Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Kohberger Crossed Paths With Idaho Four Survivor Before Stabbing Spree | CRIME ALERT RECAP 01.03.2026

Episode Date: January 3, 2026

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here's some of our top stories this week: Convicted killer Bryan Kohberger may have crossed paths with one of the University of Idaho Four Victims' surviving roommates just three days before his brutal stabbing spree. A mom is forced to watch as cemetery workers dig up her son in a double-booking burial nightmare. The horrific incident the result of a clerical error the court says.  A well-known farmer from California, Michael Abatti, has been extradited to Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his estranged wife. Academy Award winner Will Smith accused of Sexual Harassment and "deliberate grooming" by an artist hired to play violin on Smith's "Based on a True Story: 2025 Tour".     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 Dave Mack. Idaho murderer Brian Coburger may have come face-to-face with one of his victim's roommates. Just three days prior to the heinous killings,

Coburger was in the same target within two hours of one of his victim surviving roommates, Bethany Funk. A police report shows a receipt at the department store, Fort BF, at 4.9 p.m. November 10, 2022, three days before the massacre and roughly an hour and a half before Koberger checked out at the same store at 542 p.m. BF is an apparent reference to one of the surviving roommates, Bethany Funk. Funk shared the off-campus house with five roommates in the small town of Moscow, Idaho, living roughly 15 minutes from Koberger's apartment in Pullman, Washington. It is unclear what town the target was in. Now, since Kovberger began living

his lifelong stint in prison, he's been making headlines for repeatedly complaining to staff about inmates harassing him and even complaining about the type of bananas he's being given. Coburger is not responding well to his new status as reflected in his frequent complaints just days after his arrival at the facility. Brian Coburger is also said to be deeply unpopular with the other inmates and guards, which seems to be linked to his alleged patronizing attitude. adjusting to prison life might have been easier if the other inmates had accepted Coburger but over five months into his sentence he appears to have only made things worse for

himself he was met with a cold reception upon arrival with many inmates reportedly taunting him through the vents between filing complaints about the prison food and taunts from fellow inmates convicted killer coburger has been trying to get in touch with serial killers from around the country no word on if coburg has been successful at establishing connections with those he feels worthy of his time. Director of the Cold Case Foundation, Chris McDonough, says Coburger has been making overtures to other high-profile killers and sees himself above everyone around him. A grieving mother was forced to witness the unthinkable as cemetery workers unearthed her son's

final resting place to make room for a billionaire family's son. Paula Tigno, 62, sat in the grass at Skyline Memorial Gardens, pleading with crews to halt the exhumation of her 20-year-old son, Tiber Harrison, after a judge ruled the plot legally belonged to the science of a massive food empire. The devastating incident was triggered by a clerical error at the Northwest Portland funeral home, which sold the same burial plot twice. Tinyo's husband, David Williams, spoke to the media. I think the humanity or lack of it, the cruelty and someone feeling so entitled that they just wanted that piece of property when someone's son is already in the ground. It was sort of unfathorable. The Rieser family owners of the multi-billion-dollar Rissers Fine Foods Company purchased the site in 2019. following the overdose death of their son, Alex.

Unaware of the prior sale, Tigno bought the same allegedly newly created space in 2021 to house a vault containing Tiber's baby teeth, a lock of hair, and a portion of his ashes. The promising 20-year-old student had been killed on March 29th of 2016 when a truck plowed into him as he walked near the University of Central Florida, campus in Orlando. When the blunder was discovered, the cemetery admitted to negligence over the

double booking, but insisted on honoring the Reeser's earlier contract. Skyline tried to make things right by reportedly offering a refund of the $16,000 that Tigno paid. It also offered to re- bury her son's vault just a few feet away, but she reportedly never responded to the offer. A Multnomah County judge ultimately sided with the Rieser family ordering the removal of Tiber's remains and his memorial bench. While the Rieser family was reportedly ordered into the litigation against their wishes, they maintained their claim to the plot where they intend to install their own memorial bench near their son's grave. In a separate civil trial, a jury found the cemetery negligent but determined it did not. not inflict severe emotional distress on Tigno, largely because she had placed unauthorized cremains in the vault. Her attorney, Darien Stanford, called the outcome, quote, profoundly

sad, noting that a mother should not be penalized for not reading the fine print while burying her child. In the meantime, the family says they will keep their sons' remains at home until they find a place where Tyber can truly rest in peace. A well-known farmer from California, Michael Abbottie, has been extradited to Arizona and has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his estranged wife. The 63-year-old entered his plea on Wednesday, December 31, during his initial court appearance at the Navajo County Superior Court held in California last month.

