Real Crime Stories

Fifty-three-year-old Fatima Johnson was a devoted mother of six and grandmother of eight who spent her life caring for others. Working in a nursing home and actively studying to earn her nursing license, she was building a future rooted in purpose and service in South Los Angeles. But over the Fourth of July weekend in 2021, after Fatima failed to show up for work, her daughters and best friend arrived at her apartment to find a devastating scene: Fatima had been bound, gagged, and left to die of asphyxiation.

Investigators quickly focused on her boyfriend, Darryl Lamar Collins, who stole Fatima's phone, jewelry, and car, rapidly pawning her possessions and selling her vehicle for drugs. Just 364 days earlier, Collins had been released on parole under California's expanded youthful offender law after serving 25 years for two random 1995 murders. In this episode, we examine the timeline and system failures surrounding Collins's release, the warning signs of intimate partner violence, and how a convicted double murderer entered Fatima's life less than a year after walking out of prison.

Listeners will follow the evidence and legal journey from the initial discovery through Collins's February 2026 conviction for first-degree special-circumstance murder and his sentencing to life in prison without parole. Drawing on court records, police reports, and public filings, Real Crime Stories examines the dangerous intersection of prior violent crime, substance abuse, and domestic violence, honoring the life and memory of a woman taken far too soon.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. If you need support for domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.

Real Crime Stories is a victim-centered investigative podcast examining domestic violence fatalities, warning signs, and system failures through court records, police reports, and public records.

For case updates, source documents, and additional information, visit:

Website:

https://realcrimestories.org

Follow Real Crime Stories on Facebook:

https://facebook.com/realcr1mestories

Every case has a story.

Every victim had a life.

And every warning sign matters.

On the morning of September 16, 2022, 32-year-old Krystal Walton was shot and killed outside Charity Child Care in west Indianapolis shortly after dropping off her one-year-old son. The shooter was her ex-boyfriend and the child's father, 35-year-old Orlando Mitchell—a man Walton had already sought legal protection from through an active civil protective order.

In this episode, Real Crime Stories examines the timeline surrounding Krystal's murder, the warning signs of escalating intimate partner violence, and the critical reality of protective order violations. Listeners will learn how Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers intercepted Mitchell in downtown Indianapolis, resulting in an armed confrontation, an officer-involved shooting, and body camera footage capturing his confession.

We also trace the legal proceedings from conviction to sentencing, detailing Mitchell's trial for murder and invasion of privacy, his 66-year prison sentence, and the capital murder charges filed during his pretrial detention. Above all, this episode honors Krystal Walton's life, confronting the systemic challenges of survivor safety and why every warning sign matters.

**If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. If you need support for domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.**

Real Crime Stories is a victim-centered investigative podcast examining domestic violence fatalities, warning signs, and system failures through court records, police reports, and public records.

For case updates, source documents, and additional information, visit:

Website: https://realcrimestories.org

Follow Real Crime Stories on Facebook: https://facebook.com/realcr1mestories

Every case has a story. Every victim had a life. And every warning sign matters.

In August 2025, 34-year-old mother and small business owner Mariah Rosanna Samuels took critical steps to secure her safety by ending her relationship with David Eugene Wright and obtaining an Order for Protection. But on the morning of September 14, when Wright violated that order, the emergency response system failed her. A responding officer spent only four minutes on the scene and filed an inaccurate report, leaving Mariah vulnerable to a deadly ambush just hours later.

This episode explores the devastating timeline of the tragedy in North Minneapolis, examining the systemic failures in protective order enforcement and the warning signs of escalating domestic abuse. Listeners will learn about the subsequent investigation, the indictment upgrade to first-degree premeditated murder, and the courtroom confession that ultimately brought a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

**If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. If you need support for domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.**

Real Crime Stories is a victim-centered investigative podcast examining domestic violence fatalities, warning signs, and system failures through court records, police reports, and public records.

For case updates, source documents, and additional information, visit:

Website:

https://realcrimestories.org

Follow Real Crime Stories on Facebook:

https://facebook.com/realcr1mestories

Every case has a story.

Every victim had a life.

And every warning sign matters.

Season 3 of Real Crime Stories examines domestic violence homicides through the lives of the victims, the warning signs that preceded the violence, and the investigations that followed.

Monique Tepe's marriage to Michael McKee ended years before she and her husband, Spencer Tepe, were found murdered in their Columbus, Ohio home. Yet investigators would later allege that the danger had not ended at all.

We explore the lives of Spencer and Monique, the investigation into their deaths, and the warning signs that can persist long after an abusive relationship appears to be over.

Through court records, investigative findings, and public reporting, we examine a case that demonstrates why leaving an abusive relationship is often one of the most dangerous periods for a victim.

Real Crime Stories is a victim-centered investigative podcast examining domestic violence fatalities, warning signs, and system failures through court records, police reports, and public records.

For case updates, source documents, and additional information, visit:

Website:

https://realcrimestories.org

Follow Real Crime Stories on Facebook:

https://facebook.com/realcr1mestories

Every case has a story.

Every victim had a life.

And every warning sign matters.

