Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 10 Most Explosive Verdicts of 2024: 'GUILTY!'

Starting point is 00:00:00 Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Guilty. Chad Daybell, Wade Wilson, Christopher Greger, and Sarah Boone. Those are just a few of the defendants found guilty of manslaughter or murder in 2024. I'm taking a look back at the year's biggest verdicts. Welcome to Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. 2024 was another big year that saw some big verdicts, and a lot of those cases are so incredibly sad because someone's life was taken in each one,

Starting point is 00:00:38 and it didn't have to happen and shouldn't have happened. The first case involves a young girl whose body has never been found, and it just breaks your heart. As to charge ID 2027112C, charging the defendant Adam Montgomery with a crime of second-degree murder. Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty? Guilty. Five-year-old Harmony Montgomery was reported missing two years after prosecutors claimed she was murdered by her father, Adam Montgomery. At trial, the state argued that Adam beat Harmony to death on December 7, 2019, while the family was living in a car. Adam's wife, Kayla, testified that Adam would frequently hit Harmony in the head with a closed fist when she would have accidents in the car in which they

Starting point is 00:01:22 were living. Over the next several months, Adam disposed of her body with the help of his wife. His attorneys tried to argue that Adam actually helped cover up the murder and that Kayla actually killed Harmony. The jury found Adam guilty of second-degree murder, falsifying evidence, and tampering with a witness. He was sentenced to 45 years to life. Our next verdict is another sad case involving a child, and it's heartbreaking. A New Jersey father, Christopher Greger, chronically abused his

Starting point is 00:01:52 six-year-old son, Corey Michelo. Then one day, Corey died in March of 2021. Apartment complex surveillance footage showed Corey running on a treadmill as his father increased the speed, causing him to stumble and fall multiple times. At one point, Gregor is seen grabbing his son by the shirt, appearing to bite his head. Two weeks later, his son experiences nausea, shortness of breath, and he began to have seizures. Now, that treadmill incident didn't actually cause his death. Another incident did. Life-saving measures were taken, but it was too late. The jury was convinced Gregor was responsible for the boy's suffering an acute traumatic injury to his heart. Three, how do you find as to the charge of aggravated manslaughter? Guilty.

Starting point is 00:02:37 I want to assure you that on April 2nd, I did nothing to cause Corey's passing. I didn't hurt my son. I loved him, and I still do. I regret not bringing him to the hospital sooner. I didn't know how sick he was. I didn't know. I just thought he was tired. And whether you believe Dr. Bodden or Dr. Andrews' version of the events, the outcome is still the same. Corey is gone. He had so much to give this world, and he still can. What we do in his memory, for his memory, things that he would want us to do, that's all we have now.

Starting point is 00:03:32 The judge sentenced Greger to 25 years in state prison for manslaughter. I spoke with Corey's mother, Brianna Michelo, after the verdict. What would you like people to know about Corey? You know, everyone, you know, knows him because of that video. And, you know, I want. Yeah, right. It's I just want people to know he's way more than that. He's not like just Christopher Greger's victim.

Starting point is 00:04:06 You know, he was a smart, loving little boy. He loved reading. He loved painting. He loved, you know, being an artist. But that was his true passion. And, you know, I just want people to know he's more than just that treadmill video. I not only lost Lynn, but I lost him and the kids, our friends. I've lost everything, including my life. Our next case is out of Wisconsin. Caregiver Jesse Krzyzewski was accused of poisoning her patient with eyedrops before staging the scene as a suicide. Not only that, Krzyzewski stole $290,000 after killing her patient Lynn Hernan. A jury convicted Krzyzewski of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of felony theft. She was sentenced to life in prison. Kershefsky is eligible for parole when she is

Starting point is 00:04:50 80 years old. A Florida man, Wade Wilson, with reported ties to a white supremacist gang, randomly murdered two women back in 2019. Wilson met Christine Melton and her friend at a Fort Myers bar before they all went to Christine's Cape Coral house later that evening. When her friend left, Wilson strangled her to death and stole her car. While Wilson was driving back to Cape Coral, he saw Diane Ruiz walking along the street and pretended to ask her for directions. Unaware of his intentions, Diane got into the car where she was attacked, pushed out of the car, and ran over 10 to 20 times. The judge sentenced him to death after the jury found him guilty of two counts

