This is I Fear You, Babe.
Before we talk about how JonBenét Ramsey died, we talk about how she lived.

We stay inside the morning of December 26, 1996.
The house. The staircase. The ransom note. The 911 call. The waiting.
The decisions made in shock. The systems that weren’t built for clarity.
The moment the story changes forever.

This episode does not chase a theory.
It does not rush to a suspect.
It slows down and sits with what actually happened — and what didn’t.

Because this case didn’t fracture because people were evil.
It fractured because humans were trying to survive something unthinkable.

Then the story dives into the investigation itself — the autopsy findings, the garrote detail, the ransom note as evidence, the pineapple timeline, the window debate, the grand jury, the DNA wars, the media frenzy, and the institutional failures that keep this case unresolved.

SHOW REFERENCES & SOURCES

Boulder Police Department — Official JonBenét Ramsey Case Page
https://bouldercolorado.gov/jonbenet-ramsey-homicide

Denver7 — Timeline and investigative overview of the case
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/jonbenet-ramsey-case-a-timeline-of-events

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin — Kidnapping and ransom note characteristics
https://leb.fbi.gov/articles/featured-articles/kidnapping-and-extortion-investigative-considerations

Colorado Judicial Branch — Grand jury process overview
https://www.coloradojudicial.gov/self-help/grand-jury

CBS News — Reporting on the grand jury decision and later disclosures
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jonbenet-ramsey-grand-jury-indictment-documents-released/

Associated Press — DNA evidence debate and ongoing testing
https://apnews.com/article/jonbenet-ramsey-dna-investigation-boulder-police-5e6b3c4b6f9b9a1e9b0a8b6a0c9f5d3f

(Links included for transparency and listener reference. This episode prioritizes publicly available reporting and official statements.)

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Martha Moxley died, we talk about how she lived.

Martha Moxley was fifteen years old when she was murdered on Mischief Night in 1975 in the Belle Haven section of Greenwich, Connecticut. Her body was found the next day in the yard of a wealthy neighborhood, beaten and stabbed with a golf club taken from a nearby home.

What followed was not a lack of evidence, but a lack of urgency. Witnesses went unchallenged. Evidence aged. And for decades, the case stalled under the weight of privilege, hesitation, and silence.

In this mega episode, we trace the full timeline of Martha’s murder and the investigation that followed — from the night she disappeared, through the failed early inquiry, to the eventual conviction and its reversal decades later. We center Martha and her mother, Dorothy Moxley, and examine what happens when justice is delayed long enough to fracture truth itself.

Show Notes

Case Overview

• Martha Moxley was murdered on October 30, 1975, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
• The murder weapon was a Toney Penna golf club from the Skakel household.
• The case went cold for decades before charges were filed.

Legal Timeline

• One person grand jury convened in 1998
• Michael Skakel convicted in 2002
• Conviction overturned due to ineffective counsel
• Prosecutors declined retrial in 2020

Key Themes

• Wealth and influence in criminal investigations
• The cost of delayed justice
• Memory versus evidence in cold case prosecutions
• The emotional labor of grieving families

Sources & Further Reading

• Connecticut Supreme Court opinion: State v. Skakel
  https://jud.ct.gov/external/supapp/Cases/AROcr/CR278/278CR23.pdf
  
  
• CBS News timeline of the Martha Moxley case
  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/martha-moxley-murder-case-timeline
  
  
• The New York Times coverage of the Skakel trial and appeals
  https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/martha-moxley
  
  
• Justice for Martha Moxley Foundation
  https://www.justiceformartha.org

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Michelle O’Connell died, we talk about how she lived.

Michelle O’Connell was twenty four years old when she was found dead from a gunshot wound in her boyfriend’s home in Florida. Authorities ruled her death a suicide. The case was closed quickly.

Years later, a group of mothers driving their children to school began asking questions no one else seemed interested in answering. They noticed inconsistencies in the investigation. They noticed gaps in the record. And they noticed how fast the system stopped looking.

