Killafornia Dreaming

This is the second part of what is now going to be a three part series on the 2001 murder of 27 year old Crystal Taylor who was 5 months pregnant at the time of her death. She was a single mother, who at the time found herself pregnant by a man who she was not involved in a serious relationship with, and he made it clear he was not interested in seeing this pregnancy brought to full term. But Crystal did not feel the same. She wanted this child, and so, unbeknownst to her, she became a target. We delve into her tragic story and how her murder nearly destroyed her family...and almost went unsolved...

This is the first part of a 2 part series. Pregnancy is one of the most vulnerable and riskiest times in a woman’s life. Homicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst pregnant women. We are going to discuss the case of Crystal Taylor, a 27 year old single mother who found herself pregnant by a man she was not involved in a serious relationship with, and he made it clear he was not interested in seeing this pregnancy brought to full term. But Crystal didn’t see it the same. She wanted this child, and with that, unbeknownst to her, she became a target, as we delve into the tragic story of Crystal, and how her murder nearly destroyed her family…and almost went unsolved. Voicemail courtesy of Leah in Chandler, Texas https://altaonline.com/a-tale-of-two-killings/ https://tvcrimesky.com/2017/10/19/crystal-taylor-derek-smyer-dateline-one-moment-details-cold-case-murder-of-pregnant-hawthorne-woman-by-skyler-moore/849 https://casetext.com/case/people-v-smyer-7

WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS DETAILS INVOLVING THE PHYSICAL, SEXUAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN AND MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR SOME LISTENERS. LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED. On January 14th, 2018, David and Louise Turpin became household names because of the horrific conditions their 13 children were found to be living in inside their Perris, California home. On social media all seemed well, almost like the makings of another 19 kids and counting kind of show. But once one of their children managed to escape and contact authorities, the truth as to what was going on inside the Turpin house of horrors would be reveal to the world. But where did this all start? How did this couple end up holding their 13 children captive inside their suburban home by way of chains, padlocks, abuse, and starvation. Listen now as we discuss some of the things Louise Turpin’s sister has come forward to reveal in the time since this story broke. https://time.com/5109959/turpin-parents-children-torture/ https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/evil-lives-here/full-episodes/my-twisted-sister Voicemail courtesy of Justin R of the Mysterious Circumstances Podcast out of Fort Wayne, Indiana Promo courtesy of the Dumb and Busted Podcast

This is the second part of a two part series. On March 10, 1983, housewife and mother Dorka Lisker was attacked in her home by an intruder. She was bludgeoned and stabbed, leaving her mortally wounded. Her son, Bruce, who she was expecting to come over to borrow some tools would be the one to stumble on the horrific scene. But instead of being treated as the grieving son, he quickly became the prime suspect. And the investigators on the case would do what they needed to do to make sure the case they were building against him would stick, no matter what it took. Voicemail courtesy of Adria in Oceanside, California https://www.latimes.com/la-me-lisker-sg-storygallery.html

On March 10, 1983, housewife and mother Dorka Lisker was attacked in her home by an intruder. She was bludgeoned and stabbed, leaving her mortally wounded. Her son, Bruce, who she was expecting to come over to borrow some tools would be the one to stumble on the horrific scene. But instead of being treated as the grieving son, he quickly became the prime suspect. And the investigators on the case would do what they needed to do to make sure the case they were building against him would stick, no matter what it took. Voicemail courtesy of Lisa from Salem, Oregon https://www.latimes.com/la-me-lisker-sg-storygallery.html

In 2008, Tamisha Ridge was one of the first to be what would become known as a YouTuber. She had a passion for fashion and shared her tips and DIY instructional videos with a growing a dedicated following. She bright, happy, effervescent, and her love what she was doing shone through. But, behind the scenes, Tamisha’s personal life was riddled with difficult relationships and domestic violence. But she never, ever allowed that side of life be seen by her loyal followers. So when tragedy struck, her online community were stunned to find out that behind the smiles and laughter was a woman in pain. Voicemail courtesy of Nicky in Massachusetts Promo from The 3 Men and a Mystery Podcast

On this addendum to episode #118, I read your personal horror neighbor stories that you shared on our Facebook Page.  If you commented, but stipulated you wanted it to stay private in the group, then it won't be included in this episode.  Thank you to everyone who commented and share your story!

In March of 2001, 20 year veteran LAPD Officer Irsie Henry and his wife Sharon moved into a neighborhood bustling with families who enjoyed regular gatherings and social get togethers. While having an officer move into the neighborhood seemed like a good thing at the beginning, it soon became clear that Irsie had no intentions of making nice with this new neighbors. Thus would begin a years long campaign of harassment and terror that would have these neighbors held under siege as their new officer neighbor disrupted and intruded on all of their lives, all the while using his badge as a shield as a means of conducting himself with impunity. To get a free copy of MF Thomas’ new book “Arcade” please follow the link https://www.mfthomasauthor.com/arc-signup or email at mft9@icloud.com

In 1994, Deb Golub and her son Mike packed up and left California to start over with a new man in her life in the tiny town of Johnson City, Kansas. Before long, Mike began a relationship with a young woman named Shannon Albers, with whom they had a son, Little Mikey. The relationship didn’t last and they both went on to other things and other relationships. But they still had Little Mikey between them, which caused a great deal of friction between Mike and Shannon, as well as her new husband, prominent Johnson City resident Chad Floyd. The couple hated Mike with a passion, so when he went missing on May 20th, 2005, they were the only people on the list of potential suspects with a motive to want Mike gone. What happened to Mike Golub and will anyone ever be held accountable for his disappearance? https://www.hutchnews.com/news/20180520/still-missing-stanton-county-13-years-after-michael-golub

