Crimes and Consequences

Ray and Faye Copeland were a couple trying to make ends meet in the 1980s. At this point in their lives, the couple were in the 70s and they were struggling. Ray, a career thief who made a living by stealing livestock and had been caught so many times, was banned from cattle livestock. Ray then decided to devise a much more devious plan to make money. Listen to this week's episode to hear more about this deadly couple.

SOURCES:
1) Crime Library
2) Medium.com
3) Book: "Serial Killer Grandparents" by Olivia Watson
4) New York Times
5) Investigation Discovery
6) ThoughtCo.com
7) State v. Copeland

May 28, 2018, around 1:15 AM: Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office responded  to a report of a disturbance at a residence in a condo in  Thousand Oaks California. When they arrived they found 26-year-old Chad O’Melia dead and 27-year-old Bryn Spejcher suffering from “self-inflicted stab wounds.  Did she commit murder while in a cannabis-induced psychosis?  Listen to form your own opinion.

Sources:
1) People Magazine: https://people.com/woman-who-avoided-prison-after-stabbing-lover-108-times-appealing-his-dad-speaking-out-exclusive-8644256
2) DailyMail: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13376573/woman-stabbed-boyfriend-108-times-psychotic-weed-interview.html
3) Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/bryn-spejcher-weed-killing-trial-1234957571/
4) Ventura Star: https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2024/01/23/no-prison-time-for-bryn-spejcher-convicted-in-cannabis-induced-killing-chad-o-melia/72289273007/
5) New York Post: https://nypost.com/2024/05/02/us-news/woman-who-fatally-stabbed-boyfriend-108-times-to-appeal-conviction-report/
6) New York Post: https://nypost.com/2024/01/24/news/bryn-spejcher-the-california-woman-who-fatally-stabbed-boyfriend-108-times-sentenced-to-probation-community-service/
7) Dr. Phil: https://x.com/DrPhil/status/1782937508361146402

On July 16, 2011, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley was preparing to have a party at his parent’s house. He had been planning this event for a few weeks, but Tyler didn’t post on Facebook until that day. He told everyone that his parents were out of town and that it was time to party! That evening, around 60 teenagers would go to the Hadley household in Port St. Lucie, Florida, having no idea the horror that occurred just hours earlier. 

SOURCES:
1) https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/tyler-hadley-killed-his-parents-because-port-st-lucie-is-so-boring-rolling-stone-says-6548393
2) https://www.cityofpsl.com/residents/welcome-guide
3) https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/mary-jo-blake-hadley-obituary?pid=178640423
4) https://fdc.myflorida.com/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=K86680&TypeSearch=AI
5) https://allthatsinteresting.com/tyler-hadley
6) https://sutter.networkofcare.org/mh/news-article-detail.aspx?id=50701
7) https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/crime/st-lucie-county/2018/09/29/what-did-tyler-hadley-do/1453987002/
8) https://murderpedia.org/male.H/h/hadley-tyler.htm
9) https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-district-court-of-appeal/1733086.html
10) https://www.wpbf.com/article/tyler-hadley-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-killing-of-parents/25642493
11) https://medium.com/@abelpeter93/the-tragic-tale-of-tyler-hadley-the-florida-teen-who-killed-his-parents-so-he-could-throw-a-party-8a9fb3cd8cdd
12) https://www.courthousenews.com/teen-murder-suspect-sued-by-older-brother/
13) https://archive.tcpalm.com/news/ryan-hadley-talks-about-living-in-the-aftermath-of-his-parents-murders-ep-1315062677-340335851.html/

On August 3, 2013, Alexis Tiara Murphy, a 17-year-old high school student from Nelson County, Virginia disappeared after being seen at a gas station in Lovingston, Virginia. Eventually, Randy Taylor was convicted of her brutal slaying.  The question is how many others did Rany kill?

Thank you Rachael Spillers for writing this episode and SHANEL B. for suggesting this case.

