Court Junkie

Hazing is unfortunately a common practice that can often turn deadly. In this episode, I cover the unfortunate deaths of three college students - 26-year-old Robert Champion, 19-year-old Michael Deng, and 19-year-old Tim Piazza. Thank you to Emily Pualwan from HazingPrevention.org, and Doug Fierberg from tfnlgroup.com and schoolviolencelaw.com. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by: 5 Minute Meditations (album mix with alpha waves) by Lee Rosevere - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/5_Minute_Meditations/11_-_5_Minute_Meditations_album_mix_with_alpha_waves Children - Our Life by Nuno Adelaida - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nuno_Adelaida/none_given_1662/Nuno_Adelaida_02_Children-Our_Life The Signals by Sergey Cheremisinov - http://freemusicarchive.org/mu

On April 9, 2016, a road rage shooting took place in New Orleans, Louisiana that would claim the life of former NFL star Will Smith. With conflicting stories from both sides, what would happen during the trial of the man accused of killing him? Incident Video #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6jWeIfPoU8 Incident Video #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4iSPfn3Rm4    Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by:   5 Minute Meditations (album mix with alpha waves) by Lee Rosevere - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/5_Minute_Meditations/11_-_5_Minute_Meditations_album_mix_with_alpha_waves Morning Walk by Lee Rosevere - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/5_Minute_Meditations/Lee_Rosevere_-_5_Minute_Meditations_-_03_Morning_Walk Undead by Rocco Grana

It's a story that has been told numerous times before - On Halloween night in 2001, Kent Heitholt, a 48-year-old sports editor, was brutally murdered in the Columbia Tribune parking lot as he was leaving work.  Ryan Ferguson and Charles Erickson were arrested years later and charged with murder, although none of the forensic evidence at the scene matched either of the men. The case would slowly fall apart, amid witness recantations, and accusations of corruption. Ryan would eventually be released, but Charlie remains in prison. In this episode, I speak to Charlie and get his side of the story, along with updates in the case. Visit FreeCharlesErickson.com for more info. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by: 5 Minute Meditations (album mix with alpha waves) by Lee Rosever

In September 2014, the Blooming Grove Barracks in Pike County, Pennsylvania came under attack by a sniper, hiding in the woods.  What followed was a tragedy, a manhunt, and a death penalty trial. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by: Timeless by Lee Rosevere - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/5_Minute_Meditations/Lee_Rosevere_-_5_Minute_Meditations_-_10_Timeless Someday I'll like you but before let me rest in my solitude (Lonely character's theme) by Komiku - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure__vol_4/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_vol_4_-_06_Someday_Ill_like_you_but_before_let_me_rest_in_my_solitude_Lonely_characters_theme Morning Walk by Lee Rosevere - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/5_Minute_Meditations/Lee_Ro

In March 2017, former NFL star and already-convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez went on trial for the murders of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. Daniel and Safiro were murdered in July 2012, after a possible encounter with Aaron Hernandez at a Boston nightclub. Five days after his trial was over, an unexpected turn of events would change Aaron's criminal record forever.  Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by: The Signals by Sergey Cheremisinov - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Sergey_Cheremisinov/The_Signals/Sergey_Cheremisinov_-_The_Signals_-_06_The_Signals Fourth Dimension by Alex Mason /The Minor Emotion - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Alex_MasonThe_Minor_Emotion/Return_1655/03_1887 For Who to Fail by Rest You Sleeping Giant - http://freemusicarchive.org/mus

On July 30, 2011, 30-year-old Lisa Cecilia Harnum died, after falling from her 15th floor balcony. Her fiancé, Simon Gittany, was arrested and charged with murder. Thank you to Melissa for suggesting this case, and a special thank you to Andrea Alden and Amy Dale, for helping me out with this episode. Follow Amy Dale on Twitter: @amydale_tweets Check out Amy Dale's book about the case, The Fall: https://www.amazon.com/Fall-Amy-Dale/dp/1459687906 Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music featured in this episode: Never Too Late To Change Anything by Nuno Adelaida - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nuno_Adelaida/none_given_1662/Nuno_Adelaida_06_Never_Too_Late_To_Change_Anything Amor e ódio by Nuno Adelaida - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nuno_Adelaida/none_given_1662/Nuno_Adelaida_01_A