Starting point is 00:05:30 of first-degree murder, grand theft, battery burglary, and petty theft. The totality of the circumstances warrants that the defendant, Wade Stephen Wilson, be sentenced to death for each count of first-degree murder. Count one, first-degree murder of Christine Melton. The defendant is hereby sentenced to death. Count four, first-degree murder of Diane Ruiz. The defendant is hereby sentenced to death. The cases I cover each day here on Crime Fix show you just how scary the world can be. And one of the scariest things that can happen is if you ever get hurt. But I want you to know if you're ever seriously hurt or in an accident, your case could be worth millions. And that's where Morgan & Morgan comes in. The firm has more than 1,000 lawyers

Starting point is 00:06:10 who will fight for what you deserve and they have the track record to prove it. In the past few months, Morgan & Morgan has won big verdicts like $12 million in Florida, $26 million in Philly, and $6.8 million in New York. All of those were much higher

Starting point is 00:06:24 than the highest insurance company offer. Seeing if you have a case can be done in eight clicks or less, and you don't even have to leave your couch to start one. Also a really great thing, you only pay Morgan & Morgan if you win. There are no upfront fees. So if you're ever hurt, you can easily start a claim at ForThePeople.com slash CrimeFix. I couldn't see myself as the kind of person who would be foolish enough to use my own vehicle to allegedly commit any kind of crime. And let's see here. So, again, I don't. There was I did not know Mr.

Starting point is 00:07:03 So I don't know how. I don't get to say that I did not know Mr. German's address, so I don't know how anyone could say that I did these searches. In Las Vegas, a former Democratic elected official, Robert Telles, testified in his own defense in his murder trial. Prosecutors argued that Telles killed investigative journalist Jeff German over articles exposing corruption and Telles' inappropriate relationship with a female employee. But the jury didn't buy the framed job that Tellus painted while on the stand. After 12 hours, a jury of his peers convicted him of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon against a victim who was 60 years old or older. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years. The verdict appears to be in proper form.

Starting point is 00:07:46 Ms. Gregg, if you and your attorneys would come to the podium. The verdict's read as follows. As to count one, we the jury sentence the defendant Carly Madison Gregg to life imprisonment. As to count two, we the jury sentence the defendant Carly Madison Gregg to life imprisonment. As to count two, we the jury sentence the defendant Carly Madison Gregg to life imprisonment. Please be seated. In Mississippi, 14-year-old Carly Gregg killed her mom and attempted to kill her stepfather and then invited her friend over to look at the corpse. According to prosecutors, Gregg carried out the murder because her mom discovered her secret life with drugs.

Starting point is 00:08:27 Video footage of the shooting was presented in court, and it captured the screams of her mother, Ashley Smiley, and the moments directly after the murder. Gregg's attorneys tried to urge the jury to find her not guilty by reason of insanity, but ultimately, they convicted her on all three counts, murder, attempted murder, and tampering with evidence. Greg will spend the rest of her life behind bars. In regards to count two of the amended indictment, is Chad Guy Daybell not guilty or guilty of first degree murder of Tylee Ryan? Guilty. Our next big verdict is the Chad Daybell case. He pleaded not guilty to three murders. However, the jury found overwhelming evidence that he committed the murder of his wife, Tammy Daybell, as well as the murders of the youngest children of his second wife, Lori Vallow. Those children were Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow. According to prosecutors, his crime was motivated by power,

Starting point is 00:09:21 sex, money, and apocalyptic spiritual beliefs. The Daybells concocted fantasies about people becoming zombies to justify the murders. Judge Stephen Boyce sentenced Chad Daybell to death. And I want to bring in somebody who has covered this case very closely for years. She is Gigi McKelvey. She is the host of the Pretty Lies and Alibis podcast. And Gigi, I know this case is very close to your heart and you covered the case. You covered the Lori Vallow trial for us here at Law and Crime. Talk to me about what it was like to finally see a guilty verdict for Chad Daybell. It was very full circle and about time. I mean, we're years into this case now, and it was overwhelming evidence. I was able to go for a week of testimony on the defense side when his kids testified, which was very surreal to be in the room when that happened.