They didn’t have badges or jurisdiction. They had carpools, notebooks, and persistence.

In this mini episode, we examine the Michelle O’Connell case through the women who refused to let it disappear. We trace the timeline, the procedural failures, the conflicts of interest, and the legal limits that shaped the outcome. We center Michelle and her family, not speculation — and we ask why ordinary women so often become the last line of accountability when institutions step back.

Show Notes

Case Overview

Michelle O’Connell died on September 2, 2010, in St. Johns County, Florida.

Her death was ruled a suicide despite objections from her family.

Her boyfriend at the time, Jeremy Banks, was a deputy with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

Key Themes

Conflict of interest in law enforcement investigations

Domestic violence indicators that go undocumented

How suicide rulings can prematurely end accountability

The emotional and investigative labor taken on by private citizens

Sources & Further Reading

CNN reporting on the Michelle O’Connell case

https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/15/justice/florida-michelle-oconnell

Florida Department of Law Enforcement case materials

https://www.fdle.state.fl.us

Coverage of the Carpool Detectives by local Florida outlets

https://www.jacksonville.com

National Domestic Violence Hotline (for resources and education)

https://www.thehotline.org

If You or Someone You Know Needs Help

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 800 799 SAFE

Text START to 88788

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Rekia Boyd died, we talk about how she lived.

Rekia Boyd was twenty two years old. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a Black woman standing with her friends in her own city on an ordinary night.

In March of 2012, Rekia was shot and killed by an off duty Chicago police officer. She was unarmed. The officer was never convicted. Her case ended not with accountability, but with a legal technicality that exposed how easily justice can be mischarged, misdirected, and ultimately denied.

This episode examines what happened the night Rekia Boyd was killed, how the legal system responded, and why her death did not receive the attention it deserved. This is not a story about a single decision. It is about systems of protection, prosecutorial failure, and whose lives are treated as disposable.

Rekia Boyd — References & Sources

Primary Reporting & Context

• Rekia Boyd Foundation (family and advocacy) — official site
  https://rekiaboydfoundation.org
  
  
• Chicago Tribune — Coverage of the shooting and trial
  https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-chicago-police-officer-cleared-in-rekia-boyd-shooting-20150715-story.html
  
  
• ABC7 Chicago — Article on Rekia Boyd case and aftermath
  https://abc7chicago.com/rekia-boyd-shooting-dante-servin-chicago/1501854/
  
  
• CNN — Reporting on the judge’s ruling and community response
  https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/15/us/chicago-rekia-boyd-officer-acquitted/index.html
  
  

Legal & Court Details

• Chicago Sun-Times — Analysis of the legal decision and involuntary manslaughter issues
  https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2015/7/15/18448752/cook-county-judge-acquits-former-cpd-officer-dante-servin-in-rekia-boyd-killing
  
  
• South Side Weekly — Breakdown of legal arguments and community impact
  https://southsideweekly.com/rekia-boyd-acquittal-police-accountability/
  
  

Police Violence & Racial Justice Context

• Mapping Police Violence — Database of police killings (nationwide data)
  https://mappingpoliceviolence.org
  
  
• Black Women’s Blueprint — Report on Black women and state violence
  https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org
  
  
• Center for Constitutional Rights — Racial justice resources and case archives
  https://ccrjustice.org
  
  

Historical & Social Context

• NAACP — Police Reform and Accountability Resources
  https://www.naacp.org/issues/criminal-justice-reform
  
  
• ACLU — Civil liberties and police violence overview
  https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Kaysera Stops Pretty Places died, we talk about how she lived.

Kaysera Stops Pretty Places was eighteen years old. She was Crow and Northern Cheyenne. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a young woman moving through a place that looked safe enough to stop asking questions.

In August of 2019, Kaysera disappeared in Hardin, Montana. Days later, her body was found in a residential backyard. Her death was ruled suspicious. The cause was never determined. No one has been charged.

