TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Linda, Steve, Brittany, and Mary with me today.

On New Year’s Eve 2017, what should have been a quiet family celebration in Long Branch, New Jersey, turned into a tragedy. Just before midnight, 16-year-old Scott Kologi opened fire inside his family home, killing his parents, his sister, and a family friend while relatives and neighbors gathered nearby to ring in the new year.

Investigators later revealed that the crime was carried out with a rifle kept legally in the home. There had been no prior warning or argument, the attack unfolded without explanation, leaving an entire community stunned and grieving.

At trial, the defense argued that Kologi suffered from severe mental illness, but a jury ultimately rejected those claims. In 2023, he was found guilty of four counts of murder and sentenced to 160 years in prison.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Mary-Jo and Blake Hadley with me today.

In July 2011, 17-year-old Tyler Hadley shocked the quiet community of Port St. Lucie, Florida, when he murdered his parents, Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley, inside their home and then hosted a house party while their bodies remained hidden in a bedroom.

For hours, dozens of teens drank, played music, and partied as rumors spread that Tyler had done “something terrible.” One friend eventually alerted police, leading to Tyler’s arrest. Investigators later revealed that Tyler had planned the murders in advance and carried them out to ensure he could throw the party without interference.

At trial, prosecutors described the crime as cold and deliberate. Tyler pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life in prison, though his sentence was later reviewed due to juvenile sentencing laws. In 2018, the court re-affirmed a life sentence, citing the extreme nature of the crime.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kaye Tiede and Beth Potts with me today.

In December 1990, a quiet Christmas gathering turned into a nightmare at a remote family cabin in Oakley, Utah. Kaye Tiede and her close friend Beth Potts were brutally murdered inside the cabin by two men who had been invited into the home.

Kaye’s husband, Rolf Tiede, was also shot multiple times and left for dead. The attackers doused him with gasoline, set the cabin on fire, and fled the scene with two hostages: Kaye’s 20-year-old daughter Linae Tiede and her 16-year-old sister, Tricia. Against all odds, Rolf survived and was able to provide crucial information to investigators.

The manhunt that followed ended with the arrest of the two perpetrators. Both were convicted of multiple counts of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and arson, and were sentenced to life in prison, ensuring they would never be released.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Annabelle Richardson with me today.

In May 2017, 18-year-old high school senior Brooke Skylar Richardson secretly gave birth in the bathroom of her family home in Carlisle, Ohio. Hours later, the remains of her newborn daughte, whom she named Annabell, were found buried in the backyard.

The discovery triggered national headlines and a highly emotional legal battle. Prosecutors accused Richardson of murdering her newborn and hiding the evidence to protect her reputation and relationship. The defense argued that the baby was stillborn, and that Brooke, who struggled with eating disorders and intense family pressure, panicked and made a terrible but non-criminal decision.

After a high-profile trial in 2019, Richardson was acquitted of aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter. She was convicted only of abuse of a corpse and received a suspended sentence.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Denise Hallowell with me today.

In July 2019, 57-year-old schoolteacher Denise Hallowell was found dead in her home near Inverness, Florida. She had been struck repeatedly in the back of the head with an axe as she sat in her bedroom.

Investigators initially searched for signs of a break-in, but the focus soon shifted to someone much closer, Denise’s 17-year-old adopted son, Carlos. Detectives uncovered a history of escalating tension between them, rooted in strict household rules, arguments over school performance, and fears that Denise planned to send him away.

Within days, Carlos admitted to killing her, claiming years of emotional strain and anger. At trial, prosecutors described the murder as a deliberate ambush, fueled by resentment. In 2022, Carlos was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Charles Taylor with me today.

On April 4, 2015, 59-year-old Charles Taylor was brutally murdered in his home in California by his daughter-in-law, 24-year-old Amanda Taylor, and her friend Michelle Dondelinger.

Investigators revealed that the women attacked Charles with a knife and blunt force, killing him inside his own house. After the murder, they attempted to cover up the crime by stealing his car and belongings but their actions quickly drew suspicion.

The case took a disturbing turn when police uncovered selfies and text messages taken after the killing, showing Amanda smiling and posing, seemingly unfazed by what she had just done. The images would later earn her the nickname “the selfie killer.”

At trial, prosecutors described the murder as cold and calculated. Amanda Taylor was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her accomplice also received a lengthy prison sentence.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Cassie Jo Stoddart, Elyse Pahler, Janett Christman, and Payton Leutner with me today.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Venus Rose Stewart with me today.

In April 2009, 34-year-old Venus Rose Stewart vanished from her home in Colorado Springs, just weeks after filing for divorce from her husband, Glen Stewart, a U.S. Air Force master sergeant. She left behind her two young daughters and a trail of red flags that quickly pointed to someone close to her.

Investigators discovered that Glen had a history of control and violence. After Venus disappeared, he fled the state with their children, triggering a nationwide search. Evidence later revealed that he had murdered Venus, concealed her body, and carefully planned his escape.

Glen Stewart was eventually arrested, convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Venus’s remains were recovered years later, finally allowing her family a measure of closure.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Jennifer Paulson with me today.

On February 26, 2010, 30-year-old special-education teacher Jennifer Paulson was fatally shot in the parking lot of the school where she worked in Tacoma, Washington. Her killer was 33-year-old Tyler Peterson, a former classmate who had been stalking her for months after she repeatedly rejected his advances.

Jennifer had reported Peterson to authorities and obtained a restraining order, but despite multiple warnings, he continued to follow and harass her. On the morning of the shooting, he waited for her outside the school, shot her several times, and then fled before taking his own life.

The case became a tragic example of how stalking can escalate into lethal violence and a reminder of how restraining orders alone don’t always protect victims from determined offenders.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Betty Jeanne Torrey Solomon with me today.

In January 1989, 40-year-old Betty Jeanne Solomon was found shot to death in her home in Greenburgh, New York. Her husband was initially questioned, but investigators soon uncovered a hidden affair, between Betty Jeanne’s husband and a young elementary school teacher named Carolyn Warmus.

Prosecutors argued that Warmus, jealous and obsessed, carried out a calculated plan to eliminate the wife of the man she was having an affair with. Evidence showed she had purchased a gun shortly before the killing, and investigators linked that weapon to the murder.

Her first trial in 1991 ended in a hung jury, but a second trial a year later found her guilty of second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm. Warmus was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and became widely known as the woman behind what the media called “the Fatal Attraction murder.”

After serving 27 years, Carolyn Warmus was paroled in 2019.

This case became one of the most sensational love-triangle murders of the late 1980s, a story of obsession, jealousy, and a deadly desire to replace someone at any cost.