Finally Caught

Episode 30: Ibarra

In 2015, Samantha Nicole Wohlford, along with co-conspirators Johnathan Kyle Sanford, Jose

Antonio Ponse, and Octavious Lamar Rhymes, orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of her

husband, Ernest "Ernie" Lee Ibarra Jr., in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Initially staging it as a home

invasion, Samantha's plan involved beating, kidnapping, and eventually shooting Ernie in the

back of the head. Her inconsistent stories and evidence, including text messages, led to her

arrest. Samantha and her co-conspirators were all found guilty and received lengthy prison

sentences, with Samantha receiving a 99-year sentence for murder and a concurrent 50-year

sentence for kidnapping. The case, marked by a tumultuous relationship and allegations of

domestic abuse, had a significant impact on the local community and raised questions about

domestic violence and extreme measures taken in such situations.

Episode 29: Melnyczok

In 2015, Ashley Melnyczok, a 27-year-old escort in Colorado Springs, was murdered by

ex-soldiers Joseph Kimsey and Jonathan Nelson for the cash she was known to keep in her

home due to distrust with banks. The crime, initially planned as a burglary, turned into a brutal

murder involving beating, stabbing, and suffocation. Kimsey, who had a romantic link with

Melnyczok, and Nelson, who met Kimsey in jail, were convicted of first-degree murder,

supported by strong evidence like Nelson's fingerprint and Kimsey's DNA at the scene. Their

trial revealed a mix of personal, financial motives, and a severe lack of empathy.

Episode 28: Covlin

Shele Danishefsky Covlin, a successful finance executive in New York, was initially thought to

have died accidentally in her bathtub in December 2009. However, suspicions about her

estranged husband, Roderick Covlin, started surfacing and led to her body being exhumed,

revealing she had been strangled. Roderick, who had tried to access Shele's estate and even

plotted to frame their 9 year old daughter for the murder, became the prime suspect. After a

lengthy trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for Shele's murder, a case

marked by greed, betrayal, and a staged crime scene.

Episode 27: Ducsay In the early 2000s, Alexandra "Zandra" Ducsay, a promising actress and finance worker, was

tragically murdered at age 26. She was known for her kind heart and charity work, especially

during Christmas. Zandra had a troubled past with her high school boyfriend, Matthew Pugh,

who showed violent tendencies and even threatened her while in prison for drug charges. On

May 19, 2006, after a morning gym session and planning a date for the evening, Zandra was

found murdered in her home's basement by her mother. The police initially had no leads, even

after questioning Pugh, who had an alibi. The case went cold for years, with Zandra's story

featured on a cold case playing card to raise awareness. Finally, in 2012, a breakthrough came

when Pugh's cousin revealed his plan to kill Zandra. Pugh was arrested and eventually

convicted, bringing some justice to this tragic story.

Episode 26: Bragg

Tom Bragg, born in 1956, was a long-haul trucker turned roofer who married Mary Ann Bragg in

2001. In 2002, after Tom and his twin brother Tim were injured in a roofing accident, Mary Ann

had to care for them. Later that year, Tom was found dead in his home with head injuries.

Investigation revealed that Mary Ann had secretly taken out a $25,000 life insurance policy on

Tom and resented caring for him after his injury. She was arrested in 2005 and found guilty in

2006 of his murder, receiving a life sentence plus 20 years for aggravated assault. The case

highlighted Mary Ann's previous attempts to harm her ex-husband and her motive for killing

Tom.

Episode 25: Corbin In 1990, Dolly Hearn, a dental student and ex-girlfriend of Bart Corbin, was found dead in her apartment in Augusta, Georgia, in what was initially ruled a suicide. Fourteen years later, in 2004, Jennifer Corbin, Bart's wife, was also found dead under similar circumstances in their Buford, Georgia home. Both deaths, initially thought to be suicides, were later linked to Bart Corbin. Investigations revealed that Bart had murdered both women, staging their deaths to look like suicides to cover up his crimes. In 2006, Bart Corbin confessed to both murders as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty and was sentenced to two concurrent life sentences.

Episode 24:

In 2012, Erik Poltorak, a father from Los Angeles, was murdered on Halloween night to prevent

him from testifying in a trial against Michael Thomas, who had robbed him the previous year.

Michael Thomas, orchestrating from jail, enlisted his niece's boyfriend, Allen Williams, to be the

shooter, with his niece, Jessicha Thomas, as the lookout, and his girlfriend, Yvonne Keith, as an

accomplice. They executed the murder on Halloween, using the festivities as a cover. Williams,

wearing a costume, shot Poltorak at his doorstep. Michael Thomas was found guilty and

sentenced to death, Williams confessed and received a life sentence without parole, Jessicha

Thomas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and Yvonne Keith was also found guilty and

received a life sentence without parole.

Episode 23: Siani

In 2000, Rachel Siani, a 21-year-old college student and part-time stripper, was found dead

under a bridge in Burlington, New Jersey. The investigation initially focused on a former cook at

the strip club where she worked, due to his known infatuation with her, but he was later ruled out

as a suspect. Attention then shifted to John Denofa, a regular club patron with an obsessive

interest in Rachel. Denofa was arrested and tried for her murder, with the prosecution building a

case based on circumstantial evidence and witness testimonies about his behavior towards

Rachel. Despite the lack of direct evidence, Denofa was found guilty of murder and sentenced

to prison, bringing some closure to Rachel's family and highlighting the risks faced by those

working in the adult entertainment industry.

Episode 22:

In 2010, on Thanksgiving in Ruskin, Florida, former ice cream truck driver Michael Keetley was

involved in a tragic shooting that resulted in the deaths of two brothers, Juan and Sergio

Guitron, and injured four others. The attack, driven by Keetley's mistaken belief that the victims

were connected to an earlier robbery and shooting he had suffered where he lost the use of his

right hand all over 12 dollars. The connection led to his arrest in December 2010. After a

complex legal journey, including a mistrial in 2020, Keetley was finally convicted in 2023 of two

counts of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder, receiving six life sentences.

Episode 21: Andrade On February 17, 2005, Michael Paul Andrade, a university student with aspirations of becoming

a doctor, was tragically murdered in his off-campus apartment in San Antonio, Texas. The first

responders discovered his body after extinguishing a fire in his apartment, where he had been

strangled and slightly burned. Key evidence led investigators to Maria Solis' apartment, where

they found evidence implicating her roommate and boyfriend, Joe Luna, in the crime. Luna, with

a criminal history including home invasions, was arrested and charged with Michael's murder.

During his trial in March 2006, Luna initially claimed innocence but later confessed and

requested the death penalty after seeing the forensic evidence against him. He was sentenced

to death on April 26, 2006.