Sources:

1. Alexis Tiara Murphy obituary. 
2. Lacaze, Katherine.  “17-year-old…”  The News and Advance.  06 Aug 2013.
3. Hardy, Steve.  “Car found…”  The News and Advance.  07 Aug 2013.
4. The Charlottesville Daily Progress.  “Family’s agonizing wait…”  The News and Advance.  08 Aug 2013.
5. Bayne, Liana.  “Searching for…”  The Daily Progress.  08 Aug 2013.
6. Bayne, Liana.  “Search for teen…”  The Daily Progress.  09 Aug 2013.
7. Bayne, Liana.  “Clock is ticking…”  The Daily Progress.  10 Aug 2013.
8. Hardy, Steve, and Koerting, Katrina.  “Nelson rallies in…”  The Daily Progress.  11 Sun 2013.
9. Reed, Ray.  “Arrest made in…”  The News and Advance.  12 Aug 2013.
10. Hutchins, J. Reynolds; Richardson, Aaron; Evans, K. Burnell; and Bayne, Liana.  “A suspect, but…”  The Daily Progress.  13 Aug 2013.
11. Bayne, Liana.  “Nelson County abduction…”  The Daily Progress.  14 Aug 2013.
12. Evans, K. Burnell, and Hutchins, J. Reynolds.  “Defense: teen was…”  The Daily Progress.  15 Aug 2013.
13. Mohrmann, Barrett.  “Murphy’s family skeptical…”  The News-Virginian.  16 Aug 2013.
14. Evans, K. Burnell.  “Shadows of 2010…”  The Daily Progress.  18 Aug 2013.
15. Thompson, Dave.  “Taylor’s bond hearing…”  The Daily Progress.  21 Aug 2013.
16. Bayne, Liana.  “Judge denies Taylor…”  The Daily Progress.  23 Aug 2013.
17. Mohrmann, Barrett.  “River search turns…”  The Daily Progress.  01 Sep 2013.
18. Mohrmann, Barrett.  “Family, investigators hopeful…”  The News adn Advance.  04 Sep 2013.
19. Staff Writer.  “Person contacted in…”  Richmond Times-Dispatch.  24 Sep 2013.
20. Faulconer, Justin.  “Teen’s DNA linked…”  The News and Advance.  06 May 2014.
21. Faulconer, Justin.  “Jury deliberating Taylor’s…”  The Daily Progress.  08 May 2014.
22. Faulconer, Justin.  “Taylor guilty of…”  The News and Advance.  09 May 2014.
23. Mohrmann, Barrett.  “Murphy’s family accepts…”  The News and Advance.  19 May 2014.
24. Faulconer, Justin.  “Taylor lands more…”  The News and Advance.  02 Jul 2014.
25. Faulconer, Justin; Busse, Matt; and Cropper, Nick.  “Remains of Alexis…”  The News and Advance.  18 Feb 2021.

Those in the workplace whether it be an office, department store, fast food, or corporation should never have to fear for their safety. From the time you clock in, to the time you clock out, there should be no worry about getting back to your homes and families unharmed. Unfortunately, those who worked at the Xerox Corporation of Honolulu, Hawaii in 1999, would never feel safe at work again after an employee walked into the building with a loaded semi-automatic weapon tucked under his shirt.

SOURCES: 
1) State v. Uyesugi (hawaii.gov)
2) Man Opens Fire in Xerox Office, Killing 7 - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
3) Byran Uyegusi | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
4) The Chilling Story Behind The Worst Mass Shooting in Hawaii | by The True Historian | Lessons from History | Medium
5) Massacre's 20th Anniversary: Lessons from the Xerox Murders | Hawai'i Public Radio (hawaiipublicradio.org)
6) The Xerox Murders — Examining Workplace Homicide — Crime Library
7) Delusional Disorder: Causes, Symptoms, Types & Treatment (clevelandclinic.org)
8) Honolulu Star-Bulletin Local News (starbulletin.com)
9) Peter Brent Mark (1953-1999) - Find a Grave Memorial
10) John Keiji Sakamoto (1963-1999) - Find a Grave Memorial
11) 20 years ago, a killer shattered the morning calm and changed Hawaii forever (hawaiinewsnow.com)

On October 31, 1975, around 12:15 in the afternoon, Sheila McGuire, a teenager living in the exclusive Belle Haven community in Greenwich, Connecticut, was walking from her house to her friend Martha Moxley’s to invite her to go downtown that day. To get to her friend’s house, she cut through a wooded section of their backyard. She spotted underneath the low-hanging branches of a pine tree what looked like a sleeping bag lying on top of a foam mattress. As she continued to walk closer, she was able to see that it was the partially clothed body of her friend, Martha Moxley. Listen to this week's episode to hear more.

