True Crime Creepers

In 1993, Amarillo attorney and former judge David Glenn Lewis vanished on Super Bowl Sunday, leaving behind turkey sandwiches, laundry in the wash, and a recording of the game on his VCR. Eleven years later, he was shockingly identified as a John Doe found 1,600 miles away in Washington state. How did he get there—and why?

Sources:
David Glenn Lewis (1953-1993) - Find a Grave Memorial

1993 hit-run victim is finally identified

David Glenn Lewis: Cross Country Conundrum

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It was Thanksgiving Day, 2012, in the small town of Little Falls, Minnesota. That morning, cousins Nick Brady and Haile Kifer set out to visit family for dinner. But when they never showed up, their loved ones were thrown into a desperate search. By the next day, their worst fears were confirmed—Nick and Haile had been killed inside the home of 64-year-old Byron Smith.

At first glance, it looked like a tragic but lawful case of self-defense under Minnesota’s Castle Doctrine. Smith claimed he’d been terrorized by repeated break-ins and had finally snapped when the teens entered his home. But the investigation revealed something far more chilling: Byron Smith hadn’t been caught off guard. He’d been lying in wait.

This week, we dive into the audio recordings that changed everything, the trial that divided the community, and the chilling words Smith used to justify what he’d done, which leaves us with the question: was this self defense… or murder?

Sources:

Minnesota man guilty of murdering teenage intruders | US crime | The Guardian

One break-in tied to slain Little Falls teens, others being investigated

Minn. man says he "fired more shots than I needed" |AP

Jury Hears Audio Recording Of Little Falls Killings - CBS Minnesota

Little Falls shooter protected U.S. embassies from terrorists and spies | MPR News

Byron Smith Murder Trial Case Sent To Jury

Byron David Smith Killed teens Haile Kifer and Nicholas Schaeffel because he feared weapons cops say

US Supreme Court Byron David Smith v Jeff Titus, Warden, Minnesota Correctional Facility

Byron Smith | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Byron Smith Murder Trial Case Sent To Jury

Byron David Smith Full Length Interrogation

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Crime doesn’t take a day off. And neither does Crime House Daily. Hosted by self-defense instructor and advocate for victims, Katie Ring, Crime House Daily is coming to you twice every weekday, covering the biggest crime stories as they unfold. Morning episodes give you the need-to know. The latest headlines, breaking developments, and where things are going next. Evening episodes go deeper. Into the people, the evidence, and the moments that matter most. The pursuit of justice never stops. And with Crime House Daily, you won’t have to either.

Follow Crime House Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or listen here: https://link.podtrac.com/xu152swu⁠

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Imagine being a teenager. Your phone is constantly going off, but every time it buzzes, it isn’t a friend. Instead, it’s a threat. For almost two years, high school students Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny couldn’t escape the messages, the calls, the feeling that someone was always watching. What began as unsettling interruptions grew into a campaign of harassment, and when they found out who was actually behind the messages, their entire world would change.

Sources:

Documentary: Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

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The FBI thinks they’ve got a handle on the anthrax attacks until people start dying in ways that don’t make sense. What follows is a years-long investigation full of obsession, surveillance, false accusations, ruined lives… and a final suspect with secrets darker than anyone imagined.

Sources

Amerithrax or Anthrax Investigation

Amerithrax Investigative Summary

Anthrax Bioterrorism: Lessons Learned and Future Directions - PMC

2001 anthrax attacks 

Death of Robert Stevens 

Hijacker Visited Crop-Duster Airfield - ABC News

Paul Keim

American Airlines Flight 11

Ames strain 

Paul Keim: "We Were Surprised It Was the Ames Strain" | FRONTLINE

Terror plot feared in anthrax outbreak | World news | The Guardian.

Anthrax attacks 2001: Poison panic after contaminated letters sent to Daschle, Brokaw, postal workers.

New York Hospital Worker Dies of Inhalation Anthrax | PBS News

The investigation of Dr. Shaikh - POLITICO

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Three weeks after 9/11, a man in Florida is rushed to the hospital with a mysterious illness. As soon as doctors realize what’s killing him, it sets off one of the largest and most bizarre FBI investigations in U.S. history.
Anthrax.
In the mail.
Targeting the media and members of Congress.
And absolutely no one was prepared for what came next.

Sources:
Amerithrax or Anthrax InvestigationAmerithrax Investigative SummaryAnthrax Bioterrorism: Lessons Learned and Future Directions - PMC2001 anthrax attacks Death of Robert Stevens Hijacker Visited Crop-Duster Airfield - ABC NewsPaul KeimAmerican Airlines Flight 11Ames strain Paul Keim: "We Were Surprised It Was the Ames Strain" | FRONTLINETerror plot feared in anthrax outbreak | World news | The Guardian.
Anthrax attacks 2001: Poison panic after contaminated letters sent to Daschle, Brokaw, postal workers.New York Hospital Worker Dies of Inhalation Anthrax | PBS NewsThe investigation of Dr. Shaikh - POLITICO

Podcast: Aftermath: Hunt for the Anthrax Killer

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In 2018, 68-year-old Canadian expat Malcom Madsen vanished after a night out in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. What looked like a celebration quickly turned into a mystery that would take years—and a relentless daughter’s fight for justice—to unravel.

With shocking surveillance footage, missing money, and a trail of corruption, this case is as heartbreaking as it is unbelievable.

Sources:
Book: 

Malcolm Is Missing by Robert Osborne

Malcom Is Missing | Documentary | YouTube

Malcom is Missing | documentary Channel

Brooke’s Justice - Watershed Magazine

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We will return from our break in just a few weeks, and in the meantime we hope you enjoy this bonus episode from 2023!

Early in the morning on January 14, 2018, police in Perris, California performed a welfare check at 160 Muir Woods Road. David and Louise Turpin took several minutes to answer the door, and when they did, they looked terrified. Louise’s eyes were huge, and they were breathing heavily. Their decades-long secret was about to be revealed, but deputies were not prepared for what was inside that house.

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Originally released as a Mini Creep on our Patreon on 12/9/24!

Today Mogab tells Kristin all about one of her absolute heroes: The man, the myth, the legend: Eddie Aikau. Eddie was more than just a legendary surfer—he was a true waterman, lifeguard, and Hawaiian icon. Known for riding massive waves at Waimea Bay and for saving hundreds of lives as Oahu’s first lifeguard on the North Shore, Eddie lived his life with courage and aloha. But his story goes deeper than surfing, with a fateful journey on the Hokule’a canoe cementing his place in history and his bittersweet legacy, one that still echoes in Hawaii and beyond. Eddie would go!

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While we're on break, we're busting open the vault and releasing some of our favorite bonus episodes we've done over the years, so please enjoy this bonus episode from 2022!!

This is a case that inspired everything from the movie When A Stranger Calls to the urban legend The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs. Think "the call is coming from inside the house." It was March 18, 1950, a truly dark and stormy night. In Columbia, Missouri, 13 year old Janett Christman arrived at the Romack's home to babysit their 3 year old son. The boy was already sleeping when Janett arrived, so it should have been an easy night. But when the Romack's returned late that night, they found a horrible scene. Janett had been raped and strangled with an electric cord. As law enforcement investigates, they are stunned to see so many similarities between Janett's murder and another murder that happened nearby, 4 years previously. 

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