On Thursday, February 5, 2015, 19-year-old Cornell University student Charlie Tan suddenly left campus to return to his hometown, over 100 miles away. Four days later, his mother would place a 911 call that would change their lives forever. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode by: Don't Lie To Inner Child by Sergey Cheremisinov - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Sergey_Cheremisinov/The_Signals/Sergey_Cheremisinov_-_The_Signals_-_05_Dont_Lie_To_Inner_Child The Signals by Sergey Cheremisinov - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Sergey_Cheremisinov/The_Signals/Sergey_Cheremisinov_-_The_Signals_-_06_The_Signals Tumult by Kai Engel - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/The_Run/Kai_Engel_-_The_Run_-_07_Tumult Despite My Empathy by Steve Combs - http://freemusicarchive.o

19-year-old Kenia Monge disappeared after a night out with friends on April 1, 2011. As her family launched a desperate campaign to find her, her father met with the man who last saw her - a man who said he had tried giving her a ride home the night she went missing. From then on, her father knew they would never find her alive. A special thank you to Tony and Maria Lee, Kenia's parents, for speaking with me about their daughter's case.  Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode from freemusicarchive.org: In Her Name by Marco Castelli - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Marco_Castelli/Malessere_Fiorentino/In_Her_Name Three Kites Circling by Axletree - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Axletree/Cormorant_EP/Three_kites_circling Someday I'll like you but before let me rest in m

In August 2014, 22-year-old Christy Mack and her friend Corey Thomas were abruptly awoken in the middle of the night by Christy's ex-boyfriend, an MMA fighter named War Machine.   What followed was a brutal attack that would land both of them in the hospital with severe injuries, and cause War Machine to go on the run. War Machine was captured and went on trial in March 2017. Christy had to face her attacker in court and recount brutal details from not only that night, but from throughout their relationship. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode from freemusicarchive.org under Attribution license: Haka by Rocco Granata - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rocco_Granata/Works_1733/Rocco_Granata_-_04_-_Haka Eyelids Grow Heavy by Master Toad - http://freemusicarchive.org/music/

In this Court Junkie Brief, I interview Dave Wenger, a prosector from Pennsylvania. We talk about the process of a plea deal, what factors go into the decision to offer one, and I ask him to defend some arguments against the idea of guilty pleas. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie.

In November 2010, 20-year-old Cody Legebokoff was pulled over by an RCMP officer while speeding away from a dark abandoned road. Little did the officer realize that his actions that night would be stopping a serial killer in his tracks. This episode covers the case and trial of Cody Legebokoff, one of Canada's youngest serial killers. Thank you to Mark Nielsen for helping me cover this story. You can find Mark's full coverage of the Cody Legebokoff case from the Prince George Citizen here, including the audio from Cody's interrogations - http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/legebokoff-trial Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music in this episode is from freemusicarchive.org under an Attribution license: Never Asked by Unheard Music Concepts: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Unheard_Musi

In Part 2 of this episode, you'll hear about the third arrest in the murder of 62-year-old Sheila Von Weise-Mack. And with this arrest, comes some additional shocking evidence against Heather and Tommy, in the form of their own words. You'll also hear how Heather and Tommy are coping at the Kerobokan Prison in Bali, and what's next in the investigation. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie.

