TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein
As someone who has been personally effected by homicide, I approach every True Crime case I cover with the goal of balancing facts with empathy—giving victims a voice while exploring the larger cultural and societal implications of the cases. I want you to leave my episodes not only knowing that the people who I talk about are real.. what happened to them is real but also acknowledging that they are much more than just their deaths. Each audio file from this podcast is taken from my videos on YouTube. If you want to see me in action, you can se...
Episodes
15-Year-Old Lured to His Ambush Murder by His Ex-Girlfriend : Seath Jackson
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Seath Jackson with me today. In April 2011, 15-year-old Seath Jackson was trapped by his ex-girlfriend, Amber Wright, and led into a deadly ambush at a rural Florida trailer. Seath was to…
13-Year-Old Killed his Sister to Hurt his Mother
In a case that continues to horrify the true crime community, 13-year-old Paris Bennett brutally murdered his 4-year-old sister, Ella Bennett, in their Texas home on February 5, 2007. Despite having a reported IQ of 141 and no prior history…
Young Mom Caught in a Deadly Love Triangle | The Pregnant Mistress & Abusive Ex
In February 2009 in Marion County, Florida, 26-year-old Heather Strong vanished from her life and from the hearts of those who loved her. She was last seen walking away from her job at a roadside restaurant, leaving behind two children she …
STALKER takes a BOMB to Ex-Girlfriend's Home
In a terrifying escalation of obsession, 52-year-old Jeffrey Bothee broke into the Kentwood, Michigan home of a woman he had previously been convicted of stalking. When police cornered him in the basement, Bothee detonated an explosive devi…
Mother and Daughter MURDER DUO Take Out HALF THE FAMILY
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Mark Staudte, Shaun Staudte, and Sarah Staudte with me today. In 2012, the Staudte family of Springfield, Missouri, suffered two mysterious deaths. First, 61-year-old Mark Staudte passed …
‘I Think I Almost Got Kidnapped’: April Millsap’s Murder Solved by Her iPhone App
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering April Dawn Millsap with me today. 14-year-old April Millsap was walking her dog on the Macomb Orchard Trail in Armada, Michigan, on July 24, 2014, when she suddenly vanished. Just moments…
Chef COOKED HIS WIFE'S BODY to Hide How She Died?
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Dawn Viens with me today. In October 2009, 39-year-old Dawn Marie Viens, co-owner of a small restaurant in Lomita, California, vanished without a trace. Her husband, chef David Viens, cla…
Nursing Student Brutalized and her Killer.. FLED THE COUNTRY
On the morning of March 8, 2018, 22-year-old Haley Anderson, a nursing student at Binghamton University and beloved daughter and sister from Westbury, New York, disappeared. She had recently ended an off‑and‑on relationship with fellow nurs…
Deviant Couple Lured Beloved Teacher into a Deadly Trap : Melissa Jenkins
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Melissa Jenkins with me today. Melissa Jenkins was a beloved 33-year-old high school science teacher and single mother living in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. On the night of March 25, 2012, Me…
Mother Beaten with a Frying Pan and STABBED by "Best Friend"
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Brenda Powell with me today. On March 3, 2020, 50-year-old Brenda Powell, a beloved child-life specialist at Akron Children’s Hospital, was viciously attacked in her home. Her daughter, 1…
Teenage Girl Hanged, Photographed, and Betrayed by Someone She Trusted
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Georgia Williams with me today. In May 2013, 17-year-old Georgia Williams was brutally murdered by 23-year-old Jamie Reynolds, a man with a history of violent behavior. Georgia, an aspiri…
Killed by a STRANGER and hid in HER OWN HOME
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Gloria Gary with me today. In early 2017, 49-year-old Gloria Gary disappeared from her Des Moines, Iowa, home. Nine months later, her body was discovered—concealed inside her own house, h…
16-Year-Old Girl Left in Shallow Grave by Bestfriend & his Girlfriend : Mickie Costanzo
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Micaela Rae Costanzo with me today. On March 3, 2011, 16-year-old Micaela “Mickey” Costanzo disappeared after leaving school in West Wendover, Nevada. Two days later, her body was found b…
16-Year-Old Killer Smiled at His Handiwork : Pamela Vitale and Scott Dyleski
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Pamela Horowitz with me today. Scott Dyleski was found guilty of the brutal 2005 murder of Pamela Vitale, the wife of high-profile defense attorney Daniel Horowitz. The 16-year-old was co…
17-Year-Old Girl Couldn't Resist the Urge to Kill
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Justin Reid and his son with me today. On February 9, 2024, 17‑year‑old Mashenka Ann Marie Reid allegedly shot and killed her father, 39‑year‑old Justin Reid, and her autistic 4‑ or 5‑ye…
Mother Finds Two Young Sons Brutally Murdered : The Deaths of Tayten and Robert Baker
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Robert and Tayten Baker with me today. The tragic murders of 14-year-old Tayten Baker and 12-year-old Robert Baker shocked the community of Melrose, Florida in August 2020. The two young …
17-Year-Old Sweethearts Shot by a Masked STRANGER
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis with me today. On August 1, 2016, 17-year-olds Natalie Henderson and Carter Davis were found shot execution-style behind a Publix supermarket in Roswell…
Daddy's Girl Commit's Double Parricide
In September 2003, 16-year-old Sarah Marie Johnson opened fire on her parents, Diane and Alan Johnson, as they slept in their home in Bellevue, Idaho. The shocking crime ended with both parents dead—Diane with a headshot and Alan fatally sh…
Track Star Shilie Turner Murdered by Her OWN MOTHER
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Shilie LaShay Turner with me today. The murder of 15-year-old Shilie King shocked the city of Philadelphia—not just because her body was found shot six times and dumped in a shallow grave…
Police Informant Turned Serial Killer?
