Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Brian Hooker Flies Out of Bahamas 48 Hours After Release | Crime Alert 04.16.26

Episode Date: April 16, 2026

In a move less surprising than one would think, Brian Hooker has fled the Bahamas after proclaiming dedication to finding overboard wife. 47-year-old charged in the fatal stabbing of a U.S. Marine in has a criminal history spanning more than three decades, including a prior conviction as a habitual felon. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News now. I'm Sidney. The search for missing Michigan mother, Lynette Hooker, takes another confusing turn as her husband, Brian Hooker, has officially left the Bahamas, just 24 hours after claiming his sole focus was finding his wife.

Brian Hooker, 59, boarded a commercial flight out of the Caribbean on Wednesday. According to his attorney, Terrell Butler, the move wasn't an escape, but a response to another family crisis. In a statement, Butler said that Hooker's mother is very ill, and he has traveled to the U.S. to be at her bedside. While his legal team insists he plans to return, the timing is raising eyebrows. It was only Monday that Hooker was released from Bahamian custody after investigators failed to file charges within the legal time frame following his detention last week. Hooker spoke with several outlets for, for the first time Tuesday, proclaiming he would never harm Lynette and would not stop searching

for her. I won't be able to stop looking. You want to keep looking for Lynette? I'm going to need somebody with more authority to tell me to stop. I said I've never harmed Lynette and I never would harm Lynette and I want to find Lynette. No one has told me not to stop looking and I'm going to keep looking. My one job, my one job was to look out for her and, and that has not happened.

And I'm going to keep looking out for her now. It's best I can't. It was April 4th near Elbow K when Hooker claims Lynette fell overboard from their dinghy while they were heading back to their anchored yacht. She basically just bounced off the dinghy in the middle of a little blow,

like 20-some-knit winds that popped up on a pretty cool half-mile maybe trip back to the dinghy and single thing failed every single thing. we weren't wearing live jackets. It was sundown and the sunset like basically 10 minutes after she fell over. Dingy Killed her with her because it wasn't clipped to anything or anybody. And she had the spare Dingiki in her dry bag, which was with her. The wind blew us apart so fast that I think I think she tried to swim back to the sailboat, back to our sailboat. Lynette's family is painting a much darker picture. Her mother describes Hooker as a mean and hateful drunk, alleging Lynette

had considered leaving him several times. The most chilling details come from Lynette's daughter, who claims Hooker has a history of violence, including a previous incident where he allegedly choked Lynette and threatened to throw her overboard. Public records back up a pattern of volatile behavior. In 2005, Brian was charged with child abuse for allegedly choking his daughter from a previous relationship. Stepdaughter Carly Aylesworth, remembering the incident vividly. I've seen him choke out one of his daughters before and we had to go to court for that and I was only in third grade. So he's just repeating patterns. Ten years later, a domestic dispute where Lynette claimed Brian choked her and punched her in the forehead during a drunken rage. Meanwhile, Hooker's

attorney says Carly is not to be believed. She has a medical history that needs to be looked in. She's on certain medication. She can be easily influenced, and that may be affecting what she's saying as well as her grief at this time. As of today, the search for Lynette Hooker has officially shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission. With Hooker's departure from the islands in a history of domestic allegations surfacing, many are left wondering if local authorities have made a mistake. More Crime and Justice News after this. A tragedy in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina has left a community mourning and a military family seeking answers.

A 21-year-old U.S. Marine is dead, and the man charged with his murder is a career criminal, with a record spanning over 30 years. Early Easter Sunday, around 2 am., the 100 block of North Front Street, a popular spot for Marines stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune, devolved into a scene of chaotic brawling. Wilmington police arrived to find a nightmare. Video circulating online shows officers using pepper spray to disperse the crowd before finding Lance Corporal Daniel Montano. Montano, assigned to the 1st Battalion 2nd Marines, was standing on the sidewalk, bent over, and bleeding heavily from a stab wound to the neck. Despite efforts to save him, the young Marine succumbed to his injuries. Officers found a second stabbing victim, with injuries he ultimately survived. Police have arrested 47-year-old Davy Spencer, charging him with second-tabbing victim.

degree murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. His criminal record dates back to 1995, starting when he was just 16 years old. Over three decades, his rap sheet grew to include felony hit and runs and drug trafficking, multiple counts of assault on a female, and a 2015 conviction as a habitual felon. Spencer served several years in state prison following that habitual felon status, only to be released in January 2021. Since his release, the arrests haven't stopped. In 2023, he was arrested twice, and as recently as last summer, he served 27 days for resisting an officer and drug possession. Now he stands accused of ending a young life. While the legal case against Spencer moves forward, the focus remains on the victim. Daniel Montano was more than just his uniform. His family

describes him as a source of light, a devoted son and brother who served his country with pride. A GoFundMe has been established by his family to help bring the young Marine home for his spinal rest. authorities have yet to confirm what sparked the initial fight that led to this fatal encounter. A life of service cut short by a man who spent his life in and out of the system. For the latest crime and justice breaking news, be sure to tune in tomorrow on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Sidney. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.