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PODCAST

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein

As someone who has been personally effected by homicide, I approach every True Crime case I cover with the goal of balancing facts with empathy—giving victims a voice while exploring the larger cultural and societal implications of the cases. I want you to leave my episodes not only knowing that the people who I talk about are real.. what happened to them is real but also acknowledging that they are much more than just their deaths. Each audio file from this podcast is taken from my videos on

true crime

All Episodes

01:11:30

Grace Packer : "Her Life Ended in a House of Horrors"

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/05/16

In July 2016, 14-year-old Grace Packer vanished from her home in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. For months, there were no answers—until her dismembered remains were discovered in a remote part of Luzerne County. What came next would horrify even seasoned investigators.Grace hadn’t just been failed—she had been betrayed by the very people who were supposed to protect her. Her adoptive mother, Sara Packer, and Sara’s boyfriend, Jacob Sullivan, had planned and carried out Grace’s assault and murder

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00:34:14

Her Boyfriend Beat her to Death and Got PROBATION

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/05/14

In October 2012, 43-year-old Janette Tovar, a transgender woman and beloved bar promoter in Dallas, Texas, was found unresponsive in her home. Earlier that day, her partner, Jonathan Stuart Kenney, had violently assaulted her—slamming her head into concrete and continuing the attack behind closed doors.Despite confessing to the crime, Kenney received a plea deal that resulted in just 10 years of probation. The sentence shocked many and raised urgent questions about how the justice system treats

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01:32:57

15-Year-Old Pregnant Girl was Buried on a Farm

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/05/12

In the summer of 1993, 15-year-old Becky Stowe disappeared from her hometown of Niles, Michigan. What began as a missing person case quickly turned tragic when her body was discovered weeks later, buried in a remote wooded area.Becky had been lured there by her boyfriend, 16-year-old Robert Leamon, who later confessed to killing her. The motive? Becky was pregnant—and Robert didn’t want anyone to find out.The case shocked the community and raised disturbing questions about secrecy, teen

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00:27:28

44 Days of Torture : The Extremely Brutal Murder of...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/05/07

In November 1988, 17-year-old Junko Furuta disappeared while walking home from school in Tokyo. Her case would become one of the most haunting and disturbing crimes in Japan’s history.Junko was held captive for 44 days and subjected to prolonged abuse at the hands of four teenage boys. The crime took place inside a residential home—unseen, unreported, and ignored by those who might have intervened.When her body was finally discovered, hidden in a concrete drum, the details of the case sent

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00:59:22

16-Year-Old Murdered Neighbor, Was Released, and is...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/05/05

It was a quiet October afternoon in 2000 when 22-year-old Rachel Kiely took her dogs for a walk near her home in Ballincollig, County Cork. She never came back. The next day, her body was discovered near the park — she had been raped and strangled.The town was shaken. Rachel was well-known, kind, full of life — and the brutality of the crime was incomprehensible. The investigation quickly led to a shocking suspect: Ian Horgan, just 16 years old.He was charged and convicted, but the sentence—eight

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01:04:30

Did BDSM Lead to Murder?

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/30

Kris Zocco’s trial for the reckless homicide of Kelly Dwyer was a twisted, haunting case that gripped Milwaukee. The prosecution painted Zocco as someone with a dangerous obsession with asphyxia during sex, citing testimonies from multiple women who described terrifying experiences where he ignored their pleas for air. Kelly's tragic death in 2013 allegedly resulted from one of these extreme encounters, with the prosecution arguing that Zocco strangled her—either manually or during a forced sexual

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00:56:13

14-Year-Old Abducted on the way to School by a known...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/28

On a cold morning in January 2017, 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze left her Cleveland home, heading to school like any other day. But Alianna never made it to class. What began as a routine walk turned into a parent's worst nightmare when she crossed paths with Christopher Whitaker—a violent predator hiding in plain sight.In this episode, we dive deep into the heartbreaking case of Alianna DeFreeze: the horrifying details of her abduction, the investigation that gripped a community, and the justice

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01:26:26

"Mother" Puts Toddler in the Trash

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/25

The Quinton Simon case shocked the nation, as his mother, Leilani Simon, was arrested and charged with his murder in 2024. After a 10-day trial, Leilani was found guilty of 19 charges, including the brutal killing of her 20-month-old son. Despite her attempts to downplay the situation, the prosecution argued that her actions were premeditated, pointing to her history of neglect and abuse toward Quinton, as well as her cold behavior following his disappearance. They suggested that Leilani's lack of

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01:12:33

Husband From Hell: He Killed His Wife & Played the...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/23

Stephen Grant was convicted of second-degree murder for the brutal killing of his wife, Tara Grant, after weeks of testimony detailing his manipulative and calculated actions. Prosecutors revealed that after strangling Tara, he dismembered her body in his father’s tool shop and disposed of her remains in the woods. The jury couldn't agree on premeditation, but the judge called Grant’s actions "demonic, manipulative, and barbaric," sentencing him to 50-80 years in prison. Tara’s devastated family,

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00:53:47

He Kept his Daughter in his Basement for DECADES

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/18

Josef Fritzl held his daughter Elisabeth Fritzl captive in a basement for 24 years and she gave birth to seven children.

