TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Annie Kasprzak with me today. In 2012, the tragic murder of 15-year-old Anne Kasprzak shocked the quiet community of Riverton, Utah. Anne was reported missing after leaving her home one evening, and by the next day, her body was found in the Jordan River, brutally beaten and discarded. This heartbreaking Utah murder case quickly gained national attention, as investigators searched for answers in what appeared to be a teenage murder case involving betrayal and hidden secrets. As the investigation unfolded, detectives discovered that Anne had been in a troubled relationship with her teenage boyfriend, who would ultimately become the prime suspect but it was two other men who would initially be arrested. But after six months, no charges were brought against these two men and police realized that in order to solve Anne's murder they needed to look closer to home.

On September 22, 2023, 29‑year‑old Ashli Ehrhardt was found dead in her Kansas City home. Her husband, John Wonder, has been charged with first‑degree murder and armed criminal action after reportedly strangling and stabbing her, then writing his own name in blood across her leg.

That morning, Wonder dropped off their two young children at a relative’s home but left them on the porch without going in. A welfare check was requested when neither parent showed up at work. It was then that Ashli’s body was discovered in the laundry room, nude from the waist down, with a butcher’s knife and cleaver nearby.

In the hours that followed, Wonder allegedly sent a series of chilling messages: “For the record: it’s way easier and much more satisfying than you can imagine,” and later, “I keep thinking about how she never screamed. Just took it like a champ.” He even discussed fleeing “far, far away” .John Wonder was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In February 2014, 15-year-old Corriann Cervantes was found brutally murdered in a vacant Houston apartment, in what investigators described as a satanic ritual killing. The case shocked the nation due to its graphic violence, the young age of the victim, and the disturbing motive behind the crime.Corriann was lured by two teenage boys— 17-year-old Jose Reyes and 16-year-old Victor Alas —both classmates from Clear Lake. The teens sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered her in an alleged attempt to sell their souls to the devil. The attackers used a screwdriver, porcelain toilet lid, and other objects during the assault, and carved an upside-down cross into her body.According to prosecutors, Jose Reyes believed the murder was part of a Satanic sacrifice that would grant him and his friend power. The details of the crime were so horrific that even seasoned law enforcement officers called it one of the most brutal scenes they had ever encountered.

In August 2020, 44-year-old Hope Ann Parks was reported missing by her husband, Michael Parks, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Just days later, her headless body was discovered on a bridge over Sugar Creek. The investigation quickly unraveled a chilling truth: Michael had shot Hope in the head, decapitated her using a miter saw, buried her head in their basement, and left her body on the bridge.

Michael Parks pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In the early hours of October 4, 2009, the quiet town of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, was shattered by a brutal home invasion. 42-year-old Kimberly Cates was murdered in her bed, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jaimie, was left severely injured. The attackers, Steven Spader and Christopher Gribble, teenagers seeking a "thrill," randomly selected the Cates' home for their heinous act.

The crime was part of an initiation for a self-styled group called the "Disciples of Destruction," formed by Spader. The senseless violence and lack of remorse displayed by the perpetrators shocked the nation and led to significant changes in New Hampshire's capital punishment laws.

In January 1997, 41-year-old Yarmila Falater, a devoted wife and mother, was found dead in her backyard pool in Phoenix, Arizona. She had been stabbed 44 times and drowned. Her husband, Scott Falater, was discovered at the scene, claiming no memory of the incident. He asserted that he had been sleepwalking during the attack, a defense that would captivate the nation.

Despite his claims, the prosecution presented compelling evidence suggesting premeditation, including witness testimony and forensic findings. In 1999, Scott Falater was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Elizabeth Olten was a 9-year-old girl from St. Martins, Missouri, whose shocking disappearance and murder in 2009 made national headlines. On October 21, 2009, Elizabeth vanished while walking home from a friend’s house just a few doors down. After an intense 48-hour search by law enforcement and volunteers, her body was found buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area near her home. The disturbing twist? Her killer was 15-year-old neighbor Alyssa Bustamante, who later admitted to brutally strangling, stabbing, and slitting Elizabeth’s throat — all just to know what it felt like to kill someone.This chilling true crime case shocked the nation due to the age of both the victim and the killer, and the cold-blooded motive behind the murder. Alyssa Bustamante had a documented history of depression, self-harm, and dark, violent thoughts posted online before the crime. In 2012, she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, plus an additional 30 years for armed criminal action. The murder of Elizabeth Olten remains one of the most disturbing child murder cases in true crime history, often searched under terms like “teen killer,” “Alyssa Bustamante case,” and “child murder solved.”

In February 2021, 69-year-old Warren Barnes, a homeless man known affectionately as "The Reading Man" in Grand Junction, Colorado, was brutally murdered while sleeping under a bridge. His killer, 19-year-old Brian Cohee, later confessed to the crime, revealing a chilling motive: he wanted to know what it felt like to kill someone.

Cohee, who had a documented fascination with serial killers, targeted Barnes believing his disappearance would go unnoticed. After the murder, Cohee dismembered Barnes's body and hid parts in his bedroom closet—a gruesome discovery made by his own mother.

In 2023, Cohee was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In August 2020, 33-year-old Kassanndra Cantrell vanished from her home in Tacoma, Washington. She was excited about her first ultrasound appointment, but she never arrived. Her sudden disappearance left her family and friends desperate for answers.

Through meticulous investigation, authorities uncovered a trail of digital evidence pointing to her ex-boyfriend, Colin Dudley. Surveillance footage, cellphone data, and vehicle records revealed a chilling sequence of events leading to Kassanndra's tragic death. Dudley ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to over 26 years in prison.

On Mother's Day 2015, 42-year-old Christine Santurri, a mother of three from East Providence, Rhode Island, was brutally murdered in her own home. Her ex-boyfriend, Yuland Stanfield, violated a restraining order and stabbed her multiple times, all in front of her 21-year-old daughter. Just days before, Christine had reported Stanfield's threatening behavior to the police, but despite her efforts to seek protection, the system failed her.

Stanfield was later apprehended and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and violating the restraining order. He was sentenced to life in prison. This case highlights the devastating consequences of domestic violence and the critical importance of enforcing protective orders.