True Crime Couple

Episode 228: Kaci Woody | Trapped in the Web

The danger of a predator that stalks their victims online, the one that moves silently through glowing screens, is that they use cunning to trap those they prey upon. They study the patterns of their victims, learn their rhythm of life through late night posts and quiet confession. To them vulnerability isn’t a tragedy but rather a signal. With unsettling precision they are able to step in and be or say whatever they need to to become whatever their target needs. They lead with understand, compassion. They listen, they mirror, they comfort. They are exactly what their target craves or needs.  Pieces by piece they build trust, an assurance of safety. But behind the carefully chosen words and curated personas lies something sinister. It had been orchestrated in a way that by the time the illusions cracks their victim has already been trapped and the cage that has been so meticulously built around them has consumed them. The greatest weapon of the 21st century against the safety and sanctity of our homes is the internet, because it has allowed predators an opportunity to be stealthy enough to prey on your children and infiltrate your home…from the comfort of theirs.  Sources: Newspaper articles accessed through Newspapers.com [https://Newspapers.com] from 2002-2021. Papers include: The Sun and The Mountain Echo https://arkansasgravestones.org/view.php?id=821033 [https://arkansasgravestones.org/view.php?id=821033] Caught in the Web: Four Part Series [https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2003/dec/17/not-forgotten/] by Cathy Frye for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Investigation Discovery: Web of Lies Aired 1/15/2014 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-07-na-slay7-story.html [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-07-na-slay7-story.html] https://www.fbicollector.com/historybaltimoreinnocentimages.html [https://www.fbicollector.com/historybaltimoreinnocentimages.html] https://katv.com/community/good-morning-arkansas/officer-shares-personal-tragedy-to-warn-families-and-children-about-online-dangers?fbclid=IwAR3TIHuLlb56dvkRSQ9xaLc0LXJHrz8OmNrIs4LdxOIF8AA2UIv00U84ByE [https://katv.com/community/good-morning-arkansas/officer-shares-personal-tragedy-to-warn-families-and-children-about-online-dangers?fbclid=IwAR3TIHuLlb56dvkRSQ9xaLc0LXJHrz8OmNrIs4LdxOIF8AA2UIv00U84ByE]