Starting point is 00:10:16 But you can't get more of a slam dunk case when two of the victims are found in his backyard. I mean, it doesn't get much more clear than that. Tammy dies at home. You go through burying her, his demeanor at her funeral, getting married just a couple of weeks later, and then they exhume her and find out she was killed. It's just been such a roller coaster in that case. And everybody was so relieved that he was found guilty. Although I don't think many people doubted he would in the end. Yeah. And it just, to me, it was so horrific the way that these children were murdered. I mean, Tylee and especially little JJ, I mean, it is so disgusting. And the fact that he had this just narcissistic, insane belief that he was some sort

Starting point is 00:11:07 of Messiah. I mean, to me, I just can't even wrap my head around him actually believing this and that they were doing something that they actually justified. I mean, I can't believe that they actually believed any of this. It almost seems like they were just making it up to justify getting rid of everybody in their lives so they were just making it up to justify getting rid of everybody in their lives so they could go off to hawaii and do whatever it is they wanted to do yeah and i fully believe that that chad was the ringleader i'm not convinced that chad really believed what he was teaching as much as lori and alex and the rest of them believed what he was selling i think he was selling. I think he was

Starting point is 00:11:45 drunk off the power he had over these people and having them think he was a chosen one. You know, he said in a past life, he was the brother of Jesus and they just believed him. I really think it was a power thing with him, but I have no doubt he was the one who ordered everybody to be murdered. I think the big decisions were his lori obviously went along lied about it to police for months when they were asking where her son was very much a deadly duo but at least the idaho portion is over with we still have lori valo two trials next year in arizona where she's representing herself so the story isn't quite over yet and chad hasn't been charged for charles vallow but some interviews with the investigators they

Starting point is 00:12:31 didn't comment on whether they thought there could be future charges for chad in arizona we'll have to wait and see if maybe he gets his turn there do you think that lori actually believed what chad was selling i mean do you think she's so mentally ill and now we've got this aspect of her actually representing herself? Do you think she believed Chad? It's really hard to tell. I always go back to the video where they do that very first welfare check and she very convincingly lies to them about JJ being with her friend Melanie Gibb in Arizona. So for me, the competency is not an issue. She wasn't competent in Idaho, not in Arizona. That was a recent ruling. I think to some degree, she does have religious delusions, whether that put a blinder on and made her believe

Starting point is 00:13:18 that her kids were actually zombies. Who knows? But we know she did an interview with her son, Colby Ryan, on his YouTube channel, where she told a totally different story that indicated maybe Tylee accidentally hurt JJ and then did something to herself. It's all over the place, but I have no doubt she believed Chad 100 percent. Well, it is a disturbing case for sure. We're going to move now to Florida for our next case. The state of Florida versus Ashley Benefield, case number 2020 CF3014. Verdict. We, the jury, finds as follows as to the defendant in this case. The defendant is guilty of manslaughter or lesser included offense. Did Ashley Benefield actually carry a firearm? Yes. Did Ashley Benefield discharge a firearm? Yes. Did Ashley Benefield, as a result of

Starting point is 00:14:16 discharging a firearm, cause death to Douglas Benefield? Yes. That's former ballerina Ashley Benefield. She shot her husband to death in their bedroom back in 2020. The couple got married 13 days after they met. So when Ashley Benifield found out she was pregnant, she decided to move to Florida to be closer to Doug so they could start their family. But things started to unravel when Ashley Benifield accused her husband of abuse and they started to fight over Ashley Benefield accused her husband of abuse and they started to fight over custody of their daughter. Benefield claims that she shot Douglas in self-defense, fearing

