Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Effort to Unseal Epstein Grand Jury Records Likely to Fall Short, Say Former Prosecutors | Crime Alert 6AM 07.22.25

Episode Date: July 22, 2025

The Justice Department is moving to unseal grand jury transcripts in the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. But former federal prosecutors say the move is unlikely to reveal much—if anything—new.  A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the shooting deaths of a longtime American Idol music supervisor and her husband in Los Angeles. A New York City man who stabbed two teenage tourists at Grand Central Terminal on Christmas Day has been sentenced to up to 29 years in prison.  In Los Angeles… a man with a violent criminal record is accused of driving into a crowd on a sidewalk in East Hollywood, injuring 36 peopleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime alert. I'm John Lemley. The Justice Department is moving to unseal grand jury transcripts in the federal sex trafficking cases of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. But former federal prosecutors say the move is unlikely to reveal much, if anything, new. Federal Todd Blanch submitted the request, urging federal judges to release transcripts from grand jury proceedings that led to charges about Epstein and Maxwell. Blanch said the goal is greater transparency for the American public. But former Manhattan assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Kristoff called the move, quote, a distraction, suggesting it's more political theater than meaningful action. She told the Associated Press that in her words, it really is nothing.

Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail cell in August 2019, just one month after his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. He was 66. Maxwell, now 63, is serving a 20-year sentence following her 2021 conviction for recruiting underage girls for Epstein. Krizov and other former federal prosecutor Joshua Nephtalus say the grand jury transcripts likely contain little beyond the bare minimum needed to secure indictments. Both described a long-standing practice in the Southern District of New York,

present narrowly tailored cases to grand juries using agent testimony, not lengthy witness accounts. Neftalis estimated the transcripts may only span a few hundred pages, possibly as few as 60. Kresov added the Southern District's strategy is to, quote, spoon feed the indictment to the jury, leaving out deeper details the public might expect. Judges may ultimately deny the Justice Department's request. In Maxwell's case, legal appeals remain active, including a petition before the U.S. Supreme Court. In Epstein's, the concern is over the privacy of victims, many of whom

have never been publicly identified. As Khrisov put it, this is not a decades-old case. It's ongoing and for now, much of it remains sealed. Thanks, John. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com and please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories. More crime and justice news after this. Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news, crime online's John Lemley. A 22 year old man has been charged with murder and the shooting deaths of a long time American idol

music supervisor and her husband in Los Angeles. Police say Raymond Budarian was burglarizing the Encino home of Robin Kay and Thomas DeLuca on July 10th and shot the couple when they returned unexpectedly. Officers found the victims both 70 during a welfare check. Budarian was arrested the next day. He faces two counts of murder and one of first-degree burglary. Arraignment is set for August 20th. Kay had worked on American Idol for more than 15 years and was active on the upcoming season. A New York City man who

stabbed two teenage tourists at Grand Central Terminal on Christmas Day has been sentenced up to 29 years in prison. 38-year-old Esteban Esonu Oswe, also known as Steven Hutcherson, was convicted last month of assault and other charges. Prosecutors say he used a fork to scratch a woman, then stabbed a 16-year-old girl in the back and a 14-year-old in the leg before dropping the knife and surrendering. All three victims, visiting from Paraguay, survived. The older teen suffered injuries to her lung and diaphragm. Witnesses say Osono Oswe made racially charged remarks before the attack, though no hate

crime charges were included in his conviction. Just weeks earlier, he had pleaded guilty to assault in a separate case. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg called the attack horrific and said New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in transit spaces. In Los Angeles, a man with a violent criminal record is accused of driving into a crowd on a sidewalk in East Hollywood, injuring 36 people. 29-year-old Fernando Ramirez of San Clemente was behind the wheel when his Nissan Versa struck pedestrians, a food cart, and a valet stand outside the Vermont Hollywood venue. Police say Ramirez was attacked by bystanders and

later found to have been shot. It's unclear whether the shooting happened before or after the crash. The gunman remains at large. Ramirez, who's on parole, has at least 11 prior criminal cases, including a 2019 felony battery conviction and an open domestic battery case from 2022. He's expected to face new charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Thanks, John. For the latest crime and justice news, go to CrimeOnline.com and please join us for our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and solve unsolved homicides.

With this Crime Alert, I'm Nancy Grace.