True Crime Couple

Episode 233: Joann and Alex Katrinak | The Disappearance: Part I

In the quiet borough of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, the days leading up to Christmas in 1994 should have been filled with the familiar comforts of the season. Instead, an unsettling silence settled over a neighborhood when a young mother and her infant son seemingly vanished without a trace. Their home held troubling clues, their car would soon be found abandoned nearby, and a community accustomed to knowing its neighbors suddenly found itself gripped by fear and uncertainty. As investigators searched for answers, rumors spread through the ornamented streets and suspicion seemed to fall in every direction. What happened inside that small Pennsylvania town would become one of the region's most haunting mysteries: a case marked by compulsion, secrets, and a trail of evidence that only seemed to raise more questions. Tonight, we follow the twists and turns of an investigation that would captivate the Lehigh Valley for years, and uncover a story far darker than anyone could have imagined. Trigger warning: This case involves violence against a child under one. Sponsors: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/tcc [https://www.rula.com/tcc] #rulapod Sources: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201?utm [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1201?utm] https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mcall/name/andrew-katrinak-obituary?id=18087919 [https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mcall/name/andrew-katrinak-obituary?id=18087919] https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.html [https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.html] https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/socialhistory-crime-punishment/chpt/lindbergh-law#_ [https://sk.sagepub.com/ency/edvol/socialhistory-crime-punishment/chpt/lindbergh-law#_] https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/lindbergh-law [https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/lindbergh-law] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6931475/joann_marie-katrinak [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6931475/joann_marie-katrinak] https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/alex-katrinak/ [https://forensicfilesnow.com/index.php/tag/alex-katrinak/] https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.html [https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/2017/1919-eda-2016.html] Mal, Tammy. Convenient Suspect. [https://www.amazon.com/Convenient-Suspect-Investigation-Railroading-Innocent/dp/1613739796] Chicago Review Press, 2017.

Episode 232: Judith Johnson and Brooke Sutton | Hidden in Plain Sight

The stillness of the hot June morning in Barberton, OH was broken by the creaking of floorboards beneath the small feet of a six year old girl. She was unsure of what had happened or what she had suffered, she just knew she was scared. As she searched the home she was in, the brutality of the previous night revealed itself to her. Just hours earlier she had been laughing with her beloved grandmother and now she lay dead at her feet. Someone had slipped in their home in the middle of the night and destroyed a family’s world.  And yet, the most haunting part of this story wouldn’t be the bloodshed itself,  it would be the years that followed. Because the little girl who staggered through the neighborhood at sunrise, traumatized and barely alive, carried with her the only account of what happened inside that house. Her words would shape the investigation, divide a family, and eventually help lead to justice because the killer had always been right there… Sources: https://www.newspapers.com/image/296313955/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkins [https://www.newspapers.com/image/296313955/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkins] https://www.newspapers.com/image/297064102/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkins [https://www.newspapers.com/image/297064102/?match=1&terms=Clarence%20elkins] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32300943/judith_ann-johnson [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32300943/judith_ann-johnson] https://www.cleveland19.com/story/6729058/prisoner-indicted-in-1998-murder-case/?utm_source=chatgpt.com [https://www.cleveland19.com/story/6729058/prisoner-indicted-in-1998-murder-case/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wifes-detective-work-frees-hubby/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wifes-detective-work-frees-hubby/] https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-26/segment/01 [https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2005-12-26/segment/01] https://web.archive.org/web/20140715131515/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17562131/ns/dateline_nbc-killer_instinct/t/killer-instinct/#.U63PM_boct4 [https://web.archive.org/web/20140715131515/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17562131/ns/dateline_nbc-killer_instinct/t/killer-instinct/#.U63PM_boct4] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004/pdf/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004-2.pdf [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004/pdf/USCOURTS-ohnd-5_06-cv-03004-2.pdf] https://lawlit.net/adcrimlaw4/images/elkins_timeline-1.pdf [https://lawlit.net/adcrimlaw4/images/elkins_timeline-1.pdf] https://www.newspapers.com/image/1075753446/?match=1&terms=earl%20mann [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1075753446/?match=1&terms=earl%20mann] https://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/Innocence/elkins.html [https://magazine.uc.edu/editors_picks/recent_features/Innocence/elkins.html] https://content.next.westlaw.com/Document/Ice513343a49311df952a80d2993fba83/View/FullText.html?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default) [https://content.next.westlaw.com/Document/Ice513343a49311df952a80d2993fba83/View/FullText.html?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)] https://innocenceproject.org/cases/clarence-elkins/ [https://innocenceproject.org/cases/clarence-elkins/] https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/ninth-district-court-of-appeals/2003/2003-ohio-4522.html [https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/ninth-district-court-of-appeals/2003/2003-ohio-4522.html] https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914b1beadd7b0493475b518 [https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914b1beadd7b0493475b518] https://web.archive.org/web/20140403061401/http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/ff313_clarence_elkins/4.html [https://web.archive.org/web/20140403061401/http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/ff313_clarence_elkins/4.html] https://abcnews.com/US/hicks-baby-adoptee-sold-georgia-doctor-50-years/story?id=32743492 [https://abcnews.com/US/hicks-baby-adoptee-sold-georgia-doctor-50-years/story?id=32743492]

