Chapter 1 – The Castle Doctrine
In 2012, 64-year-old Byron Smith, a retired U.S. State Department security engineer, shot and killed two teenage cousins, 18-year-old Haile Kifer and 17-year-old Nicholas Brady, in his basement on Thanksgiving Day in Little Falls, Minnesota. Smith, whose home had been burglarized several times, claimed he was acting in self-defense. However, the prosecution argued that Smith had set a trap for the teens and used excessive force. Evidence from an audio recording device suggested that Smith had planned the shootings in advance and taunted the victims after shooting them. In 2014, a jury found Smith guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite appeals, Smith’s conviction was upheld, and his case remains controversial, with divided opinions on whether his actions were justified under the Castle Doctrine.
Read the entire story of Byron Smith in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 2 – The South Side Strangler
In 1987, a series of brutal rapes and murders in Richmond and Arlington, Virginia, were committed by Timothy Wilson Spencer. His victims, Debbie Davis, Susan Hellams, Diane Cho, and Susan Tucker, were all strangled in their homes, with the killer leaving behind semen at the crime scenes. Detective Joe Horgas connected the murders and, based on an FBI profile, identified Spencer as a suspect. Spencer, who had a criminal history and was living in a halfway house near the Richmond crime scenes, was arrested and convicted of the murders based on DNA evidence, becoming the first serial killer in the U.S. to be convicted using this method. Spencer was sentenced to death for his crimes and executed in 1994, while his conviction also led to the exoneration of David Vasquez, who had been wrongfully imprisoned for one of the murders.
Read the entire story of Timothy Spencer aka:The South Side Strangler in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 3 – The Cosplay Cam Girl
Melissa Turner, a young woman who had overcome obesity and found success as an online adult entertainer, began a relationship with Matt Tressler in 2017. The couple moved in together and bought a home, but their relationship deteriorated due to arguments and Matt’s drinking. On October 18, 2019, Melissa called 911 to report that Matt was unresponsive in their backyard. Police found Matt dead with multiple stab wounds, and Melissa was arrested for his murder. Despite her changing stories and claims of self-defense, evidence from a neighbor’s security camera and the couple’s own home security system contradicted her account. In February 2022, Melissa was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to over 20 years in prison.
Read the entire story of Melissa Turner aka:Two-Thorned Rose in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 4 – Room 308
In December 2018, 21-year-old British backpacker Grace Millane was murdered in Auckland, New Zealand by Jesse Kempson, a man she had met on a Tinder date. After an extensive police investigation, Kempson was arrested and charged with her murder. Despite his claims that Grace’s death was an accident during consensual rough sex, evidence presented at trial showed that Kempson had deliberately strangled Grace for several minutes, then callously tried to conceal his crime. In December 2019, Kempson was found guilty of Grace’s murder and sentenced to life in prison. Two additional trials in 2020 revealed Kempson’s history of violence and sexual abuse against women he met on Tinder, leading to additional convictions and prison time.
Read the entire story of Grace Millane and Jesse Kempson in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 5 – The Cape Coral Monster
In May 1990, Jan Cornell discovered the bodies of her 11-year-old daughter, Robin, and her roommate, Lisa Story, who had been sexually assaulted and murdered in their Cape Coral, Florida home. Despite DNA evidence left at the scene, the case remained unsolved for 26 years until Joseph Zieler was arrested in 2016 for an unrelated crime and his DNA matched the evidence from the murder scene. In May 2023, Zieler was found guilty of the double murder and later sentenced to death, bringing a long-awaited resolution to the devastating case that had haunted Jan Cornell and the victims’ families for decades.
Read the entire story of Joseph Zieler in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 6 – A Bad Actor
In 2010, Daniel Wozniak, a struggling actor in Orange County, California, murdered his friend and neighbor, Sam Herr, and Sam’s friend, Julie Kibuishi, in a brutal scheme to steal money to fund his upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Wozniak lured Sam to a theater, shot him, and then used Sam’s phone to lure Julie to Sam’s apartment, where he killed her and staged the scene to look like Sam had sexually assaulted and murdered her. Wozniak dismembered Sam’s body and disposed of it in a nature preserve. Despite his efforts to deceive investigators, Wozniak’s inconsistent stories and the evidence against him led to his confession. He was found guilty of both murders and sentenced to death, but due to a moratorium on executions in California, he will serve life in prison without parole. Wozniak’s then-fiancée, Rachel Buffett, and his brother, Tim Wozniak, were also implicated and faced charges for their roles in the aftermath of the crimes.
Read the entire story of Daniel Wozniak in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 7 – The Frame-up
Pamela Hupp, a seemingly ordinary woman from Missouri, found herself at the center of a web of suspicious deaths and a wrongful conviction. In 2011, Hupp’s friend Betsy Faria was brutally murdered, and Betsy’s husband, Russ Faria, was wrongfully convicted of the crime despite evidence pointing to Hupp’s involvement. Hupp was the beneficiary of Betsy’s life insurance policy and gave inconsistent statements to police. In 2013, Hupp’s mother, Shirley Newmann, died under suspicious circumstances, with Hupp set to inherit a substantial sum. Russ Faria was eventually acquitted in a retrial, and suspicion fell on Hupp. In 2016, Hupp shot and killed Louis Gumpenberger in her home, claiming self-defense in a staged attack that appeared to be an attempt to frame Russ Faria. Hupp pleaded guilty to Gumpenberger’s murder and was later charged with Betsy Faria’s murder. The case exposed a series of manipulative and deadly acts driven by Hupp’s greed and willingness to go to extreme lengths for financial gain.