The victim, Carrie, and Abadi, 59, was discovered dead at their second residence in Arizona, where she had relocated following their separation. Currently, a body is being held at the Navajo County Jail on a bond set at $5.5 million, according to the prosecutors. His attorneys expressed their concerns regarding a body's health and stated that if he were to be released, he would continue his medical treatment while adhering to the conditions of the bond. We urge the public to refrain from forming judgments, he remarked. For many years, he has been a respected member of the community, actively supporting charitable initiatives, and deserves a fair trial, just like anyone else facing serious allegations. Authorities allege that

on November 20, a body traveled from California to Arizona, committed the murder, and then returned to California shortly after. The Navajo County Sheriff's Office announced on December 23 that they conducted searches of various residents, properties, vehicles, and camp trailers linked to the Abadi family in California, recovering, quote, a significant amount of evidence that contributed to Michael Abadi's arrest. Regarding the motive, Sheriff David Klaus stated during a subsequent press conference that he couldn't pinpoint a specific reason but acknowledged the couple's impending divorce. The one clear factor is that there is a divorce underway and they were unable to reach an agreement, said the sheriff.

Yeah, I mean, I can't get into specifics, but I think one of the big things was she was living alone and she had left her husband and was living in pine top and was trained, was working through a divorce that had been dragging on for a couple of years, was the glaring things that were poking out. The couple owned Abadi Farms in California, as reported by the Desert Sun, which accessed their divorce documents. Michael reportedly found the divorce unexpected, claiming that Kerry had left him in August 23 while he was on a fishing trip. A pretrial conference and hearing regarding the possibility of release is set for March 17 at the Navajo County Superior Court.

Academy Award winning actor Will Smith accused of sexual harassment and deliberately grooming an artist hired to play violin on Smith's based on a true story, 2025. tour. In a lawsuit filed in L.A., just before the New Year, professional violinist Brian King Joseph alleges Smith was deliberately grooming and priming Joseph for further sexual exploitation. Joseph appeared on the TV show America's Got Talent in 2018, and after first performing with Smith in December 24, was hired to join Smith's 2025 tour. Joseph claims the relationship grew even closer when Smith offered Joseph a chance to play on multiple tracks on his upcoming studio album. In the lawsuit, Joseph claims Smith and plaintiff began spending additional time

alone, with Smith even telling plaintiff that you and I have such a special connection that I don't have with anyone else, and other similar expressions indicating his closeness to the plaintiff according to the documents. Joseph allegedly joined the first leg of the tour in March 2025 in Las Vegas, where he was provided a hotel room booked by Smith and his team. He claims no other individuals besides the crew and hotel staff would have access to his personal room. The violinist claims to place his room key in his bag, which was left in a van responsible for transporting the cast and crew around after a rehearsal at the venue. Management allegedly spent hours retrieving the bag. When Joseph returned to his hotel room later that evening,

he claims to have discovered evidence suggesting that an unknown person had unlawfully entered the room. Joseph subsequently called a hotel security. The lawsuit states, quote, the evidence included a handwritten note addressed to the plaintiff by name, which read, Brian, I'll be back no later, 530, just as, and then a drawn heart, Stone F. Among the remaining belongings were wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual's name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person, unbeknownst to the plaintiff. Joseph feared that an unknown individual would return to his room to engage in sexual acts, and he immediately notified hotel security and representatives for

the defendant, obtained photo documentation, requested a room change, and called the local non-emergency police line, 311, to report the incident. Days later, Joseph claims Smith's team began blaming him for the incident. Rather than being protected against further assault, the complaint states for attempting to understanding plaintiff's complaint plaintiff was shamed by defendant and told that he was being terminated when the plaintiff requested further reasoning tim miller acting on behalf of defendants redirected the blame for the termination onto the plaintiff for flying quote i don't know you tell me because everyone is telling me that what happened to you is a lie nothing happened and you made the whole thing up so tell me why did you lie and make this up unquote. Joseph, at the request of Miller, compiled a timeline to explain his traumatic series of events that occurred that evening. However, following plaintiffs report in termination, defendant hired another violinist to assume the same position on the tour. This hiring strongly suggested the defendant's stated reason for the termination was

pretextual. The facts strongly suggest that defendant, Willard Carroll Smith, the second, was deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation. The sequence of events, Smith's prior statements to plaintiff, and the circumstances of the hotel intrusion, all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident. The lawsuit goes on to state, defendant's actions caused plaintiff's severe emotional distress,

economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages. Plaintiff was also harmed as a result of the stress of losing his job, his health deteriorated causing major physiological damage, plaintiffs suffered from PTSD and other mental illness as a result of determination. More crime and justice news next. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.