Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

A homecoming block party in Georgia turns violent, leaving two dead and 35 injured when over 50 gunshots echo through a crowd of more than 1,000 attendees. On Chicago's South Side, a seven-year-old girl walking with her sister is fatally stabbed in a random attack by a woman with an extensive criminal record. In Louisiana, a 13-year-old boy is posthumously honored as a hero after sacrificing his life to shield his toddler sister from gunfire at an apartment complex. Sydney Silvagni reports. 

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Caleb Flynn, an American Idol wanna be learns how long he will be in jail today. He was arrested, tried and convicted for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn. Prosecutors say he fatally shot her in their home, then staged the scene to look like a home invasion. His two children were home at the time. 

Ashley Flynn, 37, was shot twice in the head.   Caleb called 911 claiming an intruder had broken in. He told police the console of his truck was open and the gun kept there was missing. 

Prosecutors detailed an affair Caleb had be in for the last 18 months. He met Alleigha Botner when she was an intern at  Caleb's church. Prosecutors presented over 100,000 text messages between Caleb and his mistress, which included hatred toward Ashley and wishes for her death.     

Joining Nancy Grace today: 

• Randolph Rice  - Former Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense & Civil Attorney at Rice Law, website: ricelawmd.com, IG, FB, X: @ricelawmd
• Dr. Janie Lacy  -Licensed Psychotherapist and CEO of Life Counseling Solutions, Author of "How To Heal From A Toxic Relationship: A Guide To Reclaiming Your Mental Health and Happiness", Host of "Let's Talk About It with Janie Lacy” Podcast on YouTube, janielacy.com, Instagram & Facebook: @JanieLacy  
• David Sarni  - Former NYPD Detective, 27 years at NYPD, Adjunct Professor John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Instagram: dsonthemedia, TikTok: DS08296, Facebook: David Sarni, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sarni-ba002910a  
• Jeff Gentry  - Forensics-Certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst, Senior Crime Scene Analyst and Death investigator, Former Toxicology Lab Analyst, Author: "Forensic Science: Applications to Death and Crime Scene Investigations" ; TikTok: @jeffreygentryBPA, FB: Jeff Gentry Bloodstain Pattern Analyst,  Website: Evidenceoverassumption.com 
• Nate Eaton  - News Director, East Idaho News, Emmy-nominated journalist.  Host of 'Courtroom Insider' on Youtube
• Dave Mack  -  Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul appoints Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee a gang rape investigation involving seven Cornell University fraternity members. Disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been placed in solitary confinement at a New Jersey federal prison following allegations that he bribed inmates to maintain a luxurious lifestyle behind bars. Gypsy Rose Blanchard is speaking out following the tragic death of her partner Ken Urker, revealing she believes he suffered a fatal overdose amid relentless online harassment. Sydney Silvagni reports. 

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Antoinette Forbes, 53,  has been missing for a month. The public relations executive and mother of one was last seen at her home. Her car, two phones, wallet, and dog were left behind. Friends who had not heard from her,  found her home unlocked.  

Husband  Russell Ashford, the father of Forbes’ 10‑year‑old son, has not been named a suspect in her disappearance. He was arrested for a probation violation tied to a 2021 first‑degree assault against the missing woman.  Court records allege that during an argument over their son’s schooling, Ashford threw Forbes against a staircase, repeatedly punched her, and slammed her head against the floor until she lost consciousness. Her injuries were extensive. She suffered multiple facial fractures, eye injuries, a concussion, a broken finger, and permanent damage,.  

After being arrested for violating his probation, Ashford now faces new gun possession charges  

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September 11, 2001,  U.S. airspace closes after the terrorist attacks in New York. Dozens of transatlantic flights are diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. Thousands of passengers and crew from around the world landed in the small town, nearly doubling its population within minutes. Their story later inspired the Broadway musical Come From Away.

Today, Sheryl McCollum is joined by her sister, Sharlene Bowen. Sharlene was a flight attendant aboard Delta Flight 15 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta when the plane was ordered to land in Gander. Sharlene recalls 30 hours grounded on the tarmac with little information, and the moment she finally saw the attacks on television, and the note that led her to Constable Oswald “Oz” Fudge and a hug from Sheryl back in Atlanta. Over the next five days,  the people of Gander open their schools, homes, and churches to the “plane people," as the locals called them. Listen to this inspiring, truthful tale. 

Highlights:

(0:00) Sheryl introduces the story of Gander, Newfoundland, and her sister Sharlene Bowen’s experience on September 11, 2001

(3:00) Sharlene remembers when an ordinary flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta suddenly changed and the crew learned something had happened in New York

(7:00) “All US airspace has been closed.” The announcement that silenced an entire cabin

(11:45) How passengers and crew worked together during 30 hours aboard the grounded plane●

(16:00) Why every passenger had to be cleared before leaving the aircraft and how Gander prepared for thousands of unexpected guests

(20:45) Sharlene finally sees the attacks on a TV at Walmart more than a day after they happened

(23:00) A note and a police hat lead Sharlene to Oz Fudge and a message from her sister

(28:00) Teenagers give free rides, Walmart hands over its keys, and the hockey rink becomes the town’s refrigerator

(36:45) Local teenagers create a special experience for stranded Make-A-Wish kids who missed their trip to Disney World

(41:45) Returning to Gander, hearing the original air traffic control recording, and seeing Come From Away with the people who lived the story

(46:30) How the hug from Oz Fudge delivered on Sheryl’s behalf became part of the production of Come From Away

(51:45) A scholarship fund started on the flight home has now sent more than 300 Gander students to college

(56:45) Delta employees wave American flags along the Atlanta taxiway, and Sharlene share a message about remembering the way people cared for one another after 9/11

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Sharlene Bowen spent 34 years as a Delta Air Lines flight attendant and was a crew member aboard Delta Flight 15 when it was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. She later became a level one trauma nurse and charge nurse at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she recently celebrated 20 years of service.