SOURCES:
1) https://ctvisit.com/listings/town-greenwich
2) https://www.greenwichtime.com/realestate/article/Exploring-Belle-Haven-s-history-and-architecture-15012249.php
3) http://marthamoxley.www8.50megs.com/susken.htm
4) https://www.nytimes.com/1998/09/25/nyregion/ex-head-of-suspect-s-school-won-t-testify-in-75-murder-case.html#:~:text=Joseph%20Ricci%2C%20executive%20director%20and,Kennedy
5) https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/02/style/skeletons-in-the-classroom.html
6) https://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/05/09/skakel.trial/index.html
7) https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/17/nyregion/a-witness-from-skakel-s-past-says-he-confessed-to-the-moxley-killing.html
8) https://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/07/nyregion/skakel-convicted-in-1975-beating-death-of-greenwich-neighbor.html
9) https://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/24/skakel/index.html
10) https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/michael-skakel-gets-a-new-trial
11) "Murder in Greenwich" by Mark Furman
12) Redhanded Podcast EP 297 "Martha Moxley: Death and Dynasty"

Lisa Au was only 19 when her car was found abandoned on a highway during a storm in Hawaii. Strange clues emerged as the police examined her car. Then, 10 days later her naked, murdered body was found in a ravine. Who killed Lisa? Listen to this episode to make your own decision.

On March 20, 1995, Japan's subway system was attacked by a cult using Serin gas to poison the passengers. The goal was to cause so much panic and damage and then blame the attack on the United States--in the hope the Japanese government would start a war. The cult's leader, Shoko Asahara preached to his followers that the end times were near, and if a war was started, his prophecies would come true. Listen to this week's episode to hear more about the Aum Shinrikyo cult, and the damage it caused to the people of Japan.

SOURCES:
1) https://www.wired.com/2009/03/march-20-1995-poison-gas-wreaks-tokyo-subway-terror-2/?redirectURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fmarch-20-1995-poison-gas-wreaks-tokyo-subway-terror-2%2F
2) https://allthatsinteresting.com/aum-shinrikyo
3) https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,982760-7,00.html
4) https://thecinemaholic.com/where-are-shoko-asaharas-wife-and-kids-now/
5) https://time.com/3742241/tokyo-subway-attack-1995/
6) https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,982749-2,00.html
7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3322761/
8) https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/05/16/leader-of-japanese-cult-arrested-in-subway-attack/55c1dadc-02d5-4a75-9591-64bbc76c1a12/
9) https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/05/asia/japan-aum-shinriyko-leader-executed-intl/index.html

Bryan Patrick Miller was a local celebrity in Phoenix, Arizona, for decades. He worked for an Amazon Center and was raising his daughter, however, there was a dark side to him that took decades to be discovered.

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In February of 2015, 16-year-old Becky Watts was starting a normal day. When Becky failed to show up to a lunch date planned with her boyfriend that afternoon and stopped responding to texts from family and friends, worry set in for Becky's loved ones. Just over 24 hours later, her father and stepmother reported her missing and the search began.

SOURCES:
1) Police Tapes: The Murder of Becky Watts (episode 1)(Prime Video)
2) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/11/becky-watts-shy-girl-growing-confidence
3) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/15/becky-watts-case-review-finds-care-service-failed-murdered-teenager#:~:text=The%20review%20says%20Becky's%20parents,the%20mother%20of%20Nathan%20Matthews
4) https://bristolhes.co.uk/about/our-offer/
5) https://www.chillingcrimes.com/blogs/news/becky-watts
6) https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2015-11-11/becky-watts-a-timeline-of-events
7) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/02/becky-watts-disappearance-timeline-16-year-old-bristol
8) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-66686799
9) https://www.sentencingacademy.org.uk/release-on-licence/#:~:text=When%20an%20offender%20is%20released,second%20half%20of%20their%20sentence
10) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Becky_Watts