In the multi-state aftermath of an execution, the legal system is forced to confront its darkest technicalities. In the season finale of "The Playbook," Real Crime Stories pulls back the curtain on the extraordinary trial and appellate battle of Larry Florentine. When federal prosecutors step in under the Violence Against Women Act to close state jurisdictional loopholes, the defense strikes back with Entry 91... a motion utilizing a biblical reference to argue that burning a spouse's body after an execution does not constitute a domestic violence felony. We track the shocking 2025 appellate ruling, the final reckoning inside a federal courtroom, and the haunting reality of a system that closed the loop too late for a woman who predicted her own tragedy.

⚠️ If you or someone you know is navigating the terrifying escalation of domestic abuse, please do not wait. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

When the vital lifeline calls to a grandmother suddenly stop, the silence reveals a terrifying reality. In Part IV of "The Playbook," Real Crime Stories covers the fracture and collapse of a killer's timeline. On June 13, 2020, a routine morning for a Kentucky cemetery groundskeeper takes a horrific turn after discovering a shallow, makeshift grave. As state police piece together an incredibly careless trail of evidence—including a discarded gas can, ballistics, and forensic biological evidence—the cross-country dragnet begins. We follow the ten-day, multi-state flight of Larry Florentine as the pressure mounts, leading all the way to a police precinct in the Rocky Mountains⚠️ If you or someone you know is navigating the terrifying escalation of domestic abuse, please do not wait. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

The timeline reconstructed by federal investigators reveals a journey across state lines that quickly devolved into a nightmare. In Part III of "The Playbook," Real Crime Stories tracks the dark center of this investigation. Somewhere along the roads of North Carolina, the vehicle becomes an execution scene. What follows is a multi-state flight defined by an unimaginable contrast: a killer driving hundreds of miles with his victim, pulling into a rural Kentucky retail shop, and bitterly arguing with a cashier over the $21.99 price of a gas can—all while his executed wife sits just yards away. We map out the chilling forensic timeline, the shallow grave at Hill Cemetery, and the horrifying precision of a plan completed to the letter.

⚠️ If you or someone you know is navigating the terrifying escalation of domestic abuse, please do not wait. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Before a killer drove across state lines, a mother was just trying to survive the ashes of her old life. In Part II of "The Playbook," Real Crime Stories steps away from the investigative timeline to look at the passenger seat. Nichole Florentine wasn't a case file statistic—she was a mother of four, a sister, a daughter, and a granddaughter. In an increasingly hostile environment, her family was her anchor. We explore the psychological trap of control, the devastation of losing her home to intimate partner arson, and the painful moments right before the signal went completely silent on a highway heading north.⚠️ If you or someone you know is navigating the terrifying escalation of domestic abuse, please do not wait. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Every investigator who spends enough time on the street will tell you the same thing: monsters rarely strike out of nowhere. They leave a trail. They drop hints. Sometimes, they even hand over the exact blueprint of what they intend to do.

In the premiere episode of Season 2, Real Crime Stories unpacks "The Playbook"... a chilling case of systemic failure and domestic escalation out of York County, South Carolina. Beginning in December 2019, 36-year-old Nichole Florentine began leaving a terrifyingly precise paper trail with 911 dispatchers. She explicitly warned authorities of a three-step promise her husband, Larry, had made to her: that he was going to kill her, burn her, and bury her.

Despite multiple domestic violence arrests, the legal system failed to close the loop. When their Rock Hill home was completely destroyed by an intentional fire on May 23, 2020, the warning signs shifted from a whisper to a scream. Yet, just eleven days later, the couple packed a vehicle and hit the highway heading north. Nichole thought she was escaping the ashes of her old life... she had no idea she was riding alongside the man about to execute the rest of his horrific plan.

⚠️ If you or someone you know is navigating the terrifying escalation of domestic abuse, please do not wait. Reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or texting "START" to 88788. It is 100% free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Real Crime Stories is a victim-centered investigative documentary series focused on systemic failures, behavioral warning signs, and forensic truth.

When a court issues a protective injunction, it is supposed to be a lifeline. A boundary between survival and disaster. But as investigators uncover time and time again, leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous threshold a survivor will ever face.

In this episode of Real Crime Stories, we look closely at the life of 58-year-old Alesa Leach...a mother, grandmother, city bus driver, and ordained minister known to her Jacksonville community as the "Quiet Storm." Alesa spent her entire adult life beating the odds, breaking cycles of domestic trauma, and sharing her story to help set other women free.

Yet, when she did everything right by utilizing the legal system to protect herself from her ex-partner, Joseph Anderson, the system failed to hold the line.

For deeper case information, evidence breakdowns, and updates on the upcoming trial, visit our official website: realcrimestories.org.

⚠️ DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES:If you or someone you know is facing domestic abuse, stalking, or intimate partner violence, please do not carry the burden alone. Safety planning saves lives.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

• Text: "START" to 88788

• Free, confidential, and available 24/7.

Keywords & Social Tags:#TrueCrime #RealCrimeStories #JusticeForAlesa #DomesticViolenceAwareness #Jacksonville #TrueCrimePodcast #AlesaLeach #DomesticAbuseSupport