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Summer is at it's PEAK and our job is all consuming.  Please come with us as we revisit a past episode that could use a little more attention.  Fret not we will return soon!  

A crowded New Orleans nightclub, a sudden death, and a story that seems to evaporate almost as soon as it hits the news. We’re going back to 2015 and the suspicious death of Dan Betancourt Jr., a former bartender at the Oz Nightclub on Bourbon Street, found unresponsive in the early morning hours during Southern Decadence weekend. Friends describe Dan as social, funny, and steady, which makes the official framing of him as “uncontrollably irate” feel like a record scratch that demands a closer look.

We walk through what’s publicly known: Dan’s last hours, the claim that he was restrained and possibly placed in a headlock by a former coworker, and the confusing shift from “fight or disturbance” to “medical call” to a situation that briefly draws homicide detective attention. We also dig into the details that don’t sit right, like how a packed French Quarter bar ends up with key moments not on surveillance footage, and why a case with this many potential witnesses winds up with so little follow-up reporting.

Then we get into the coroner’s early findings, including the note about no gross anatomical trauma and a possible cardiac abnormality, plus the toxicology results that are described as pending and then seemingly disappear from the public narrative. If you care about true crime, cold cases, and accountability in New Orleans investigations, this one is a reminder that silence isn’t the same thing as closure.

If you know anything about what happened at the Oz that night, we share how to report it. Subscribe, share this with someone who loves New Orleans true crime, and leave a review so more people hear Dan’s name and this case gets another look.

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**Correction: In the episode, I made a statement that Paris Bennett is now in his mid twenties. I meant to say mid thirties. 

Paris Bennett's first parole eligibility date is February 2027. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2007, with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years, which makes February 2027 his first opportunity to be considered for release.

If he is never granted parole, his sentence would end in February 2047, when he would be approximately 53 years old. 

Now for the Episode Description:

A 13-year-old boy. A 4-year-old girl. One choice that feels so deliberate it rewires how you think about “kids will be kids.” We’re talking about Paris Bennett, a teenager described as gifted, polite, and charming, who murdered his little sister Ella not in a sudden burst of rage, but as a strategy to emotionally destroy their mother, Charity Lee.

We walk through the timeline of the night of February 4, 2007, including how Paris manipulates the babysitter into leaving, what investigators believe happened after Ella fell asleep, and why the 911 call still chills people who study true crime, psychology, and criminal behavior. Then we dig into the harder layer: motive. Paris later admits the point wasn’t really Ella, it was punishment, jealousy, and control. That forces uncomfortable questions about empathy, emotional detachment, and what “remorse” even means when someone can describe violence with an almost academic calm.

From there, we look at the juvenile justice reality under Texas law: no death penalty, no life without parole, and a sentence that creates a real parole eligibility window. We also talk about the Piers Morgan interview, the “wolf inside” comment, and why even Charity, who still loves her son, says she fears for her life and her other child’s safety if he’s released.

Listen, then tell us where you land: can a child with psychopathic traits be rehabilitated, or is public safety the only answer? If this conversation hits you, subscribe, share the episode, and leave us a review so more listeners can join the debate.

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A cemetery that doesn’t exist on any map should be easy to avoid. The problem is Saint Lazarus Cemetery doesn’t wait for you to find it. It finds you, right when the Mississippi fog rolls in and the church bell dares to ring thirteen times. 

We’re Pearl and Holly, and we’re serving a fresh piece of original horror fiction set in New Orleans, the perfect city for a supernatural urban legend with teeth. Simone and her friends think they’re just walking the Garden District before midnight, until an iron gate appears across the street with a warning stamped in rust: “The dead remember every promise.” One step past the threshold, the noise of the city drops away and the cemetery turns into a silent marble maze of mausoleums that feel more like houses than graves. 

From there, the story escalates fast: crypt doors swing open, grey-skinned figures watch without blinking, and a little girl clutching a headless porcelain doll asks one question that echoes from every shadow. When an eerie woman in white explains that these aren’t tombs at all, but doors, the nightmare shifts from haunted to hungry. And just when dawn makes it feel like escape is possible, Mardi Gras proves the city of the dead has a long memory. 

If you love New Orleans horror, Southern Gothic vibes, creepy cemetery folklore, and short scary stories with a final sting, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves spooky fiction, and leave us a review. What part of Saint Lazarus would haunt you the most?

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You can tell a lot about a true crime show by how it handles laughter. We start by addressing listener feedback about our humor and why we refuse to confuse coping with disrespect. We take victims seriously, we treat families carefully, and we do not extend courtesy to convicted killers just because they exist in a courtroom transcript. That boundary matters before we step into a topic as visceral as cannibalism.