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 f…
16-Year-Old wanted Entire Family Dead.. her Father Survived
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Penny Caffey, Matthew Caffey, and Tyler Caffey with me today. On March 1, 2008, the Caffey family home in Alba, Texas, became the scene of a horrifying crime. 16-year-old Erin Caffey, fee…
14-Year-Old Student Kills Favorite Teacher.. While Awaiting Trial, He Strikes Again
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering beloved teacher Colleen Ritzer with me today.In 2013, Colleen Ritzer, a beloved teacher at Danvers High School, was tragically murdered by her 14-year-old student, Philip Chism. The bruta…
12-Year-Old Murdered his Parents, was "reformed" then Killed Lori Slesinski
Rick Ennis is at the center of not one—but two chilling murder cases that shocked the nation.In 1993, at just 12 years old, Ennis brutally murdered his mother and stepfather in Smithfield, Maine. Because of his age, he was tried as a juveni…
DEAF Woman BRUTALIZES her PERCEIVED Romantic Rival
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Darlene Vander Giesen with me today.In February 2006, Darlene Kay VanderGiesen, a Deaf woman active in her local community, disappeared after meeting a friend at a Sioux Falls Pizza Hut. …
Teen Uses her Dying Breath to Identify her Killers
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Lizette Andrea Cuesta with me today. In February 2018, 19-year-old Lizette Andrea Cuesta was found gravely injured on a remote stretch of road in Livermore, California. Despite a slit thr…
Larry Gene Bell : The Most Sadistic Monster
As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Shari Smith and Debra Helmick with me today. In the summer of 1985, 17-year-old Shari Smith was abducted from her mailbox in Lexington County, South Carolina. Over the next days, the kill…
Teen Love Turned Deadly : 15-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in the Jordan River
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 e…
Her Killers Name was Written in BLOOD on her Body
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 writi…
They Said It Was for Satan: The Disturbing Death of 15-Year-Old Corriann Cervantes
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 …
He Buried his Wife's HEAD in their Basement
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…
Mother & Daughter Attacked in Bed with Machete : Kimberly Cates
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 injure…
Was he SLEEPWALKING when he Killed his Wife?
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 n…
9-Year-Old Girl Murdered by Teen Neighbor ‘Just to Know What Killing Felt Like’
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 dow…
Mother Finds SEVERED HEAD in Sons Closet : Brian Cohee
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 …
He Killed his Ex-Girlfriend to Keep his Secret
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 …
Mom Stabbed on Mothers Day in Front of her Daughter
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 tim…
She was Beaten to Death, It was Recorded and there is NO JUSTICE
In April 2017, 19-year-old Serena McKay, an Indigenous high school student from Sagkeeng First Nation, Manitoba, was brutally beaten by two teenage classmates after a house party. The assault was recorded and shared on social media, remaini…
Grace Packer : "Her Life Ended in a House of Horrors"
In July 2016, 14-year-old Grace Packer vanished from her home in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. For months, there were no answers—until her dismembered remains were discovered in a remote part of Luzerne County. What came next would horri…
Her Boyfriend Beat her to Death and Got PROBATION
In October 2012, 43-year-old Janette Tovar, a transgender woman and beloved bar promoter in Dallas, Texas, was found unresponsive in her home. Earlier that day, her partner, Jonathan Stuart Kenney, had violently assaulted her—slamming her h…
15-Year-Old Pregnant Girl was Buried on a Farm
In the summer of 1993, 15-year-old Becky Stowe disappeared from her hometown of Niles, Michigan. What began as a missing person case quickly turned tragic when her body was discovered weeks later, buried in a remote wooded area.Becky had be…