Episode 231: Suzanne Harrison, Gena Turner, and Bryan Boone | Before and After "The Kids"

If I were to tell someone from Wood County Texas to close their eyes and try to imagine what the tiny town of Hawkins, which sits at the intersections of Highway 80 and Farm Road 14 in the south east corner of the county, looked like in 1986 they would not have to use their imagination. Moving with a slow east Texas rhythm the town has not changed with time, but rather has found itself suspected within it.  The town sits as an Americana time capsule, arrested to the last time that they knew the innocence, hope, and freedom they once prided themselves on for within hearts of the residence sits a wound that has never healed. Time is only measured in two ways in Hawkins, TX before what happened to them in 1986 and after…or as they refer to it…before and after, “The kids”.  For this case I am bringing you into a town named Hawkins, in 1986, and to be honest the vibes of the town seem strikingly similar to another Hawkins you are all well acquitted with, time period and all…and there is one more similarity…high school students going missing. But in our case the disappearances are real and the effects of what happened to the children of Hawkins in 1986 have reverberated through the quiet roads ever since. So let’s step back in time… Sponsors: Rula.com/tcc [http://Rula.com/tcc] [https://Rula.com/tcc] You deserve mental healthcare that works with you, not against your budget! Avery After Dark Podcast Sources:  https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/166/757/630178/ [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/166/757/630178/] https://texasstandard.org/stories/upshur-county-courthouse-gilmer-tx-jerry-mcfadden-jail-cell/ [https://texasstandard.org/stories/upshur-county-courthouse-gilmer-tx-jerry-mcfadden-jail-cell/] https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/166/166.F3d.757.98-50485.html [https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/166/166.F3d.757.98-50485.html] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Walter_McFadden [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Walter_McFadden] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653351/gena_lee-turner#view-photo=141666582 [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653351/gena_lee-turner#view-photo=141666582] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653379/suzanne_denise-harrison [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653379/suzanne_denise-harrison] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653334/bryan_drew-boone/flower [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6653334/bryan_drew-boone/flower] https://www.newspapers.com/image/639801109/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfadden [https://www.newspapers.com/image/639801109/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfadden] https://www.newspapers.com/image/1314219208/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfadden [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1314219208/?match=1&terms=jerry%20mcfadden] https://www.newspapers.com/image/1205660661/?match=1&terms=suzanne%20harrison [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1205660661/?match=1&terms=suzanne%20harrison] https://barnwellmountainra.com/ [https://barnwellmountainra.com/] https://www.txexecutions.org/reports/191-Jerry-McFadden.htm [https://www.txexecutions.org/reports/191-Jerry-McFadden.htm] https://www.newspapers.com/image/649944728/?match=1&terms=gerald%20mcfadden [https://www.newspapers.com/image/649944728/?match=1&terms=gerald%20mcfadden] https://www.newspapers.com/image/1158959852/?match=1&terms=Anna%20Marie%20Hlavka [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1158959852/?match=1&terms=Anna%20Marie%20Hlavka]