Episode 227: Joel Kirkpatrick | Screams in the Night

Two screams pierced the silent, unseasonably warm and windy night of October 13, 1997 in Lawrenceville, Illinois. The first, was that of 10 year old Joel Kirkpatrick as he desperately sought help against the person who had entered his room in the black of night and had attacked him with a knife. The second scream was that of his mother’s as she ran to her neighbors house and pounded on their door desperately seeking help. She begged for them to open up. “They’ve got Joel”, she bellowed into the closed door, “They took Joel.” Once the shock of what had happened settled, and the years went on the question that lingered was whether or not the person that hurt Joel was the least likeliest suspect or the dangerous stranger that had rolled into town with that warm wind. Trigger warning: violence against a child Sources: https://www.greatnorthinnocenceproject.org/news/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-another-subjective-science-convicting-innocent-people/ [https://www.greatnorthinnocenceproject.org/news/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-another-subjective-science-convicting-innocent-people/] https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/2004/06/26/court-overturns-rea-convictio/118184118/ [https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/2004/06/26/court-overturns-rea-convictio/118184118/] https://www.uis.edu/illinoisinnocenceproject/julie-rea [https://www.uis.edu/illinoisinnocenceproject/julie-rea] https://nationalpublicdata.com/people/r/julie-rea/tn/martin/pd06p1qslq5zi0nmlilw2zf05nyb8p17/ [https://nationalpublicdata.com/people/r/julie-rea/tn/martin/pd06p1qslq5zi0nmlilw2zf05nyb8p17/] https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/ [https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/] https://www.propublica.org/article/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-jury-wrongful-conviction-acquitted-exonerated [https://www.propublica.org/article/bloodstain-pattern-analysis-jury-wrongful-conviction-acquitted-exonerated] https://www.newspapers.com/image/84706396/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick [https://www.newspapers.com/image/84706396/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick] https://www.newspapers.com/image/84742918/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick [https://www.newspapers.com/image/84742918/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick] https://www.newspapers.com/image/84769767/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick [https://www.newspapers.com/image/84769767/?match=1&terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick] https://www.newspapers.com/image/84769827/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick [https://www.newspapers.com/image/84769827/?terms=Joel%20Kirkpatrick] https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/ [https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/who-killed-joel-11440266/] https://www.facebook.com/ABC2020/videos/julie-rea-recalls-what-happened-night-her-son-was-killed-2020-goodnight-mother/854470515223652/ [https://www.facebook.com/ABC2020/videos/julie-rea-recalls-what-happened-night-her-son-was-killed-2020-goodnight-mother/854470515223652/] https://wwws.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/documents/nulawreporterwparticle.pdf [https://wwws.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/documents/nulawreporterwparticle.pdf] Through the Window: The Terrifying True Story of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells [https://www.amazon.com/Through-Window-Terrifying-Cross-Country-Killer/dp/B008I4WNLO/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=190238689190&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KF-Lu2HWKfwGk_Dh4SpdgsGMgsyk8SnQm5nLKwItRmlT2tvHo7-1nrIqmeKIi9bklu5Nw9G8MO5LO-u0e1tvbtaRttl8hQiNYCQF7jRU3joIwiVx_WCygDLnN_EKsdn2uTeFYNz7KMK9OvIRtqXbg1kA554swF1Hb-ImSBMxLXBCDIgJxv2oKn1-L0eE8J5N9A6ONiVTnEdY1vAtDzHHS13ooqntUWEDsTMAL_8oJv4.sN-WFwkuD-3gEOxwmrRY87DwqZfG_9_NUg71XW9td4o&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779592066862&hvdev=c&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9003603&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=14829930018798193146--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14829930018798193146&hvtargid=kwd-370222609847&hydadcr=22563_13730660_8252&keywords=through+the+window+book&mcid=c82928f3e16b31c4be468fe309ca2578&qid=1774214394&sr=8-1] by Diane Fanning

Episode 226: The Shakespearean Tragedy of the Robards Family

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, guilt does not stay buried. It festers beneath crowns and costumes, slipping through rehearsed smiles and whispered prayers. A kingdom rots from the inside, not because of the murder alone, but because of the secret that follows it,  heavy and impossible to silence. “O, my offence is rank,” King Claudius confesses, discovering that even a throne cannot shield a poisoned conscience. In the bedroom of a teenager, centuries later, those same words would land a little too close to home. In this case we will explore a modern tragedy shaped by Shakespearean shadows: ambition without a crown, desperation without a dagger, and a confession that would echo far beyond the pages of a play. Because sometimes the most dangerous poison isn’t poured into a cup, it’s carried in the heart, waiting for its moment to speak. Sources https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/poisoning-daddy/ [https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/poisoning-daddy/] https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/3/ [https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/3/] https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/243671 [https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/sigald/243671] https://www.newspapers.com/image/644815133/?terms=Marie%20Robards [https://www.newspapers.com/image/644815133/?terms=Marie%20Robards] https://www.newspapers.com/image/823666883/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards [https://www.newspapers.com/image/823666883/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards] https://www.newspapers.com/image/644815129/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards [https://www.newspapers.com/image/644815129/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards] https://www.newspapers.com/image/646308983/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards [https://www.newspapers.com/image/646308983/?match=1&terms=Marie%20Robards]