Starting point is 00:14:51 for her life after he assaulted her. It took six hours for the jury to convict Ashley Benefield of the lesser included offense of manslaughter. She was sentenced to 20 years in a Florida state prison, followed by 10 years of probation. Gigi, I'm curious about your thoughts about this case. The judge didn't buy what Ashley Benefield was selling, and neither did the jury. No, and that was an interesting case to watch because we did have examples of Doug being very irrational. He did admit to firing a gun into the ceiling of a room Ashley was in to get her attention. I thought that might sway a juror or two into thinking,

Starting point is 00:15:33 could she have been really fearful giving something like that happen? However, what really was a problem for me, and I think for this jury as well. She gave him the code to get into the complex where she was staying. The text messages that we heard during trial showed there were no issues, at least through text messages with them. It seemed very relaxed, very normal text messages for people who thought they were moving together. I'm not so sure that Ashley really intended on Doug coming. Doug was all in packing up his office. It was one of those I really just thought could have the potential to end in a hung jury. But I think at the end of the day, when you find out all these things that she did leading up to the murder

Starting point is 00:16:17 that was really working in tandem with Doug, and then you get this last minute uh he was shoving boxes into me so I shot him I just don't know that what what was presented at trial with the text messages and the phone calls and going out to lunch with him that was part of it was videoed was enough to really convince that jury that she was that scared with everything pointing to them having very cordial conversations, conversations up to the day of the murder. Yeah, I mean, the judge could have sentenced her to more time, but he did give her 20 years. So it was really interesting to watch that sentencing unfold. We're going to turn now to another case out of Georgia.

Starting point is 00:17:00 This one, absolutely heartbreaking. In the state of Georgia versus Jose Antonio Alvaro, case SU24CR0323. Count one, malice murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count two, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count three, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count three, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty. Count four, felony murder. I find the defendant guilty.

Starting point is 00:17:33 Count five, kidnapping with bodily injury. I find the defendant guilty. Count six, aggravated assault with intent to rape. I find the defendant guilty. Nursing student Laken Riley, she was out on a run when an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, Jose Ibarra, attacked her and murdered her. Laken's fitness watch actually showed that she fought for her life for 18 minutes. This was a bench trial. Surveillance footage and DNA testing

Starting point is 00:18:01 helped the judge reach the guilty verdict, convicting Ibarra of murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to rape, and tampering with evidence. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without parole, and this reignited the national debate over immigration and crime. Lake and Riley's mother actually spoke at the sentencing. On that horrific day, my precious daughter was attacked, beaten, and shown no mercy. She fought for her life and dignity and to save herself from being brutally raped. This sick, twisted, and evil coward showed no regard for Lakin or human life. We are asking that same be done to him. Lakin had a beautiful and bright future. She was smart, hardworking, kind, thoughtful, and most importantly, she was a child of God. She had a personal relationship with Jesus, and she loved being the hands and feet of his hands and feet in this world.

Starting point is 00:19:17 She shared her love for our Lord with others through her mission trips, working with elderly at the nursing homes, and through her nursing career. Gigi, I feel like as a mom, this is every mom's worst nightmare. Your daughter, your child is just out and about minding their own business. And this is like the boogeyman jumps out of the woods and kidnaps your daughter. I mean, this is the most heartbreaking thing. Laken Riley should have been able to go out on a run on a college campus and feel safe, but she couldn't. Yeah, you're right. Every mother's worst nightmare. I mean, we shouldn't live in a society where it almost is as if women need to carry guns when they go on a casual jog. This case disturbed me to my core. I have a daughter

Starting point is 00:20:05 near her age and to think she could just be out doing everyday things and just happen to me evil on a running path. This was a slam dunk case, Anjanette. There was not much that wasn't at that crime scene other than maybe him leaving his autograph or a selfie. There was so much evidence that was overwhelming. His defense attorney didn't have much to work with, did try to use the hat as a little bit of reasonable doubt with that judge because his brother had the hat on when police went to that apartment the next day. But the DNA evidence, the Garmin evidence that literally showed the path of the struggle for those 18 minutes,