Read the entire story of Pam Hupp in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 8 – The City Planner
In the early 1980s, a series of brutal murders and assaults targeting young girls occurred in northern Ohio. Initially, police arrested Herman Ray Rucker and Ernest Holbrook for the murder of 12-year-old Tina Marie Harmon based on questionable witness testimony, despite a lack of physical evidence. As more girls were killed or went missing, the discovery of matching orange carpet fibers at multiple crime scenes led investigators to suspect that the real killer was still at large. The case took a turn when Debbie Langford escaped from a man who had kidnapped, raped, and tortured her, leading to the arrest of Robert Anthony Buell. Overwhelming forensic evidence tied Buell to the murders of Krista Harrison, Tina Harmon, and potentially others. Rucker was acquitted in a retrial, while Holbrook’s conviction was eventually overturned. Buell was found guilty of Krista Harrison’s murder and executed in 2002, though he maintained his innocence until his death.
Read the entire story of Robert Anthony Buell in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 9 – Death of a Cheerleader
In November 1995, 27-year-old model Linda Sobek disappeared after a photo shoot with renowned photographer Charles Rathbun. Her body was later discovered in a shallow grave in the Angeles National Forest, showing signs of sexual assault, restraint, and strangulation. Rathbun, who had a history of hostility towards models, particularly blondes, was arrested and provided several inconsistent explanations for Linda’s death. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Rathbun had propositioned Linda for sex, and when she refused, he violently assaulted and killed her. Despite attempts to prove his innocence with allegedly consensual photos, Rathbun was found guilty of first-degree murder and sodomy, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although he was initially suspected in other similar murders, DNA evidence eventually linked those crimes to other perpetrators.
Read the entire story of Linda Sobek and Charles Rathbun in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 10 – Mother’s Day
In May 2017, Joshua Webb, a 36-year-old man from Colton, Oregon, experiencing severe mental health issues, brutally murdered his mother, Tina Webb, by beating her with a ceramic Incredible Hulk fist and decapitating her with a pruning saw. He then drove to a nearby grocery store in Estacada, where he entered holding his mother’s severed head and a bloody knife, attacking and injuring an employee named Michael Wagner before being subdued. After a year of awaiting trial and psychiatric evaluations, Joshua entered a plea of guilty except for reason of insanity, acknowledging his actions but asserting that he was not legally responsible due to his mental state at the time of the offenses, leaving both families struggling with the complexities of the legal system and the lack of a traditional form of punishment.
Read the entire story of Joshua Webb in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 11 – Collateral Damage
In June 2014, five-year-old Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents, Alvin and Kathy Liknes, disappeared from their Calgary home, leaving behind a gruesome crime scene. The investigation led to the arrest of Douglas Garland, who had a grudge against Alvin due to a past business dispute. Evidence found on Garland’s property, including human remains and incriminating computer searches, linked him to the murders. Despite no bodies being recovered, Garland was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder in 2017 and received the longest prison sentence in Canadian history at the time, with no parole eligibility for 75 years.
Read the entire story of Douglas Garland in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 12 – The Suitcase Killer
Melanie McGuire, a nurse from New Jersey, was convicted of murdering her husband, Bill McGuire, in 2004. The couple had a tumultuous marriage, and Melanie was having an affair with a doctor at her workplace, Bradley Miller. In late April 2004, Bill disappeared after a heated argument with Melanie. His dismembered body was later found in three suitcases in the Chesapeake Bay.
Evidence against Melanie included her purchase of a gun and bullets matching those found in Bill’s body, suspicious computer searches, cell phone records placing her in locations where Bill’s car and body were found, and materials linked to the crime scene that were traced back to her. Despite the largely circumstantial evidence, Melanie was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison. Some believe in her innocence due to the lack of direct evidence, while prosecutors suspect she may have had help from her stepfather and a friend in carrying out the crime.
Read the entire story of Melanie McGuire in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
Chapter 13 Bonus Chapter – The Alabama Hatchet Murder
In March 1998, 17-year-old Jeffrey Franklin brutally murdered his parents and attempted to kill his three younger siblings in their Huntsville, Alabama home. Jeffrey, who had struggled with mental health issues and Ritalin abuse, had become increasingly withdrawn and angry. Despite his parents’ efforts to get him help, Jeffrey carried out the attacks using a sledgehammer, a hatchet, and a rattail file. After being apprehended, investigators found disturbing journals detailing his plans and fascination with Satanism and violence. Jeffrey was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences in 2001 and was denied parole for the second time in 2022.
Read the entire story of Jeffrey Franklin in True Crime Case Histories – Volume 14