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01:18:36

He Killed his Mother then took a Gun to Pearl High...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/14

It was a morning that would forever change the town of Pearl, Mississippi. On October 1, 1997, 16-year-old Luke Woodham embarked on a violent spree that left three dead and seven injured. The day began with a chilling act of matricide. Woodham brutally murdered his mother, Mary Ann Woodham, at their home before taking her car to Pearl High School. Concealing a .30-30 lever-action deer rifle under a trench coat, he entered the school premises. His first target was his ex-girlfriend, Christina

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01:20:45

11-Year-Old Boy was Murdered by Troubled Teen Next...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/11

In 1990, 17-year-old Samuel Manzie pled guilty to the brutal murder of 11-year-old Eddie Werner, avoiding trial through a controversial plea deal. Originally, his defense planned an insanity plea, but the court rejected it, opting instead for a "mental disease or defect" argument. However, as his trial date neared, Sam admitted to strangling Eddie, stuffing his body in a suitcase, and dumping him in the woods—but the sexual assault charge was dropped as part of the deal. This decision outraged

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00:59:37

Bridesmaid Murdered by the Groom : Solved Almost 30...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/11

In January 1995, Mary Catherine Edwards, a 31-year-old beloved middle school teacher in Beaumont, Texas, was found murdered in her home. The crime scene was chilling—Mary had been sexually assaulted and drowned in her own bathtub. Despite a thorough investigation, the case went cold for over two decades.It wasn’t until 2020, thanks to advancements in DNA genealogy, that investigators linked the crime to Clayton Bernard Foreman—a former high school acquaintance of Mary’s who had left behind a hidden

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00:55:48

Teen Couple "Sacrifices" Friend to Demons

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/09

It started with a simple Facebook message. Seventeen-year-old Kaytlin Angela Root from St. Joseph, Missouri, was lured to a local park by someone she thought she could trust. But on October 16, 2016, that trust was betrayed in the most horrific way. Joggers discovered Kaytlin's lifeless body near a trail in Krug Park—she had been brutally stabbed and strangled. The investigation quickly led to two individuals: Amanda Bennett, 17, and Sebastian Dowell, 18. Bennett had reached out to Kaytlin on

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00:50:56

Love, Lies, and the Ultimate Betrayal: The Murder of...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/04

In this weeks heartbreaking true crime case, we will discuss.. Claudette Ficik, the 20-year-old woman who went missing in 1994, leading to a frantic search with many people worrying that there was an active serial killer in Georgia. Six weeks later, her body was discovered in the Oconee River, weighted down with steel and showing signs of asphyxiation.Autopsy results later showed that Claudette was four months pregnant at the time of her death, intensifying the tragedy for her family. Initial

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00:26:57

14-Year-Old GIRL Brutalizes her Own GRANDMOTHER

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/04/02

It was supposed to be a fresh start. A 14-year-old girl, a new life in America, a chance to rebuild. But on May 23, 2024, that fresh start turned into a horrific crime scene in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida. 79-year-old Yevheniia Koval was found beaten and unresponsive in her home. She was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late—her injuries were fatal.But here’s where the story takes a disturbing turn. The suspect? Her own granddaughter—14-year-old Sofia Koval. Sofia had recently moved from Ukraine

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01:03:45

Home Invasion or Husband from Hell?

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/03/31

The Morgan Metzer case is a chilling story of obsession, deception, and a staged rescue gone horribly wrong. On January 1, 2021, in Canton, Georgia, Morgan woke up to a masked intruder in her bedroom, his voice eerily altered to sound like Batman. What followed was a terrifying ordeal—she was assaulted, zip-tied, and left on her back porch, blindfolded with a pillowcase over her head.But here’s where it gets even darker. Her ex-husband, Rodney "Rod" Metzer, showed up soon after, playing the hero. He

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02:04:57

16-Year-Old Kills a Child, is released, then becomes...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/03/28

Angus Sinclair ⁠died in prison at the age of 73⁠ after spending decades in jail for a series of killings, rapes and indecent attacks on children.

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00:58:11

Love QUADRUPLE Led to Murder : The Devon Guzman Case

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/03/26

The Devon Guzman case revolves around the 2000 murder of the 19-year-old in Easton, Pennsylvania. She was found dead in a car with her throat slashed, initially raising suspicions of suicide before being confirmed as a homicide. The investigation uncovered a love triangle involving Devon, Michelle Hetzel, and Hetzel’s husband, Brandon Bloss. Jealousy and possessiveness were key motives, as Hetzel saw Devon as an obstacle in her relationship.Both Hetzel and Bloss were convicted of first-degree murder

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00:49:22

11-Year-Old Girl was Murdered by the Monster Next...

TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein ·

2025/03/21

This case is absolutely heartbreaking and one of the most disturbing crimes I’ve ever come across. Alex DeMolle, a man with no violent history, was convicted of the horrific murder of 11-year-old Shaquita Mack, who was just out riding her bike, trying to escape her troubled home life. The prosecution painted a chilling picture of how Alex lured her into his apartment, assaulted her, and then strangled her to death to cover up his crime. He later dumped her body in the weeds where it was left to be

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130 results

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