On November 14, 2019, 16 year old Nathaniel Berhow opened fire with a .45 caliber handgun, killing two fellow students and injuring 3 more.  Berhow then shot himself in the head, and was last reported to be brain dead, with no chance of recovery.  Who is Nathaniel Berhow, what could have caused the teen to open fire on his fellow students on his birthday, and what could have been done to stop this? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-school-shooting-saugus-high-school-suspect-what-we-know/

Allen Schindler, Jr. had a dream of following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps by joining the US Navy. But there was a thing that he need to keep secret - that he was gay. In order to enlist, he would not be allowed to reveal his sexual orientation. But, he would eventually be found out by his shipmates, and some of them were angry about it. And one night, in October of 1992, 2 of his fellow sailors beat Allen to death in a public restroom in Sasebo, Japan. It was an incident the Navy would stop at nothing to keep under wraps. But a determined mom and a determined reporter would not stop until the Navy revealed the truth.

On April 1st, 2016, 32 year old single mother Nicole Fitts left her home ostensibly to meet with her 2 year old daughter's babysitter.  The nature of that meeting is unknown, and Nicole Fitts was never seen alive again, and her 2 year old daughter has not been seen since a month or more prior to that night.  A week later, Nicole's remains were found in a park in a shallow grave covered by a piece of plywood, but still, there was no sign of her daughter.  And to this day, Nicole's murder, and the whereabouts of her child, Arianna Fitts are still unsolved.  Where is Arianna Fitts, and who murdered her mother? From SFPD: If you see Arianna, call 911 immediately. If you have information on Arianna’s whereabouts or anything related to the homicide of Nikki contact the SFPD Homicide Unit at 415-553-1145, the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP 411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message, or visit sanfranciscopolice.org/tip. https://www.sfweekly.com/topstories/where-is-arianna-fitts/

On October 30, 1984, Robin Hoynes was closing out the business day at her job as the manager of the KFC in Torrance, California.  She was due to spend the night at her friend's house and be home the next morning to spend Halloween at home, but she never showed up.  On Halloween morning, the opening manager arrived at the store only to discover Robin stabbed to death.  The motive appeared to be robbery, but if that was the case, the killer got away with nothing because Robin had already placed the day's deposit into the safe.  Her murder would remain unsolved for the next 20 Halloween's, until a fresh set of eyes noticed something about the crime scene that didn't seem to fit, and a woman who kept a dark secret for two decades finally came forward would finally lead to an arrest.  

This is the fourth and final part of our series entitled The Tale of Who Killed Stacey Stites. On April 23, 1996, 19 year old Stacey Stites was strangled to death and her body was dumped off the side of a road in Bastrop, Texas. Swabs taken revealed the presence of semen, leading authorities to surmise the motive for the murder was sexual assault. Her fiance, Giddings Police Officer Jimmy Fennell, emerged as a strong suspect early in the investigation until it was revealed the DNA of the semen was not a match to Fennell. The case was at a standstill for about a year when investigators finally caught a break – a match for the DNA was found in the criminal database belonging to an African American Bastrop resident named Rodney Reed. While he first denied knowing Stacey, and denied having anything to do with her murder, when he was told his DNA was found in her body, he changed his story – he did know Stacey. They were having a consensual sexual relationship and he said he had intercourse with her a couple days before she was killed. But he wasn’t believed, and that, along with the forensic and scientific evidence presented at trial was enough to convict Rodney and he was subsequently sentenced to death. In the years since, information has come to light that no only points to Rodney having had an affair with Stacey, but also the science used to convicted him was junk. He is one month away from being executed, as all of his appeals have been denied, and the Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused to grant Rodney clemency. Is Texas about to execute an innocent man? Listen and decide for yourself. And if you believe in his innocence, please take action NOW and sign the petition on Change.org – Stop the Execution of Rodney Reed.

This is the third part of our series entitled The Tale of Who Killed Stacey Stites. On April 23, 1996, 19 year old Stacey Stites was strangled to death and her body was dumped off the side of a road in Bastrop, Texas.  Swabs taken revealed the presence of semen, leading authorities to surmise the motive for the murder was sexual assault.  Her fiance, Giddings Police Officer Jimmy Fennell, emerged as a strong suspect early in the investigation until it was revealed the DNA of the semen was not a match to Fennell.  The case was at a standstill for about a year when investigators finally caught a break – a match for the DNA was found in the criminal database belonging to an African American Bastrop resident named Rodney Reed.  While he first denied knowing Stacey, and denied having anything to do with her murder, when he was told his DNA was found in her body, he changed his story – he did know Stacey.  They were having a consensual sexual relationship and he said he had intercourse with her a couple days before she was killed.  But he wasn’t believed, and that, along with the forensic and scientific evidence presented at trial was enough to convict Rodney and he was subsequently sentenced to death.  In the years since, information has come to light that no only points to Rodney having had an affair with Stacey, but also the science used to convicted him was junk.  He is one month away from being executed, as all of his appeals have been denied, and the Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused to grant Rodney clemency.  Is Texas about to execute an innocent man?  Listen and decide for yourself.  And if you believe in his innocence, please take action NOW and sign the petition on Change.org – Stop the Execution of Rodney Reed.