Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Evil Dad Hit w Kid Killer Charges, $60mil Bond Days Before Being Freed| Crime Alert 6AM 11.20.2025

Episode Date: November 20, 2025

A Michigan father who was about to taste freedom is suddenly hit with murder charges & a $60mil bond...accused of killing his 3 kids after disastrous Thanksgiving custody visit. The boys vanished without a trace in 2010.  A Tennessee tot is dead, tortured at the hands of his father's girlfriend. Plus, a thief tries to make money off mourning. Jennifer Gould reports.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Alert, hourly update. Breaking Crime News Now. I'm Jennifer Gould. A Michigan father about to walk free after serving time for imprisoning his three young sons just got slapped with a gut-punch act of justice. Almost a year to the day, those boys disappeared.

John Skelton, 53, the dad, who spun a decade-long long about his boys being in an underground sanctuary was just charged with their premeditated murders, a bombshell reveal, driven by his own chilling digital footprint. Michigan State Police Lieutenant Renee Gonzalez spoke to Inside Edition. It was never our intention just to close this case and be happy that he did 15 years. We want him to answer up for the murder of these three boys. Skelton now faces three counts of open murder. and three counts of tampering with evidence in the deaths of Andrew 9, Alexander, 7, and Tanner,

five. Prosecutors announced just days before his scheduled release from Bellamy Creek Correctional facility on November 29th. His prison stint stemmed from his refusal to return the boys to their mom, Tanya Zovers, after a disastrous Thanksgiving custody visit in 2010. Explosive details from County Prosecuting Attorney Jacqueline Wise's probable cause affidavit lay bare a portrait of calculated sinister deception in the frantic week leading up to the boys November 25th, 26th, vanishing. Investigators found Skelton had scoured the Internet for different ways to kill a person. Listen.

Part of the searches included the search for potassium cyanide. The availability of prussic acid is rat poison tasteless and odorless. Can rat poison kill a person? Is it odorless and tasteless? Those were the search terms. What does that mean to you? Definite interest in finding something that could harm or kill someone. The crime scene at his home was found in utter disarray after a botched suicide attempt landed him in the hospital.

Police later discovered a haunting note to Zouvers that, simply read, quote, you will hate me, end quote, which FBI agents now interpret as a veiled admission tied directly to the slayings. This new evidence shatters Skelton's 15-year charade of claiming his sons were merely, quote, hibernating until they graduate, end quote, despite exhaustive searches, the boys' remains remain cruelly elusive. Skelton, who offered zero leads at a March court hearing where his sons were declared legally dead was arraigned. The father was slapped with a staggering $60 million bond, ensuring he stays locked up at the county jail as he awaits a preliminary hearing set for November 24th. If convicted, Skelton faces life behind bars for the

murder of the three boys. For the latest crime and justice news, follow crime stories with Nancy Grace on your favorite podcast app. Also, watch crime stories with Nancy Grace on Fox 1 and YouTube. More crime and justice news after this. A tot in Tennessee was allegedly subjected to a savage night of torture that ended with his brutal execution, police say, at the hands of his father's own girlfriend. Kevin's devastated father Keith Horton spoke to Fox 3rd. I get to the house. She's standing outside. I got the fire department people in the house. When I go on there and see my son, he's ice cold, he purple.

Dominica Mosby 29 is now caged in Memphis, facing first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges in the slang of little Kevin Horton. The horror detailed in charging documents unfolded after Kevin's dad left the three-year-old boy in Mosby's care. Mosby initially lied, claiming the boy was sick and vomiting, a claim vehemently denied by Kevin's aunt who had dropped him off, in quote, perfect health, end quote. Mosby later broke, admitting she first pressed a lit cigarette into the toddler's ear. When the child writhing in pain, urinated on the floor, she retaliated with calculated cruelty using a lighter to inflict burns on his genitals. investigators revealed. The savage assault escalated to a murderous climax when the frustrated Mosby said she stomped on Kevin's stomach with the heel of her boot and repeatedly pummeled his torso and chest with open and closed fists because he wouldn't lie down. The Shelby County Medical

Examiner's report confirmed the child's death was a homicide resulting from blunt force trauma and thermal injuries, noting a lacerated liver, internal bleeding in the abdomen, extensive bruising across his small body and severe burns to his ear and genitals. The fatal attack occurred sometime before 3 a.m. when Mosby finally called police, claiming she woke up to find the boy unresponsive. The aunt, who had noticed prior suspicious marks on the boy, including a split lip and deep cheek bruises also told investigators the prior injuries were inconsistent with rough play suggesting a pattern of abuse. Mosby remains in Shelby County Jail. Held without bond, the investigation continues. And finally, a case of dirt nap drama in Alabama. Peter Petiti,

40, is locked up after running the most despicable six-speed under hustle ever. Police say this serial burglar wasn't using a simple map. He was using obituaries and Facebook to target homes where residents had just passed away. He waited for residents to check out to the funeral before he checked in to steal jewels, electronics, and heirlooms. That's literally grave robbing. Petiti, who was already out on bond, was busted again during a traffic stop in alabaster. his bond has been revoked, and he's facing burglary charges. Petiti tried to turn mourning into money, but now this uninvited guest will be shacking up in the slammer instead.

No condolence cards for this crook. For the latest crime and justice news, follow the Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this crime alert, I'm Jennifer Gould. This is an I-Heart podcast. Thank you.