This episode examines what is publicly known about Kaysera’s disappearance and death, and what remains unresolved. We place her story within the broader crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives, looking closely at investigative gaps, jurisdictional failures, delayed notifications, and the systems that allow cases like hers to remain unfinished.

This is not a story about shock or speculation.
It is about context, accountability, and what happens when silence becomes policy.

References & Sources

Justice for Kaysera Stops Pretty Places
Official family and advocacy site
https://www.justiceforkaysera.org

KTVQ News — Ongoing coverage
Reporting on the investigation, family advocacy, and unresolved status
https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/six-years-later-advocates-demand-action-in-death-of-kaysera-stops-pretty-places

KTVQ — Criminal endangerment plea
Coverage of the limited charges connected to the night she disappeared
https://www.ktvq.com/news/local-news/man-avoids-prison-for-role-in-death-of-kaysera-stops-pretty-places

National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC)
MMIW data, legal context, and systemic analysis
https://www.niwrc.org/resources/mmiw

Native Women’s Wilderness
National statistics on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw

Montana Office of Public Instruction — MMIW Resources
State specific data and educational materials
https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Indian-Education/Indian-Education-Resources/Missing-and-Murdered-Indigenous-People

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe.

Before we talk about how Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind died, we talk about how she lived.

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind was 22 years old, a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, and eight months pregnant with her daughter, Haisley Jo. She was a daughter, a partner, and a young woman preparing to become a mother.

In this episode, I walk through who Savanna was, the days leading up to her disappearance in Fargo, North Dakota, the investigation that uncovered her murder, and the courtroom record that followed. This episode also examines the broader crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and why cases like Savanna’s so often require families to fight for visibility and accountability.

This episode is built only on documented facts, court records, trial testimony, and verified reporting.

Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind was here.
She mattered.
And she deserved better.

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Case background and disappearance

• InForum: What happened in Apartment 5
  https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/what-happened-in-apartment-5-everything-we-know-and-dont-know-about-savannas-death
  
  
• The Dickinson Press: Tenants reflect on building where Savanna disappeared
  https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/tenants-reflect-on-living-in-building-where-lafontaine-greywind-was-murdered
  
  

Murder, discovery, and investigation

• A&E: Murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind
  https://www.aetv.com/articles/murder-of-native-woman-baby-stolen
  
  
• Valley News Live: Remembering Savanna Greywind
  https://www.valleynewslive.com/2021/08/20/remembering-savanna-greywind-four-years-later/
  
  

Trial outcomes and sentencing

• InForum: Jury acquits William Hoehn of murder conspiracy
  https://www.inforum.com/newsmd/jury-acquits-william-hoehn-of-murder-conspiracy-in-savanna-lafontaine-greywinds-killing
  
  
• MPR News: Accomplice in killing sentenced
  https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/10/07/accomplice-in-killing-of-savanna-greywind-gets-20-years
  
  

Broader context and legislation

• Savanna’s Act (U.S. law)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savanna%27s_Act
  
  
• National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center statement
  https://www.niwrc.org/news/niwrc-statement-savanna-lafontaine-greywind-and-all-missing-murdered-native-women-girls
  
  

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe.

Before we talk about how Chad Entzel died, we talk about how he lived.

Chad Entzel was 42 years old, a regular at his bowling league, a working guy with routines and people who expected him to show up. He was not a plot twist in someone else’s story.

This episode walks through the house fire in North Dakota, how investigators realized it wasn’t an accident, and the courtroom record that revealed a conspiracy to cover up Chad’s murder.

This episode is built only on documented facts, court records, plea agreements, trial testimony, and verified reporting.

Because Chad Entzel was a life.
And he deserved better.

