Panic True Queer Crime

Wicked and cruel are the words that come to mind for what Ed Buck did when he invited mostly young black men to his apartment in West Hollywood. Buck would entice these men into a meth-fueled session that sometimes lasted for days. On two separate occasions, these sessions ended in death. When a third surviving man agreed to cooperate with police the private life of a wealthy, politically connected predator would finally be exposed.

Resources: SAMHSA's National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/nati...

LGBTQ & Gay-Friendly Rehabs: Statistics, Risk Factors & Treatment (888) 402-1504 https://www.addicted.org/

Ed Buck Superseding Indictment https://www.documentcloud.org/documen... The hero of the piece,

Jasmyne Cannick. Please support her work. https://iamjasmyne.com/category/ed-buck/

AAll Palm Springs, Ca. Clifford Lambert wanted love, all Danny Garcia and Kaushal Niroula wanted was Mr. Lambert's wealth, all of it. In 2008, years of scams, lies, and greed would finally end in murder.

In some ways, this con was your standard con involving an older man and a younger man, but that is where anything standard ends. Mr. Lambert became the victim of con artist working covertly first in person and then through email which was where the catfish began. The scam to steal everything from Lambert would grow to a six-man team and the result would be ruin for all.

If you think you've been the victim of a scam or catfish here are a few resources that offer help and resources.

https://www.thecyberhelpline.com/guides/catfishing

https://www.cybersmile.org/

To report the crime Go to

www.ftc.gov/idtheft

Or call 877-438-4338 or TDD (202) 326-2502 to file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

In the early morning of July 8, 2015, Stephen Smith, a 19-year-old nursing student living in Hampton County, South Carolina, was found dead in the middle of a dark country road. His death would be the first in a long line of heartaches and tragedies connected to Alex Murdaugh and his family. Was Stephen Smith's killing intentional, was he the victim of a hate crime, or was his death the result of a hit-and-run? As the Alex Murdaugh trial captures worldwide attention let's not forget the person who might have been the first victim to lose their life in a tidal wave of unchecked power and greed.

Why would a sober and smart 19-year-old who grew up in the area get out of his car on a dark road in the middle of the night? Why wouldn't he use the phone found in his right pocket to call for help? Why would he leave his wallet in the car if he needed gas? Why wouldn't he call his twin sister or his father to come to get him? While investigating the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh SLED, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which only investigates homicides, found evidence related to Stephen Smith's killing and reopened the investigation into his death. Who killed Stephen Smith and why? Hope we'll have answers soon.

Here is a link to the two reports from the highway patrol and the police department. Investigator Summary: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20971438-stephen-smith-investigator-summary-documents

This report is a part of reporting on the case: https://www.fitsnews.com/2022/02/17/murdaugh-murders-saga-forensic-review-of-stephen-smiths-autopsy-required/

For a depth overview of the entire Murdaugh, case check out the Murdaugh Murder podcast channel. The reporting has been exhaustive.

https://www.youtube.com/@UC6t_kdvrDw2p1F79IBnnNWQ

Please feel free to leave your kind thoughts about Stephen Smith you never know who will see them.

One of the reasons I wanted to make this video focused on lesbian intimate partner murder is that the attention to intimate partner violence amongst LGBTQ folks is so underreported even academic research is only now being consistently collected. One of the most poorly covered groups is women in lesbian intimate partner murders. These are three stories of women murdered as a result of intimate partner violence. P.S. I named the episode women in love because, in the reporting of these murders, the love relationships were diminished as they have been across time.

I've included the first story for its rarity. Until the 1950s homosexuality was never mentioned in the media unless it was particularly sensational. In 1926, Reba Stobtoff decided to throw a rent party, the 1920s - 30s way to raise money to pay bills. What started as a fun money-making evening ended in a bloodbath fueled by jealousy and booze.

In 2012, when officer Crystal Parker was found dead in her bed the fatal truth about her marriage and the woman she loved would be exposed as an emotional trap she nearly escaped before time run out.

By all accounts, Annie Meyer was generous to a fault. When that generosity clashed with bottomless greed Annie would lose her life. If you or anyone you know is a victim of intimate partner violence please check the resources below. You deserve to live a life free of violence of any kind.

Resources:

Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/

The Network/La Red is a survivor-led, social justice organization. The site has a safety exit so your browsing can't be tracked. http://www.tnlr.org

Victim Network: https://victimconnect.org/

To watch this episode:

https://youtu.be/VdTk2VORI2U

What happens when you mix love and sex and the fear of exposure?

