In what some have called the worst case of child abuse in Los Angeles County history, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez suffered prolonged torture at the very hands of those entrusted to protect him.  Early reports alleged his death was accidental. But the investigation would quickly reveal a much darker, more evil series of events that would ultimately shake the cracked foundation of the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services to its core.  A BB gun, a belt, and a small cupboard were just the beginning of Gabriel’s proverbial house of horrors.  

 

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All Written, Audio, and Sound Effect sources are available at www.invisiblechoir.com.    ©2019 Reach Freaks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Boy in the Cupboard

The Invisible Choir true crime podcast examines the most heinous murders through investigative storytelling, primary source audio, and victim testimonials. We aim to bring voice to the voiceless, and visibility to the invisible. Independently recorded and produced by Michael Ojibway and Reach Freaks, LLC. 

True crime

On June 21st, 2022, Michael Cole Rathel was eagerly awaiting his friend and co-worker 21-year-old Xichen Yang’s arrival to work at a pool cleaning company they were both employed at in Orlando, Florida.  Xichen, a pool technician, never turned up and Michael became frustrated with his absence.  Michael proceeded to call and give his tardy friend an earful, but noticed Xichen sounded distraught on the other end of the line.  When asked if everything was okay, Xichen responded that his wife, 21-year-old Nhu Quynh Pham, burned his passport.  He then told Michael that because of this, he became enraged and did “unspeakable things” to her...
Written by Trevor Pason, Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/unspeakable  
 
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Unspeakable Things

Anchorage, AK ranks #1 when it comes to areas with the highest rate of Indigenous women who go missing each calendar year in the U.S. Unfortunately 2019 proved to be no different - when Anchorage Police received an SD card from a homeless woman who claimed she found it on the side of the road. When authorities viewed the contents of the card labeled, "Homicide at Midtown Marriott,” they were met with exactly that. Early into an investigation filled with twists and bizarre turns, law enforcement recognized the killer’s accent, heard on the homemade snuff film…but after sitting down with 48-year-old South African native Brian Steven Smith, they quickly realized that they might just have a serial killer on their hands…
Written by Michael Dunphy Jr., Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full episode source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/livedie
 
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You Live, You Die

During the early morning hours of October 18th, 2015, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, Corey Jones’ SUV broke down, so he pulled over on an offramp. Multiple people came to Corey’s aid, but the process for getting a tow ended up taking hours. While Corey waited, another man was also on the street that morning. When Officer Nouman Raja noticed Corey’s stalled Hyundai Santa Fe, he headed in the direction to investigate further. What happened next involved two strangers, rapidly escalating tensions, and six shots fired over an agonizing 13 seconds. Ultimately there were two renditions of how a chance encounter caused one man to die; however, only one of them was true…
Written by Nellie Poe., Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. View full source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/13seconds 
 
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13 Seconds

17-year-old Valerie Leona Tindall was a hardworking teen who lived with her siblings and parents Jack and Shena in the rural community of Arlington, Indiana. While attending Rushville Consolidated High, Valerie worked various jobs after school and on the weekends. After tiring from gigs such as McDonald’s and Domino’s, she was eventually offered part-time work from a neighbor and owner of a local landscaping company, 59-year-old Patrick Allen Scott. On June 7th, 2023, Valerie was headed into work and left the family home before noon that day. But when night fell over Arlington that evening and Valerie still hadn’t made it back- her parents immediately suspected that her boss may have had something to do with her disappearance… 
Written by Michael Dunphy Jr., Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. Special thanks to Shena Sandefur & Jack Tindall.
View the full source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/landscaper 
 
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The Landscaper

35-year-old Ellie Mizon Tran was an immigrant from Vietnam who came to America in search of a new life and better opportunities. While establishing herself in the states, working two jobs at different nail salons in Virginia Beach, Ellie had endured one failed marriage. However, her second husband would turn out to be far worse than the first. On Valentine’s Day of 2017, the surveillance cameras Ellie Tran had just installed for the sole purpose of protecting herself against 29-year-old Joseph Merlino, captured video of a man running up from behind her in her driveway, while holding a syringe…
Written by Michael Dunphy Jr., Executive Produced by Michael Ojibway. Special thanks to Sheriff Rocky Holcomb and Kathy Hieatt of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. 
View the full source list at https://www.invisiblechoir.com/listen/liquiddeath
 
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The Boy in the Cupboard

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