SOURCES & REFERENCES

Case overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_Entzel 

Investigation and fire
https://abcnews.go.com/US/alleged-affair-security-cameras-9-police-determined-north/story?id=97911794

Trial and convictions
https://abcnews.go.com/US/convicted-north-dakota-woman-speaks-publicly-1st-time/story?id=97912264

https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/02/17/nikki-sue-entzel-sentenced-life-with-possibility-parole-conspiring-murder-her-husband/

Plea agreement and sentencing
https://apnews.com/article/legal-proceedings-bismarck-prisons-crime-14100d6b087ff983c84925b05e5db360

Courtroom reporting and testimony
https://www.inforum.com/news/bismarck/furnace-calls-life-insurance-highlight-testimony-in-north-dakota-murder-conspiracy-trial

https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/deputy-details-how-entzel-investigation-shifted-from-suicide-to-murder-conspiracy

Trial hub
https://www.courttv.com/news/north-dakota-v-nikki-entzel-cheating-wife-murder-trial/

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe.

Before we talk about how Tara Grinstead died, we talk about how she lived.

Tara Grinstead was a high school history teacher, a mentor, and a trusted part of her small Georgia community. She wasn’t passing through. She wasn’t disconnected. She was embedded.

This episode walks through Tara’s life, the night she disappeared, the twelve years her family lived without answers, and the courtroom testimony that finally revealed what happened to her.

This is not a conspiracy driven retelling.
It is built on documented facts, court records, confessions, and verified reporting.

Because Tara Grinstead was not a mystery.
She was a life.
And she deserved better.

RESOURCES

Case overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Grinstead_murder_case

Investigation and arrest
https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2017-02-23/gbi-arrest-disappearance-tara-grinstead
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tara-grinstead-case-new-search-for-long-missing-teachers-remains-after-arrest/

Trial and courtroom reporting
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ryan-duke-sentencing-tara-grinstead-case
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ryan-duke-trial-day-5-tara-grinstead-murder
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ryan-duke-trial-tara-grinstead-murder-case-day-6
https://www.courttv.com/news/ryan-duke-tara-grinstead-trial-updates/

Legal record
https://law.justia.com/cases/georgia/court-of-appeals/2025/a24a1619.html

Investigative media
https://season1.upandvanished.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_and_Vanished

Photo and timeline reference
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/what-happened-to-tara-grinstead/

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe.

Jennifer Dulos was a mother of five in the middle of a brutal divorce when she disappeared from her Connecticut home in 2019.

What followed was not a mystery, but a slow, horrifying reveal—surveillance footage, digital evidence, and a trail of lies that exposed a crime rooted in control and punishment. This episode walks through the marriage, the custody battle, and the meticulous planning that turned a domestic conflict into a homicide.

We examine the legal proceedings, the co-conspirators, and the unanswered questions that remain—not because they’re sensational, but because they matter.

This is not just a case about murder.
It’s about what happens when leaving becomes the most dangerous moment.

Show Notes / References

• Connecticut State’s Attorney court filings
• Arrest affidavits and charging documents
• Surveillance footage documentation
• Connecticut Supreme Court records
• New York Times investigative coverage
• Dateline NBC reporting
• Trial transcripts and evidentiary summaries

Support the show

This is I Fear You, Babe — Bonus Episode.

In December 2021, Lauren Smith-Fields, a 23-year-old Black woman from Bridgeport, Connecticut, was found dead in her apartment after a man she had met the night before called 911.

Within hours, police publicly suggested there was no foul play.

No full investigation.
No preserved crime scene.
No immediate answers for her family.

This bonus episode examines how quickly Lauren’s death was categorized—and how that decision shaped everything that followed. We walk through the initial police response, the failures in evidence handling, the role of bias in early assumptions, and the long fight her family endured simply to be heard.

This is not a whodunit.
It’s an examination of process, power, and what happens when the system prioritizes closure over truth.

This episode exists because some stories demand space outside the usual structure—when the crime isn’t just what happened in a room, but what failed to happen afterward.

Show Notes / References

• Bridgeport Police Department incident reports
• Medical Examiner preliminary and amended findings
• Family attorney statements and filings
• Connecticut State Police review documentation
• DOJ civil rights inquiry announcements
• Associated Press investigative reporting
• New York Times coverage
• Public statements from the Smith family

Support the show