From there, we share a headline out of Budapest, Hungary: a hospital worker accused of stealing human remains and preparing them as meals. The details are stomach turning, and the case sets up a bigger question about access, oversight, and how quickly a “normal” job can become a pipeline for the unthinkable. It is the kind of real-world horror story that reminds you this is not just legend or internet creepypasta.

Then we move to Maryland and the listener requested case: Joe Metheny, a Baltimore serial killer convicted of two murders who claimed he mixed victim flesh into barbecue sandwiches sold at a roadside stand. We walk through what is documented, what he confessed, and what police could not firmly prove, including the investigation timeline, forensic anthropology findings, and the legal mechanics of sentencing. We also ask the uncomfortable questions the case forces on anyone who loves true crime: what’s fact, what’s fabrication, and why do some offenders brag when the truth is already monstrous?

If this grabbed you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who can handle it, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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You probably know the images even if you’ve never learned the name. The Rider-Waite tarot deck is the visual backbone of modern tarot, and it didn’t become iconic because people memorized esoteric theory. It became iconic because the art tells the story at a glance. We’re diving into the life and legacy of Pamela Colman Smith, the illustrator who drew all 78 cards by hand and somehow still ended up as the “invisible” woman behind one of the most recognized occult objects in history. 

We talk about how tarot works as symbolism and visual storytelling, from the major arcana everyone recognizes (yes, even the misunderstood Death card) to the minor arcana that can echo a standard deck of playing cards. Then we zoom out into the strange, dramatic world that shaped the deck: Victorian-era occultism, secret societies, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, where ritual, coded meaning, and theatrical vibes weren’t a costume, they were a lifestyle. 

From there, we get specific about what makes Pamela’s work hit so hard. Her scenes feel like dreams staged on a theater set, emotionally alive without being overexplained. We break down why her women feel powerful across the deck, especially in cards like The High Priestess, and why that resonance lasts for generations of tarot readers. And we don’t dodge the frustrating part: the deck goes world famous while the artist’s credit fades into the background. 

If you’ve ever owned a tarot deck, used a tarot app, or felt pulled toward tarot symbolism, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who loves tarot history, and leave a review so more people can find Pamela’s name. What’s the first tarot card image you remember?

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New Orleans loves a legend, but we’re not interested in the souvenir version. We’re talking about Marie Laveau as a real woman in 1800s Louisiana: a free woman of color navigating slavery, racism, class power, and public fear while building influence that people still whisper about today. If you’ve only heard “voodoo queen” and pictured Hollywood witchcraft, we pull that apart and put the history back where it belongs.

We trace how New Orleans voodoo grows from survival and resistance, including the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution and the way enslaved communities used Catholic saints as a coded spiritual language. We also dig into the overlooked details that explain her reach: working as a hairdresser to the elite, hearing the secrets people spill when they think they’re safe, and understanding that perception can be its own kind of power. When yellow fever and failing systems leave the poor behind, Marie’s legacy shows up in care, remedies, and the kind of leadership that doesn’t need permission.

Then we ask the uncomfortable question: what happens when society can’t explain a woman’s competence? Too often, it calls her supernatural, turns her into “other,” and sells the aesthetic while erasing the matriarch. If you care about Marie Laveau history, New Orleans culture, voodoo myths, and the politics of who gets labeled a witch, this one is for you.

Listen, share with a friend who loves Southern Gothic history, and leave us a review. And send us your own story at Hold my sweet tea podcast at gmail.com.

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A house stuffed with leaves sounds like a joke until SWAT opens the door and realizes the piles aren’t just weird, they’re dangerous. We travel to Mount Vernon, Ohio to unpack the Matthew Hoffman “Leaf Killer” case, a true crime story where a missing persons call turns into one of the strangest crime scenes we’ve ever covered. Bags of leaves stacked floor to ceiling, dead squirrels in the freezer, and a basement hiding a kidnapped 13-year-old girl bound on a literal bed of leaves. 

We walk through how Tina Herrmann disappears, why her boss’s concern matters, and how a second look at the home reveals blood and clear signs of a struggle. From there, the timeline tightens: Tina, her friend Stephanie Sprang, and Tina’s children are suddenly missing, and investigators have to decide whether they’re dealing with a runaway, an accident, or something far worse. We also dig into the theory that Hoffman started as a burglar and then escalated when confronted, turning a break-in into murder and abduction. 

