TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kaysi McLeod, LeAnn Emry, Jennifer Marcum, and Terry Kimball with me today.

Scott Kimball is a police informant turned murdered who preyed on vulnerable human beings and was responsible for the tragic deaths of Kaysi McLeod, Jennifer Marcum, LeAnn Emry, and Terry Kimball. Initially, he got a pretty lenient plea deal from the authorities, but when he failed to produce Jennifer's body (something he promises), he ended up receiving a 70-year prison sentence. Which.. was more than he bargained for. Despite claiming to be just a conman, investigators suspect he might be linked to even more unsolved murders, including those of Katrina Powell and West Mesa Bone Collector victims.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Andrew Bagby and Zachary Turner with me today. In one of the most heartbreaking true crime cases Canada has ever seen, 13-month-old Baby Zachary Turner was murdered by his own mother, Shirley Turner, in 2003. Just two years earlier, Shirley had been accused of killing her ex-boyfriend, Dr. Andrew Bagby, after he ended their relationship. While she awaited extradition to the United States to stand trial for Andrew’s murder, Shirley was shockingly released on bail, despite clear warnings that she posed a danger. During that time, she gave birth to Zachary, Andrew’s son. Andrew’s devastated parents, David and Kathleen Bagby, moved to Canada to fight for custody of their grandson, determined to protect him. But in a horrifying twist, Shirley drugged herself and Zachary before walking into the Atlantic Ocean, committing a murder-suicide that left the Bagbys shattered and outraged the nation.The Baby Zachary case revealed devastating flaws in Canada’s bail and child protection systems, sparking nationwide outrage and demands for reform. How could a woman accused of one murder be left free long enough to kill again, this time, an innocent baby? This tragic story is immortalized in the powerful documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, which began as a love letter to Andrew but ended up exposing a systemic failure that cost Zachary his life. It’s a case that forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about justice, accountability, and how many red flags can be ignored before it’s too late.

In March 1982, 38-year-old Leslie DeVeau committed a crime that stunned Washington D.C. She shot and killed her 10-year-old daughter, Erin, as the child slept, before attempting to take her own life. Leslie survived, losing an arm from the injury, and was later found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Confined to St. Elizabeths Hospital, her story took another strange turn when she began a relationship with fellow patient John Hinckley Jr., the man who had attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

In March 2017, Alisa Mathewson was kidnapped by her estranged husband, Trevor Summers, in Florida. Despite a restraining order, he broke into her home, tied her up, sexually assaulted her, and tried to kill her. For 55 hours he held her captive, forcing her into his car and driving across several counties before she managed to escape with the help of a bystander.

In 2022, Summers was convicted on 11 charges, including kidnapping, sexual battery, and attempted murder. He was sentenced to three life sentences plus 224 years in prison.

In March 2023, 27-year-old Levi Axtell walked into the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota, covered in blood, and confessed to killing 77-year-old Lawrence Scully, a convicted sex offender.

Axtell had long believed that Scully posed a danger to children in the community. Armed with a shovel and a moose antler, he attacked Scully inside his home, bludgeoning him to death in what prosecutors later described as a vigilante-style killing.

After the murder, Axtell immediately turned himself in, admitting what he had done. The case quickly drew national attention, raising questions about vigilantism, justice, and mental health.

At hearings in 2025, doctors testified that Axtell suffered from severe delusions and believed he was chosen to eliminate child predators. A judge ultimately ruled him incompetent to stand trial, and he remains in state custody under psychiatric care.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Frankie Fitzgerald with me today.

In July 2022, 25-year-old Frankie Fitzgerald was murdered in his home in Havant, Hampshire, by his girlfriend, 27-year-old Shaye Groves.

Shaye, who was obsessed with true crime and violent fantasies, stabbed Frankie more than 20 times in a frenzied attack after their relationship had become increasingly toxic and controlling. Investigators later revealed that Shaye kept an extensive collection of knives and swords, and she used one of them to carry out the killing.

After the murder, she attempted to cover up her crime by calling friends for help and creating a false narrative to mislead police. But evidence, including CCTV and messages, quickly exposed her role.