It can sometimes result in murder. In this episode three cases of love turned to murder. On February 17th 2022, the twenty year olds Philadelphians, Naasire Johnson and Kylen Pratt's secret relationship would end in murder. The brutality of the crime would leave loved ones bereft and heartbroken.

In Methuen, Massachusetts, 41-year-old Willie Escobar's attempt to end his long relationship with a closeted man would end in murder. Would Escobar's other relationships with closeted men complicate solving his murder?

In 2015, a 27th floor of a high-rise Atlanta, Georgia condo would be the setting for the end of a high-stakes love affair between two married men leaving one man dead and the other on the run. Being in the closet increases the chances of depression, suicidal idealization, and substance abuse.

I choose these cases because these extremes can be enlightening for folks living in less extreme circumstances. If you're struggling with your sexual identity there are resources to help you. You deserve to live a life free of self-hatred and fear.

You deserve to be happy.

Resources: Human Rights Commission. A great resource for making a plan.

https://reports.hrc.org/coming-out-living-authentically-as-lgb Trevor Project.

They have a hotline, an online chat, and an email. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/

This one of those cases that's a punctuation point for the use of the gay panic defense in law. The poor victim was sidelined as the defense did all they could to, if not justify the murder, contextualize it, which now and then seemed like a mission impossible. My heart goes out to Hajna.

The 1962 acid murder of 25-year-old Hajna de Kaplany by her doctor husband of five weeks has at its core an element that is rarely discussed. For all his professional accomplishments, Dr. de Kaplany felt his beautiful wife only wanted him for the social standing and the wealth he could someday provide. On one hot California night, the planning, implanted sense of betrayal, and the need for revenge would explode in an act so brutal that only death could be the possible outcome.

At trial, Dr. de Kaplany's lawyer would be one of the first in the United States to use homosexual panic as part of a mental illness defense to explain the defendant's murderous actions. By the end of the 1960s, homosexual panic would be used solely as a rationale for heterosexual men murdering gay men then trans men and women.

Thanks for joining me for, Acid The Murder of Hajna de Kaplany.

To watch this episode find it at: https://youtu.be/A0Mo9639wvk

In the 1920s through the 1960s indecent proposals, indecent advances, and honor slayings were all buzzwords used to explain one man's rationale for killing another. The handsome singer Louis Kenneth Neu murdered two men for their clothes, their cars, their cash, and his honor.

When 35-year-old Lawrence Shead didn't arrive for work his Patterson, New Jersey colleagues went to his apartment. They found Mr. Shead dead on his bed. His suits, shoes, cash, and car were missing. Neighbors and friends reported Shead had a guest for a views days.

As police pursued this guest they would find they were several steps behind as Lious Kenneth Neu had ditched Shead's black and yellow coupe escaping by train to New Orleans. In the lobby of the luxurious Jung Hotel Neu thought he'd hit the jackpot when he met a wealthy man from Tennessee. When he was finally caught and put on trial questions about Neu's mental health would be central as would his need to keep himself, the court, and the press entertained right up to the end.

To watch this episode join me on Youtube: https://youtu.be/If3t9TqVgwI

San Francisco resident 75-year-old James Sheahan had terminal cancer but that wouldn't be his cause of death. It would be his friendship with a man whose greed and desperate need to be with the love of his life that would cost Mr. Sheahan dearly.

To report elder abuse or find services for older adults and their families, visit The Eldercare Locator. You can also access the Locator by calling 1-800-677-1116.

The Eldercare Locator is a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging.

Adult Protective Services

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/aps/index.htm

To watch this episode on Youtube:

https://youtu.be/t88uVHAdJZg

Daniel Greeley, a homeless veteran, met Bruce Becker who worked for the IRS on Austin, Texas' The Drag in May 1995. Nearly a year later Becker would be dead and Greeley would be on the run. What was the nature of their relationship, why did Greeley kill a man who had been so generous and kind to him? Join me for, The Drag: The Murder of Bruce Becker.

To watch this episode: Youtube: https://youtu.be/11Ude47J

In 1988, 55-year-old, Yale-educated Dr. Richard Boggs and business partners 46-year-old, Melvin Eugene Hanson, and 25-year-old John Hawkins joined together in an insurance scam that would net them a million dollars. The only problem was, in order to get the money someone would have to die.

The victim of the scheme, 36-year-old Ellis Greene was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In order to bring the suspects to justice law enforcement would reach across the Atlantic ending in four ruined lives and a kind and loving man murdered for financial gain.

Join me for Scammed: Dr. Richard Boggs and the murder of Ellis Greene

To watch this episode join me on Youtube: https://youtu.be/3c8ciclJQIE