In this episode, I explore the case of Sheila Von Weise-Mack, a Chicago mother who was murdered while on vacation in Bali with her 19-year-old daughter. After wheeling a suspicious-looking suitcase out into the lobby upon checkout from their resort, Sheila's daughter, Heather Mack, and Heather's boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, flee the scene.  Investigators are horrified to find Sheila's body inside the suitcase.  Justice in Bali is a lot different than justice in other parts of the world. In Part 1, you'll hear details of the crime, as the court in Bali hears them.  Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music by: No Other Choice by Lee Rosevere - Licensed under attribution license. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_Inspired_by_MiNRS/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_Inspired_by_MiNRS_-_11_No_Ot

In the early morning hours of June 14, 2007, a 32-year-old man is found walking down the side of a frontage road off I-55 in Channahon, Illinois. He's bleeding and seemingly in shock. A passerby calls 911 and investigators arrive at the scene. They find the man's wife and three children, dead in the family's SUV.  In this episode, I cover the trial of Christopher Vaughn, a husband and father accused of killing his wife and three children.  A special thank you to Jon Seidel, a reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times for contributing to this episode. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeidelContent. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music by: No Other Choice by Lee Rosevere - Licensed under attribution license. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_Inspired_by_MiNRS/Lee_Rosevere_-_Mus

In this episode, I cover former NFL player Aaron Hernandez's harsh fall from grace. In 2015, Aaron was convicted of the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd. As he sits in prison, he is now preparing for yet another trial, scheduled to begin next month. I speak with Kevin Armstrong (@KevinGArmstrong) from the New York Daily News about Aaron's arrest, trial, and upcoming trial. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music by: I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284  No Other Choice by Lee Rosevere - Licensed under attribution license. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_Inspired_by_MiNRS/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_Inspired_by_MiNRS_-

Kelsey Smith was just 18 years old when she was abducted from a Target parking lot in Overland Park, Kansas in June 2007. Finding her would take a battle with a cellular phone company and heartbreaking surveillance video from Target, that shows that no one is ever really safe, even if you're running a simple errand in broad daylight. A special thank you to Kelsey's mom, Missey Smith, for speaking with me for this episode. To learn more about the Kelsey Smith Foundation and the Kelsey Smith Act, please visit kelseysarmy.org. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music featured in this episode:    - Summertime instrumental 1 by cdk (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/13112    - Like Music (cdk Mix) by cdk (c) copyright

In this episode, I take you behind-the-scenes of each case I covered in the Court Junkie podcast, as well as go over the latest updates. You'll also hear from Pravin Varughese's mom and family friend, as well as other Court Junkies.  Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music featured in this episode: - Improvisation On Friday... by Alex (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/AlexBeroza/17253 Ft: The3amAssociation - CAliformia Road by dilating_times (c) copyright 2014 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/dilating_times/44880 - summertime instrumental 1 by cdk (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/131

We all have cases that we follow and that stick with us, whether it's on a personal level or because we're oddly fascinated with them. In this episode, I count down the top cases that affected me the most this year.  Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. Music featured in this episode: - Improvisation On Friday... by Alex (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/AlexBeroza/17253 Ft: The3amAssociation - CAliformia Road by dilating_times (c) copyright 2014 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/dilating_times/44880 - summertime instrumental 1 by cdk (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/cdk/13112 - Falling In b

In August 2012, 66-year-old John Wise went to the Akron General Medical Center to visit his ailing wife of 45 years. He would leave there in handcuffs. It's a case that isn't as it seems and the twists and turns may leave you with more questions than answers. It's a case that begs the question, does the act outweigh the intent? Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie. 

In this Brief, I speak with Russ Richelsoph, a criminal defense attorney from Tempe, Arizona. Russ talks about how he chooses his expert witnesses, what sort of credentials expert witnesses need to have (the answer might surprise you), and what it's like to cross examine an expert witness. Please consider supporting Court Junkie with as little as $3 a month via Patreon.com/CourtJunkie. Help support Court Junkie with $6 a month and get access to bonus monthly episodes. Follow me on Twitter @CourtJunkiePod or Instagram at CourtJunkie.