At trial, prosecutors described the killing as “jealous and obsessive,” while her defense argued she had acted in self-defense. The jury rejected her claims, and in 2023, Shaye Groves was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 23 years.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Greg Williams and Brynn Fletcher with me today.

In March 2018, 37-year-old Greg Williams and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Brynn Fletcher, were brutally murdered inside Greg’s apartment in Overland Park, Kansas.

Investigators soon discovered that the crime was anything but random. The killers were 18-year-old Logan Mott and 17-year-old Justice Fae, but behind them stood a disturbing influence, Michele Williams, Greg’s estranged ex-wife. Michele had harbored deep resentment toward Greg and manipulated the teenagers into carrying out the murders, preying on their vulnerabilities and fueling their violence.

Prosecutors revealed that Michele orchestrated much of the plot, promising the teens protection and support if they killed Greg and Brynn. The shocking revelation turned the case into one of betrayal, obsession, and manipulation that left the community reeling.

In the end, Michele Williams was sentenced to life in prison for her role in masterminding the murders. The teens who carried out the killings also received lengthy sentences, ensuring all involved would spend decades, if not their entire lives, behind bars.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Robert Dienes and Myriam Dienes with me today.

In August 2015, the quiet suburb of Carrollwood, Florida, was shaken by a brutal double murder. Twenty-one-year-old college student Nicole Nachtman shot and killed her stepfather, Robert Dienes, inside their family home and hours later, ambushed her own mother, Myriam Dienes, in the driveway.

What could drive a daughter to such violence? Prosecutors argued cold-blooded murder. The defense claimed years of emotional abuse had pushed Nicole into a psychological collapse, trapped between ending her own life, or ending her mother’s.

In this episode, we dive deep into the chilling details of the Nachtman case. From the harrowing 911 calls, to Nicole’s haunting confession to her brother, to the high-stakes courtroom battle over battered child syndrome, this story reveals the dark complexity of family trauma, mental illness, and murder.

Nicole Nachtman was found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kirsten Marina Costas with me today.

In the summer of 1984, the quiet suburb of Orinda, California, was rocked by the brutal murder of 15-year-old Kirsten Marina Costas. A high school swimmer and varsity cheerleader, Kirsten embodied the “All-American” teen, until she was lured to her death by someone she trusted.

Her classmate, Bernadette Protti, invited her under the false pretense of a sorority-like dinner, only to stab her five times with a kitchen knife in front of a neighbor’s house. Witnesses initially mistook the attack for a fight; by the time the truth emerged, it was already too late.

The investigation dragged on for nearly six months. Protti passed a lie-detector test and lied about her whereabouts, until an FBI agent showed her the evidence, prompting a full confession in a letter to her mother.

At trial, her motive was revealed as raw envy and rejection, frustration over not fitting in, and intense feelings of inadequacy toward the more popular Kirsten. Protti was convicted and sentenced to nine years, of which she served seven, before being paroled at age 23 in 1992.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Jane Kuria, Isabelle Kuria, and Annabelle Kuria with me today. In August 2007, the quiet town of Powder Springs, Georgia, was rocked by a horrifying and still unsolved family murder. Jane Kuria, a single mother who had immigrated from Kenya, was found bludgeoned to death along with her two teenage daughters, Isabella and Annabelle, inside their suburban home. What makes the Kuria family case even more chilling is that two young boys, Jane’s son Jeremy and her nephew Peter, miraculously survived the brutal attack, but both were left with severe head injuries and no memory of what happened. Despite an intense investigation, this family massacre remains one of Georgia’s most disturbing unsolved true crime cases.With no suspects, no weapon, and the only witnesses suffering from amnesia, the Kuria family murders have baffled investigators for nearly two decades. The case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile cold cases due to its violent nature and total lack of leads. True crime enthusiasts continue to revisit this mystery, hoping new attention will spark long-overdue answers. Who slaughtered an innocent family in their sleep, and why? This is the haunting story of the Kuria family slaughter, two young survivors with no recollection of the horror, and a killer who may still be free.