Episode 225: The Murder of Seath Jackson

In today’s case a similar situation to the one we covered in Episode 224 arose in central Florida in the Spring of 2011, but this time with a 21st century twist. The teens exhibited the same type of behavior we saw in 1965 in Tucson but this time social media was present to fan the flames of an all too familiar fire caused by jealous, and hierarchical, high-conformity behavior…and just like last time someone would lose their life. Join me as I tell John the case of Seath Jackson.  Sponsors Factor Meals factormeals.com/truecrimecouple50off [http://factormeals.com/truecrimecouple50off] and use code truecrimecouple50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year NOCD Go to NOCD.com [http://nocd.com] to schedule a free 15-minute call with their team and find out more about how they can help. Sources: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1557636/#:~:text=Rather%20than%20a%20sense%20of,Steinberg%20&%20Silverberg%2C%201986 [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1557636/#:~:text=Rather%20than%20a%20sense%20of,Steinberg%20&%20Silverberg%2C%201986]). https://psychcentral.com/lib/click-or-clique-positive-and-negative-teen-social-groups#:~:text=Members%20are%20discouraged%20from%20being,are%20valued%20for%20their%20individuality.&text=Natural%20leaders%20may%20emerge%20but,t%20find%20mutually%20trusting%20relationships [https://psychcentral.com/lib/click-or-clique-positive-and-negative-teen-social-groups#:~:text=Members%20are%20discouraged%20from%20being,are%20valued%20for%20their%20individuality.&text=Natural%20leaders%20may%20emerge%20but,t%20find%20mutually%20trusting%20relationships]. https://www.marionschools.net/parents__students__and_community/parents/Student_Enrollment/your_zoned_school [https://www.marionschools.net/parents__students__and_community/parents/Student_Enrollment/your_zoned_school] https://www.circuit5.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/soto-sentencing-5-30-12.pdf [https://www.circuit5.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/soto-sentencing-5-30-12.pdf] https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2012/09/05/man-charged-as-accessory-in-seath-murder-case-ruled-incompetent/64312725007/ [https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2012/09/05/man-charged-as-accessory-in-seath-murder-case-ruled-incompetent/64312725007/] https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=U46099&TypeSearch=AI [https://pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&DCNumber=U46099&TypeSearch=AI] https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2018/03/20/guilty-plea-to-accessory-in-murder-of-seath-jackson/12948232007/ [https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2018/03/20/guilty-plea-to-accessory-in-murder-of-seath-jackson/12948232007/] https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/17/charlie-ely-wins-freedom/42153993/ [https://www.ocala.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/17/charlie-ely-wins-freedom/42153993/] https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2011/04/21/facebook-posts-show-troubled-relationship-before-murder/64298523007/ [https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2011/04/21/facebook-posts-show-troubled-relationship-before-murder/64298523007/] https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/state/2016/02/23/amber-wright-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-a-second-time-for-summerfield-murder/31892000007/ [https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/state/2016/02/23/amber-wright-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-a-second-time-for-summerfield-murder/31892000007/] https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1866390.html#footnote_ref_2 [https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/fl-supreme-court/1866390.html#footnote_ref_2] "Seath Jackson - Sleeping With a Killer (Season 1, Episode 12)" [https://tv.apple.com/us/episode/seath-jackson/umc.cmc.5ftio68gocqq6oxcnjzfylyg5?showId=umc.cmc.5nek280511fthl83zw9yijf1i]. Apple TV. 2021. Retrieved February, 2026.

Episode 224: Alleen Rowe and Gretchen and Wendy Fritz | The Pied Piper of Tucson

By the summer of 1965 three teenage girls had gone missing from Tucson, AZ. When the truth would finally come to light the members of the community would be forced to question everything they knew to be true…and also what their children had been up to. Join me as I tell John the cases of Alleen Rowe and Gretchen and Wendy Fritz.  Patreon.com/truecrimecouple [http://patreon.com/truecrimecouple] Sponsors: NOCD If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started: https://learn.nocd.com/TCC [https://learn.nocd.com/TCC] Sources: https://altsclass.weebly.com/uploads/3/8/8/0/38808759/lifemagazinepiedpiper.doc.pdf [https://altsclass.weebly.com/uploads/3/8/8/0/38808759/lifemagazinepiedpiper.doc.pdf] https://tucson.com/morguetales/article_db508906-e3de-11df-af58-001cc4c002e0.html [https://tucson.com/morguetales/article_db508906-e3de-11df-af58-001cc4c002e0.html] https://tucson.com/morguetales/article_0826e27c-e245-11df-b65f-001cc4c03286.html [https://tucson.com/morguetales/article_0826e27c-e245-11df-b65f-001cc4c03286.html] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166810356/james_mcilroy-fritz#view-photo=162428330 [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166810356/james_mcilroy-fritz#view-photo=162428330] https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1973/1720-0.html [https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1973/1720-0.html] Newspapers.com [http://newspapers.com] Access to the Daily News,Arizona Daily Star, and the Los Angeles Times from 1966-182