurie Show and the Law That Changed Pennsylvania's Stalking Protections - US Liberty

When Christian Griggs arrived at his estranged wife’s family home in October 2013 to pick up his four‑year‑old daughter, the visit ended in tragedy. Moments after calling his father for help, Christian was found face‑down on the porch with six gunshot wounds—four of them in his back. His father‑in‑law, Pastor Pat Chisenhall, claimed self‑defense, and no criminal charges were filed. But years later, a civil jury ruled that Chisenhall was responsible for Christian’s wrongful death, rejecting the self‑defense narrative and awarding damages to Christian’s daughter. The case continues to raise questions about investigative failures, racial bias, and a family’s long fight for accountability.

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In Harnett County, family wants justice in son’s death | Raleigh News & Observer

Christian Griggs Murder: Where is Pat Chisenhall Today?

Laid bare

Katie Griggs: Where is Christian Griggs' Ex-Wife Today?

In Harnett County, family wants justice in son’s death | Raleigh News & Observer

North Carolina Family Launches Campaign Demanding Justice For Son's Killing By a Local White Pastor

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