Related Episode

From Crisis to Compassion: A 9/11 Retrospective with Constable Oswald Fudge

Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a metro Atlanta police department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing.

Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for CSI: Atlanta and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.

Social Links:

Email: [email protected]

X: @ColdCaseTips

Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum

Instagram: @officialzone7podcast

TikTok: @Sheryl.McCollum

Sheryl’s new book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer’s Daughter, is available now wherever books are sold.

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Witnesses recount the horrific scene inside the death chamber after Tennessee’s botched execution attempt of death row inmate Christa Pike left her in critical condition. A Massachusetts military veteran faces federal cyberstalking charges following an intense harassment campaign targeting former White House aide Katie Miller. Gymgoers in Cambridge are left shaken after 40-year-old Laquan Holland allegedly barged into a Planet Fitness women's locker room and sexually assaulted multiple people. Sydney Silvagni reports. 

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A transgender New York Times executive shot and killed by his elderly in-laws. Jonathan McKinsey, 40,  Director of Engineering for New York Times Games was confronted by his 77-year-old in-laws in a  parking lot in broad daylight. Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen were wearing masks and took turns with the gun as they shot McKinsey multiple times.   

According to court documents McKinsey had previously made threats against his estranged wife Candice Jang and extended family members. Jang is the daughter of the suspects. The couple have three young children between 2 and 6 years old and were reported to be in a highly contentious custody battle.  In family court filings seeking a protection order against his estranged wife, Candice Jang, and her parents, McKinsey detailed severe anti-LGBTQ+ abuse and transphobia directed at both himself and their young children. 

Joining Nancy Grace today:

• Mike Jaafar  - Trial Attorney,  Founder: www.bigcasemike.com 
• Dr. Shari Schwartz  -  Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy), www.panthermitigation.com, Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrialDoc, Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology" 
• Chris McDonough - Director at the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, worked over 300 Homicides in 25-year career, Trained the first Native American Homicide Task Force; & Host of YouTube channel, "The Interview Room”,   www.coldcasefoundation.org/chris-mcdonough  
• Dr. Thomas Coyne  -  Chief Medical Examiner for District 2 in Florida, Toxicologist, Forensic Pathologist and Neuropathologist 
• Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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A 51-year-old Tennessee man with an extensive rap sheet is being held without bond after allegedly shooting and killing Kentucky State Police Trooper Hayden Phillips during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 65. In Florida, a 29-year-old mother faces four felony child neglect charges after authorities discovered she allegedly left her four young children, including a two-month-old infant, alone inside an apartment to go on a Bahamas cruise. In Pennsylvania, a 32-year-old man is facing homicide and rape charges after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on a walking path before launching a midnight home invasion that left a pediatrician dead and his wife critically injured. Sydney Silvagni reports.

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Question are being raised about the owner of the Santa Monica sober living facility in which Presley Gerber died. Dr. Reza Nabavi's past personal drug history and his Resolutions Living facility are under scrutiny.  

Presley died after checking himself in. Witnesses say he did not appear sober at the time.    Gerber died of a suspected overdose.  

Joining Nancy Grace today: 

• Dr. Drew Pinsky - Board-Certified Physician and Addiction Medicine Specialist.   Host, 'Ask Dr. Drew' on Youtube.  Website: DrDrew.com,    Author:"When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and other Prescription Drugs" "The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism is Seducing America"  "Cracked: Life on the Edge in a Rehab Clinic"
• Franz Borghardt  -  Criminal Defense Attorney, Founder of Borghardt Law Firm, Former Prosecutor, website: www.borghardtlawfirm.com, Insta/FB: BorghardtLawFirm
• Dr. Bethany Marshall  -  Psychoanalyst, featured on the hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock and "The Valley, Persian Style" on Bravo.   Host  "On The Couch with Dr. Bethany Marshall," Website: drbethanymarshall.com, Instagram FB & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter:@DrBethanyLive
• Rob Shuter  -  Former publicist for Naomi Campbell, Sean Combs, Author of New Book: "Queen Elizabeth III: The New American House of Windsor,"   robshuter.substack.comIG: @naughtygossip  
• Dr. Kendall Crowns  -  Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) 
• Sierra Fox, -  Entertainment Host & Media Personality - Former TV Anchor at Fox 5 DC,  website: www.thesierrafox.com, @thesierrafox (Insta, FB, TikTok, X) 
• Dave Mack  - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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Lindsay Clancy's attorney makes a stunning argument in court. As Kevin Reddington argues for a judge to acquit the accused mom, he claims prosecutors failed to prove she killed her three children.  Reddington maintains Clancy has no memory of killing her children and the Commonwealth cannot prove she did. He says "This entire case is based on speculation."  

Joining Nancy Grace today: 

• Josh Kolsrud - Criminal Defense Attorney and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Founder of Kolsrud Law Offices, Co-Host of the Podcast: "No Contest", website: kolsrudlawoffices.com, Facebook and YouTube @KolsrudLawOffices 
• Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst,  Author: "Deal Breake," featured on the hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock and "The Valley, Persian Style" on Bravo.   Host "On The Couch with Dr. Bethany Marshal," Website: drbethanymarshall.com, Instagram FB & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter:@DrBethanyLive
• DR. JESSICA DWYER -  Director and Chief Medical Examiner, Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS), Dallas county, TX - SOCIAL: @jessbdwyer, WEBSITE: www.dallascounty.org/departments/swifs
• Penny Kmitt -  Reporter WBZ / CBS Boston, Instagram, TikTok, X: @Pennylikeacoin 
• Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'

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