Starting point is 00:20:45 it was a very easy guilty, I think, for that judge. But again, one of those cases you'll never forget. It's just horrific, especially when you have children in this world. Yeah. And the judge didn't even really deliberate. I mean, it was like the case was over and he's like, okay, guilty because all of the evidence was there. I mean, the guy left a trail of breadcrumbs a mile long right back to his apartment. And there was surveillance footage. There was DNA evidence. I mean, this is probably one of the worst things I've seen in a very long time. Just kudos to the investigators down there because they really, I mean,

Starting point is 00:21:26 their investigation was almost flawless in what they were able to gather and just put his steps even way before the murder when he was accused of doing the peeping Tom. We just have him on video everywhere. And what's scary is this was in broad daylight. There are students walking up and down around that bus stop there are people on the trail who saw him before he killed lakin and uh just very brazen crime and

Starting point is 00:21:52 just terrifying to think you know we are one turn away from potentially facing evil doing things we do every day yeah most certainly i mean it's absolutely heartbreaking. And kudos to her roommate for reporting her missing so quickly. That really helped law enforcement get on this very quickly. We're going to move now to Florida in a case that is also pretty disturbing. Sarah Boone was convicted of second-degree murder for zipping her boyfriend into a suitcase and leaving him there overnight to die. Boone was arrested back in 2020, but her trial was delayed several times, mainly because she went through eight different court appointed lawyers. The growing popularity of her case helped her secure her final attorney, James Owens, and he took the case pro bono. Boone was shocked when the jury convicted her of second degree murder after she testified she was a victim of battered spouse syndrome. She filed a request for a new trial citing alleged

Starting point is 00:22:50 prosecutorial misconduct, but Judge Kranich denied the request and sentenced her to life in prison. Boone also spoke at her sentencing, and it likely didn't help her. My goal begins with George Torres, and every time he slapped me, kicked, punched, spit on, raped, stabbed, choked, laughed at, pushed, pulled, dragged, whipped, tripped, stole from, lied, terrorized, threatened, humiliated, forced, degraded, made me cry. Every time he tried to end me, defeat or destroy. I forgive George for beating me senseless, for trying to sleep because I had to go to work or my son's field trip the next day. For ruining my deceased family's heirlooms, traditions and keepsakes, my son's furniture, destroying the television we watched together. Gigi, what really shocks me about this case is the fact that Sarah Boone was actually

Starting point is 00:23:45 offered a plea deal before trial. She could have gotten out of prison one day. She didn't take it. She rolled the dice and went to trial, and now she's in prison for life. Yeah, and I think that goes back to Sarah Boone thinking she is the smartest person in the room and really thought she had a chance to convince this jury that she was the victim in this situation, there is no doubt that relationship was mutually toxic from the very beginning. But when you have him on video, it's such an eerie thing to watch for me, Anjanette. I couldn't watch it more than once, hearing him plead to be let out, and she's laughing and clearly drunk. I'm sure if she could go back, she'd take that plea deal,

Starting point is 00:24:26 but there was no remorse ever from her. And in fact, after the trial and the verdict and the sentencing, she's written a 28 page letter to the judge, essentially blaming him for her going to prison for life for her actions. I don't think we've heard the last of her. I think she's gonna be writing a lot of letters. But yeah, again, just a horrible case. Makes me claustrophobic just to even think about it. But she is a piece of work. She went through eight attorneys, I believe.

Starting point is 00:24:58 Was it eight, seven or eight attorneys before she finally got her last one? Yeah, it was eight attorneys. Yeah, and she was going to represent herself for a while. So that goes to show you that she thought she could convince this jury that she was the victim in all this and walk away and go home. But clearly the jury and the judge saw that she is a risk to society and put her away for the rest of her life. And I think that's the right call. Yeah, most definitely. Gigi McKelvey, thank you so much. Appreciate you having me on, Anjanette. And that's it for this episode of Crime Fix. I'm Anjanette Levy. Thanks so much for being with me.

Starting point is 00:25:34 I'll see you back here next time.

Your Ad Here

Crime Fix with Angenette Levy - 10 Most Explosive Verdicts of 2024: 'GUILTY!'

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.