NUCLEAR LAB WORKER: 2 SHOCK ITEMS IN GRISLY DISCOVERY

Crime Alert Recap Saturday 06.26.26

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert [https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert] Here's Sydney Silvagni with some of our top stories this week.       Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.” See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

BIZARRE EXCUSE FROM CLERK WHO DESTROYED ALEX MURDAUGH'S MURDER CONVICTION

Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh, who's murder conviction has been overturned,  is suing former Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill.  He alleging she violated his civil rights by tampering with the jury during his 2023 double-murder trial. Hill previously pleaded guilty to state charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and misconduct in office. Comments Hill made to jurors was considered as improperly influencing the verdict.   The complaint claims Hill wanted a guilty verdict to help sell her upcoming book about the trial.  Murdaugh's team is seeking more than $600,000 in compensatory damages—mostly tied to the costs of the original trial—along with punitive damages. His attorneys have stated that any recovered money will not go to Murdaugh personally, but is intended to hold Hill accountable. Joining Nancy Grace Today: * Mark Peper  - Criminal defense attorney The Peper Law Firm, PeperLawFirm.com, Twitter: @PeperLawFirm * Chris Mcdonough - Director At the Cold Case Foundation, Former Homicide Detective, https://www.coldcasefoundation.org/chris-mcdonough---law-enforcement-relations.html, [https://www.coldcasefoundation.org/chris-mcdonough---law-enforcement-relations.html] Host of YouTube channel, The Interview Room. * Dr. Kendal Crowns - Ft. Worth, TX Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth),  Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue", Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) * GiGi McKelvey - Journalist, Host of the podcast “Pretty Lies And Alibis,” prettyliesandalibis.org , Facebook, IG, TikTok: @PrettyLies And Alibis, Twitter: @PrettyLiesAlibi * Blanca Turrubiate-Simpson -   Alex Murdaugh's former housekeeper  * Dave Mack- Crime Stories investigative reporter  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

BURN NOTICE: JURY HANGS IN DEADLY PACIFIC PALISADES FIRE, BODY COUNT 12

After more than 13 hours of deliberation, the jury foreman in Jonathan Rinderknech's arson trial tells the judge the jury was split,  10 in favor of not guilty, two in favor of guilty.  In 2025, after dropping off an Uber passenger in Pacific Palisades, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknech parked his car, tries but failes to contact a former friend. He gets out of the car, walks up a nearby trail, takes iPhone videos, and listens to a rap song. Its music video includes objects being lit on fire. Then, twelve minutes into the new year, a fire is started. With weak cell service, Rinderknecht walks back down the trail, continually calling 911 until he finally connects, only to find out other residents already reported the fire.   As Rinderknecht drives away, he passes firefighters and turns back to watch them on the scene. He records while firefighters quickly extinguish the blaze, or so they thought. The dense underbrush makes it difficult to see, and the roots underground continue to smolder. A week after the 911 calls reporting the Lachman fire, the Santa Ana Winds create an explosion of deadly fire, spreading the remains of the Lachman fire across LA, freshly named the Palisades fire.   Investigators question Rinderknecht as he repeatedly called 911 about the January 1st fire.During those calls, Rinderknecht asked ChatGPT, "Are you at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarettes?"  Rinderknecht gives conflicting statements about whether he smoked near the trail that night and where he was when he called. Rinderknecht claims he was at the bottom of the trail, but location data shows while speaking with 911, he’s just 30 feet from the fire’s origin.  Ultimately, Rinderknecht is charged.    U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang polled the jury panel, asking if more deliberations could thaw the deadlock. Each juror answered no. How will the judge rule?  The Palisades fire killed 12 people, destroying more than 6,800 structures, both homes and businesses, and damaging over 1,000 more buildings. Joining Nancy Grace today:  * Stephanie Lydecker - Executive Producer & Host of True Crime Tonight; Founder & CEO of KT-Studios.com    * Alexandra Pfeifer - Victim   * Dr. Bethany Marshall [http://www.drbethanymarshall.com] -  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive * Dina Doll [http://www.dollamir.com] - Attorney, Trial Consultant, Mediator & Legal Analyst, Doll Amir Eley, LLP * Moses Castillo [http://MosesCastilloInvestigations.com] - Private Investigator for the Dordulian Law Group, Former Supervisor Detective from The Los Angeles Police Department * Nicholle Brock -  Firefighter, EMT, and Arson Expert   * Dr. Kendall Crowns  -  Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)   * Shannon Butler - Investigative Reporter at WFTV Channel 9, Florida * Sydney Sumner - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'   See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

LUIGI MANGIONE DEFENSE: "I WAS EMOTIONAL WHEN I GUNNED DOWN CEO"

Luigi Mangione is facing both state and federal charge, pleading not guilty.   In the New York state murder case, his attorneys announced plans for a psychiatric defense,  but abruptly withdrew plans to pursue the "extreme emotional disturbance" defense just a day after it was announced. The change in strategy has led to speculation that a plea deal may be in the works.    Joining Nancy Grace today:  * Randolph Rice  - Criminal Defense & Civil Attorney at Rice Law. Former Prosecutor in the State's Attorney Office for Baltimore County   website: ricelawmd.com, IG, FB, X: @ricelaw  * Dr. Chloe Carmichael - Clinical Psychologist, Author: "Can I Say That?" "Nervous Energy: Harness The Power of Your Anxiety,” Twitter: @DrChloe, drchloe.com  * Sheryl McCollum  -  Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder, ColdCaseCrimes.org,  Host : Zone 7 --  and Author of a new book: "Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter", Twitter: @ColdCaseTips   * Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host: "Mayhem in the Morgue", Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University)  * Lauren Conlin  - reporter, LA Magazine,  Co-Host of "PopCrimeTV" on YouTube, Website: www.popcrime.tv [http://www.popcrime.tv/] and primetimecrimeshow.com,  X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram: @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube: @PopCrimeTV * Sydney Silvagni - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories' See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Kansas City Highway Shooter Found Among House Fire Rubble | Crime Alert 06.26.26

Oscar Sanchez-Munoz's family finds his body among debris from a house fire after several unsuccessful searches by investigators and K9s. Pennsylvania mother's footage while armed fugitive uses her two-year-old daughter as a human shield helps convict him at trial. Boyfriend behind bars after Massachusetts woman's "fall down the stairs" ruled a homicide. Sydney Silvagni reports.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.