Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Crime Alert 07.31.24

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

Woman drowns 7-year-old daughter for some "alone time." Pet shop pilferer caught hamster-handed! For more crime and justice news go to crimeonline.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking crime news now. Brandi Elliott spends a week at her Tennessee home alone with her seven-year-old daughter, Piper. Her husband, John, is in the hospital. Elliott draws Piper a bath, hoping for alone time for herself. But Piper asks Mommy to stay and help her. Instead, Brandi Elliott holds Piper under the water for minutes. When Piper stops struggling, Elliott calls 911 and starts CPR.

But the 7-year-old little girl is dead. Nancy, Elliott and Piper had just been to visit John Elliott, a disabled veteran, after he was moved from critical care. Piper plastered her father's room with coloring book pages and well wishes. Just a few hours later, Piper was killed. Brandy Elliott claims to have previous issues with mental health, but her attorneys do not want her to undergo an evaluation at this time. Brandy Elliott, 33, now charged with murder. Matthew Pancake breaks into multiple Ohio businesses like a shoe store, a restaurant, a pet store, and every time he's always wearing leopard print onesie PJs. Cops, hot on his trail, have to take a brief pause to wrangle bunnies, birds, puppies, and a ferret running loose in

the parking lot. Officers finally find Pancake sleeping on a bench nearby. A brief search reveals four gerbils hidden in Pancake's pajama pockets. None of the animals are hurt, but Pancake's taken to the hospital to get several bites and scratches looked at. Matthew Pancake, 31, now charged with breaking and entering and vandalism. What about ferret kidnap? More Crime and Justice news after this. Now with the latest Crime and Justice breaking news, Crime Online's John Limley.

A 76-year-old Connecticut woman has been found dead at her Burlington home just hours before she was scheduled to be sentenced for the killing of her husband. We turn to Sydney Sumner of Crime Online for more. Connecticut State Police are investigating Linda Kasuda Bigazzi's, quote, untimely death, which occurred after officers were called to her residence for a welfare check. Kasuda Bigazzi had reached a plea deal and was expected to be sentenced to 13 years in prison for the 2017 death of her 84-year-old husband, Dr. Perluigi Begazzi, a professor at UConn Health. In March, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter and larceny, having initially been charged with murder.

She was free on more than $1.5 million bail. In writings found at her home, Kasuda Begazzi claimed she killed her husband with a hammer in self-defense during a dispute over home repairs. Police discovered Dr. Begatsi's body in the couple's basement in February 2018, wrapped in plastic, showing advanced decomposition. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was blunt trauma to the head. Investigators believe Dr. Begatsi died in July 2017, and his paychecks continued to be deposited into a joint account until his body was found. An internal investigation at UConn resulted in disciplinary action against a medical official who failed to monitor Dr. Begatsi's work during that period. Now to Texas, where a former U.S. Army employee has been sentenced after stealing nearly $109 million to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Once again, Crime Online's Sydney Sumner. 57-year-old Janet Yamanaka Mello was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after admitting to embezzling nearly $109 million from a youth development program for children of military families. Mello, a former financial manager at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, used the stolen funds to support a lavish lifestyle, purchasing luxury items including multiple mansions, a fleet of high-end vehicles, and designer accessories. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez handed down the sentence after

Mello pleaded guilty in March to multiple counts of mail fraud and filing false tax returns. The court heard that Mello had created a fictitious organization named Child Health and Youth Lifelong Development to siphon grant money from the military program, submitting over 40 fraudulent applications over six years. U.S. Attorney Jamie Esparza for the Western District of Texas described Mello's actions as a profound betrayal of trust, highlighting her exploitation of her position and expertise. Mello's extravagant spending included a single-day purchase of $923,000 in jewelry in 2022 and the acquisition of 82 vehicles, including a Maserati, Mercedes, and a vintage 1954 Corvette. Mello's defense

attorney, Albert Flores, stated that his client is remorseful and intends for the items bought with the stolen funds to be sold to repay the government. He also mentioned that the defense does not plan to appeal the sentence. This case has drawn close attention due to the scale of the theft and the breach of trust involved, with prosecutors noting that Mello's actions were facilitated by her deep knowledge of the theft and the breach of trust involved, with prosecutors noting that Mello's actions were facilitated by her deep knowledge of the grant system and the trust she had built within her workplace. Thanks, John. Jacqueline Jackie Reyes, 30, moves to Boynton Beach, Florida to get to know her bio dad, Denzel Dixon. She quickly becomes close with her aunt, Joy Dixon, and moves in with her. Two months later,

Denzel passes away from a terminal illness. Jackie doesn't take it well and begins to lash out at the aunt. They argue often, especially over Jackie's unemployment, as the aunt, Joy, struggles to keep up with the bills. After one argument, Jackie storms out of the house with a purse and laptop. Joy assumes she's taking the night to blow off steam, but Jackie never comes back. Police believe Jackie is still in the area, but have not been able to confirm she's safe. Jackie Reyes, missing two years, 5'8", 110 pounds, brown eyes, brown curly hair. Anyone with info on Jackie Reyes, call Palm Beach, Florida Sheriff's 561-688-3740. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com and join us on our daily podcast, Crime Stories. With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace. This is an iHeart Podcast.