Episode 230: Dawnia Dacosta | Riding with the Devil

After a late night church service Dawnia Dacosta began the familiar half and hour ride home. She had done the drive so many times she could have done it with her eyes closed. But as she cruised down I95 she felt her car sputter then slow. She had run out of gas.  As she eased onto the shoulder, she may have thought of her mother and the lessons drilled in long before moments like this ever came. Be prepared. Stay alert. Know what to do. So Dawnia followed those rules. Windows up. Doors locked. Hazards flashing. From where she stood, she could see the glow of a Texaco sign just off the exit ramp, not far at all. As she clutched an empty gas can, she stepped into the night, convinced it would be a quick walk… she’d make it.  Sources: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1720973.html [https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1720973.html] https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/347254/file/02-1590_AmdInit.pdf [https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/347254/file/02-1590_AmdInit.pdf] https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc02-1590/02-1590amdinit.pdf [https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc02-1590/02-1590amdinit.pdf] https://www.iexitapp.com/exits/Florida/I-95/North/686 [https://www.iexitapp.com/exits/Florida/I-95/North/686] https://www.newspapers.com/image/229834760/?terms=dawnia%20dacosta&match=1 [https://www.newspapers.com/image/229834760/?terms=dawnia%20dacosta&match=1] https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023 [https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023] https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/12/13/hundreds-celebrate-life-of-slain-nursing-student/ [https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/12/13/hundreds-celebrate-life-of-slain-nursing-student/] https://www.newspapers.com/image/638261922/?match=1&terms=Roderick%20Bullard [https://www.newspapers.com/image/638261922/?match=1&terms=Roderick%20Bullard] https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/us/florida-murder-rape-cold-case-dna/index.html [https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/us/florida-murder-rape-cold-case-dna/index.html] https://web.archive.org/web/20090830185850/http://www.fadp.org/news/Sun-Sentinel-20040115.htm [https://web.archive.org/web/20090830185850/http://www.fadp.org/news/Sun-Sentinel-20040115.htm] https://cbs12.com/news/local/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023 [https://cbs12.com/news/local/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023] https://www.newspapers.com/image/238640528/?match=1&terms=melissa%20floyd [https://www.newspapers.com/image/238640528/?match=1&terms=melissa%20floyd] https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=699893&TypeSearch=AI [https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=699893&TypeSearch=AI] newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-gina-marie-moore/9867526/ [http://newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-gina-marie-moore/9867526/]

Episode 230: Dawnia Decosta | Riding with the Devil

After a late night church service Dawnia Dacosta began the familiar half and hour ride home. She had done the drive so many times she could have done it with her eyes closed. But as she cruised down I95 she felt her car sputter then slow. She had run out of gas.  As she eased onto the shoulder, she may have thought of her mother and the lessons drilled in long before moments like this ever came. Be prepared. Stay alert. Know what to do. So Dawnia followed those rules. Windows up. Doors locked. Hazards flashing. From where she stood, she could see the glow of a Texaco sign just off the exit ramp, not far at all. As she clutched an empty gas can, she stepped into the night, convinced it would be a quick walk… she’d make it.  Sources: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1720973.html [https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1720973.html] https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/347254/file/02-1590_AmdInit.pdf [https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/347254/file/02-1590_AmdInit.pdf] https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc02-1590/02-1590amdinit.pdf [https://library.law.fsu.edu/Digital-Collections/flsupct/dockets/sc02-1590/02-1590amdinit.pdf] https://www.iexitapp.com/exits/Florida/I-95/North/686 [https://www.iexitapp.com/exits/Florida/I-95/North/686] https://www.newspapers.com/image/229834760/?terms=dawnia%20dacosta&match=1 [https://www.newspapers.com/image/229834760/?terms=dawnia%20dacosta&match=1] https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023 [https://abc3340.com/news/nation-world/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023] https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/12/13/hundreds-celebrate-life-of-slain-nursing-student/ [https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1998/12/13/hundreds-celebrate-life-of-slain-nursing-student/] https://www.newspapers.com/image/638261922/?match=1&terms=Roderick%20Bullard [https://www.newspapers.com/image/638261922/?match=1&terms=Roderick%20Bullard] https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/us/florida-murder-rape-cold-case-dna/index.html [https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/us/florida-murder-rape-cold-case-dna/index.html] https://web.archive.org/web/20090830185850/http://www.fadp.org/news/Sun-Sentinel-20040115.htm [https://web.archive.org/web/20090830185850/http://www.fadp.org/news/Sun-Sentinel-20040115.htm] https://cbs12.com/news/local/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023 [https://cbs12.com/news/local/lucious-boyd-cold-case-jane-doe-eileen-truppner-dawnia-dacosta-murder-rape-resolved-indictment-convicted-murderer-rapist-death-row-broward-county-sheriff-detectives-florida-december-5-2023] https://www.newspapers.com/image/238640528/?match=1&terms=melissa%20floyd [https://www.newspapers.com/image/238640528/?match=1&terms=melissa%20floyd] https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=699893&TypeSearch=AI [https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/OffenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=699893&TypeSearch=AI] newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-gina-marie-moore/9867526/ [http://newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-gina-marie-moore/9867526/]