Then we get into the investigative details that help police build the case fast: a Walmart bag with a tarp and heavy-duty trash bags, surveillance video, a Toyota Yaris that narrows the suspect pool, and an interview strategy that finally gets Hoffman talking. The ending is as haunting as the beginning, with a confession leading to bodies hidden inside a hollow tree and a sentence of life without parole. If you’re into Ohio true crime, kidnapping cases, and the real-world mechanics of solving murders, this one will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves true crime podcasts, and leave us a review with your biggest question from the case.

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🚨 WARNING: This episode contains discussion of grave desecration, human remains, and disturbing crime scene details. Listener discretion is advised.
When volunteers at Pennsylvania's historic Mount Moriah Cemetery began discovering broken mausoleums and disturbed burial vaults, they had no idea they were uncovering one of the most bizarre criminal investigations in recent memory.
According to investigators, Jonathan Gerlach was caught inside the cemetery in January 2026 carrying human remains. What police allegedly discovered next shocked the nation: over 100 human skulls, bones, and mummified remains recovered from a home and storage unit, leading to more than 500 criminal charges.
In this episode of Hold My Sweet Tea Podcast, we dive into the haunting history of Mount Moriah Cemetery, the investigation that police called "a horror movie come to life," and the heartbreaking task of identifying remains that may have been buried for more than 200 years.
Was this a case of morbid obsession, illegal collecting, or something even darker?
Grab your sweet tea and settle in as we unravel one of the strangest true crime cases to make headlines in 2026.

courthousenews.com — March 2026 hearing update and charge information. 

NBC10 Philadelphia
nbcphiladelphia.com— Detailed reporting on the investigation, arrest, and search warrants. 

NBC10 Philadelphia
nbcphiladelphia.com — Updated court proceedings and charges. 

NBC10 Philadelphia
fox29.com — Court appearance and expanded charges. 

fox29.com — Court appearance and expanded charges. 
FOX 29 Philadelphia

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Something about Honey Island Swamp makes a good story feel dangerously believable. Maybe it’s the miles of protected Louisiana marshland north of Lake Pontchartrain, maybe it’s the Pearl River cutting through cypress and shadow, or maybe it’s the simple fact that the bayou can hide you fast. We’re Pearl and Holly, and we’re going full cryptid today with the Honey Island Swamp Monster, also known as Louisiana’s Bigfoot and the Bayou Beast. 

We start with the real place: where Honey Island Swamp sits, what “pristine” marshland looks like up close, and the everyday wildlife that already makes the area intense. Then we get into the folklore that keeps locals talking, from Cajun and Native American roots to the wilder origin theories, including the feral-child story and the circus train crash tale that somehow ends in an alligator and chimpanzee “offspring.” 

The heart of the mystery is Harlan Ford’s 1963 account: a huge, foul-smelling, yellow-eyed creature and the decade-long obsession that follows. We walk through the alleged evidence, including a torn-up wild boar scene, massive three-toed webbed footprints cast in plaster, and LSU’s inability to match the tracks to a known animal. Finally, we talk about the 8mm film Ford kept hidden and how his granddaughter Dana Holyfield helped bring that piece back into the conversation. 

If you love cryptids, Louisiana folklore, and weird local history, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend who loves spooky stuff, and leave us a review so more listeners can find Sweet Tea After Dark.

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A champion athlete with a clear sense of purpose shouldn’t become a headline, but Moriah “Mo” Wilson did and the details are as heartbreaking as they are infuriating. We start where Mo wanted the story to start: with the legacy. Her journal captures a young woman asking rare, grown-up questions about values, meaning, and the mark she wants to leave, and we talk about how her parents turn that mission into a foundation designed to get more young people biking, moving, and feeling supported by their community. 

From there, we trace Mo’s path from Vermont to the elite world of gravel cycling. She’s chasing Olympic skiing until two ACL tears force a reset, and that detour becomes the doorway to off-road racing, resilience, and a rise that makes her one of the most successful gravel cyclists in America. Her ambition isn’t just about winning, either. It’s about being someone other people can look up to, which makes what happens next feel even more senseless. 

On May 11, 2022, Mo is in Austin, Texas, meets up with pro cyclist Colin Strickland, and returns to a friend’s apartment. Kaitlyn Armstrong’s jealousy and escalating behavior collide with opportunity and access, leading to Mo’s murder. We walk through the investigation that follows: surveillance footage, car GPS loops near the crime scene, the flight out of the country, the Costa Rica arrest, and the courtroom proof that ends with a 90-year sentence. We also get honest about accountability, manipulation, and why a messy love triangle can turn dangerous fast. 

If you care about true crime stories with real-world lessons, the cycling community, and the warning signs people ignore until it’s too late, listen now, then subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find it.