Hidden True Crime - LISK Charged Again, Delphi Sentencing, & Shanna Gardner Death Penalty Battle

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

A new addition to our Podcast series: Hidden Updates! LISK Charged Again, Delphi Sentencing, & Shanna Gardner Death Penalty Battle | Hidden Updates 12/19 Subscribe for additional episodes and seasons coming in 2025 What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a Princeton educated forensic psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an award-winning investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime Unwind this holiday season with the help of Dream when you click https://shopbeam.com/hiddentruecrime and enter code TRUECRIME for up to 35% off. Articles about Lauren's brother Jamis: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/wu-tang-nft-album-once-upon-time-shaolin-1244859/ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/arts/music/wu-tang-clan-once-upon-a-time-in-shaolin.html Our Sponsors:* Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/HIDDENTRUECRIME* Check out Acorns: https://acorns.com/HIDDENTRUECRIME* Check out Armoire and use my code HIDDENTRUECRIME for a great deal: https://www.armoire.style* Check out Effecty and use my code HIDDENTRUECRIME for a great deal: https://www.effecty.com* Check out Happy Mammoth and use my code HIDDENTRUECRIME for a great deal: https://happymammoth.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-a-true-crime-podcast1836/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I'm going to have an honest moment with you. I hope it's okay. Personal moment. But 20 months ago, my baby brother was severely injured in a tragic accident. Many of you do know this. You know what it happened. My brother, Jamie is, though. I call him Jamie.

That's his nickname. His name is James. And he and I were very close. Very. I was seven years older than him or M, seven years older than him. And he was remarkable, kind, brilliant, humble. creative, the whole everything. He was also just so supportive of me. And just before his accident, he was featured in the New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine. I am such a proud big sister.

I'll actually have links to those articles in the description of this episode or video, whether you're watching on our podcast or YouTube. I guess why am I saying this? I think I'll get to the point here. Jamie lived more life in 35 years than most do in 80, and I admired him for that. And he was so supportive. He actually told me that he wanted to invest in hidden true crime. And I accepted, and we talked about what we were going to do. And what we planned to do was actually a news type of a program or headlines. The latest in many cases, HTC covers. Of course, we never got there. James's brain never recovered like we had hoped and hasn't the last 20 months since that terrible crash. James is still with us. I want to make that clear. But I also want to make it clear that I did

say some goodbyes this weekend. I am heartbroken. And so in his honor, I wanted to try something that Jamie and I never got to do, which is bringing headlines to you, are hidden gems. And I would like to start with Delphi, a major update in justice for Abby Williams and Libby German, and also because I am headed to Delphi, Indiana tonight. Back in November, after the lengthy trial that I attended with 18 days of testimony, 64 witnesses and nearly 400 exhibits, Richard Allen was convicted of killing 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abby Williams best friends. And this week, Richard Allen returns to court just before Christmas for a sentencing on Friday, December 20th.

The sentencing is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., although we don't know how long it's actually going to go. And once again, there will be no cameras or any electronics of any kind in the courtroom, not even my Apple watch here. And during that time, we are expected to hear from the victim's family members, possibly members of the Allen family, I'm unsure. and we will also most likely hear from both the defense and prosecution. I do hope to be in the courtroom and I am hours away from getting on a flight. So stick with me and I will bring you the very latest from Indiana. And major updates in another case that we've been following. The Rex Cureman case on Tuesday, Rex often referred to as the Long Island serial killer

or the Gilgo Beach serial killer was officially charged with a seventh murder. A quick recap for those of you who aren't familiar. familiar with this case and I will do that so that we can all get caught up in all of these cases so that come 2025 you guys will all be updated back in 2010 a woman named Shannon Gilbert went missing in Long Island, New York. And as they were searching for her, human remains for 10 different people, including one toddler, were found. Now, some of the victims matched other remains that were found years before. And so this was like finding the rest of their remains in this area. And they were uncovered during the search, 10 different sets of remains. And however,

despite the scrisly discovery, no one knew how all of these people, mostly female sex workers, ended up in this same area. There were connections made between the murders, but who did it and why they did it remained a mystery until that is July 2023 when Rex Heerman was arrested and charged with the murder of three of the 10 victims. Their names were Melissa Bartholome, Megan Waterman, and Amber Costello. And six months later, Cureman was charged with a fourth murder, the murder of Maureen-Branard Barnes. And this past June, he was charged with two more murders. Sandra Costilla, whose body was found back in the 90s, and Jessica Taylor, whose skull was found back in 2003 and more remains were found of Jessica in 2011. So then this Tuesday, Rex was officially

charged with the murder of Valerie Mack. As we all know by now, today my office filed a superseding indictment charging the defendant Yermann with a seventh charged murder in the second degree for the murder of Valerie Mack, which occurred in 2000. I remind everyone that all of these cases and all of these murders are just allegations and we look forward to proving them in court as i've previously stated the work of the gilgo task force is ongoing and continuing and when when i said that i meant what i said uh the defendant is now charged with the murder of seven young women sandra castia from 1993 valerary mac from 2000 the jessica taylor from 2003 mooreen brainard Barnes from 2007 Melissa Bartholomey from 2009 Megan Warderman from 2000 I'm sorry

from 2010 in June and Amber Costello from September of 2010 again they occurred between 1993 and 2010 we are here because the Gilgo task force has continued to work together to obtain not only evidence for the charge crimes but has continued to work on other uncharged crimes as well and I am grateful for the great work that the Google Task Force has done and of course not only my office and my team but the other agencies who have worked with us and we're gonna we're gonna talk about that in a while as you've also probably noticed we here with us today are the victims family members I think pretty much every charged victim their

family members are here specifically we're joined by Joanne and Edwin Mack who are the parents of Valerie Mac you know through the grand jury process we get to learn a little bit about our victims and we did that through the Mac family and Valerie is very similar to the other victims in this case extraordinary person the family are extraordinary people and we are honored to prosecute this case for for for Valerie and her family on behalf of Valerie and her family and again I think the Mack family is emblematic of the other families in this case who have steadfastly stood by their their their loved ones and

jealously guarded their memories and you know we have nothing but respect and admiration for those victims' families. Now, Valerie first went missing back in 2000 when she was just 24 years old. Part of her remains were found later that year by three hunters. And then her skull and right foot were found in 2011. And although it took until 2020 for law enforcement to identify her, it's very clear that Valerie's murder was extremely brutal. Both of her hands were severed. Her right leg was cut off and her torso arm and legs were all tied with rope. Authorities say, Rex was linked to the murder based on a female hair, linked to his wife and daughter, that was found on Valerie's body. And aside from the DNA on the hair, authorities discussed the other

evidence they had during this press conference. Take a listen. We placed some other evidence with regard to the planning document, specifically, if you recall, the HK document, which we've referred to as the planning document. We see that one of the dump sites which were discussed in that document was Mill Road, which was the road that Valerie was found in the vicinity of. We also have seen during our searches a number of articles with regard to the Gilgo Beach investigation in various publications like people. There was a New York Times magazine article about the Gilgo investigation, which was found in the defendant's safe, as well as other news articles in which the discovery of the bodies of Sandra, Jessica, and Valerie are found, and those newspapers were retained by the defendant, as well as information when Valerie was identified when she was positive, when she went from being, I believe she was Jane Doe, number six, and then through the work of the FBI, we were able to. able to establish that it was Valerie, that the body was Valerie's. That there was internet searches

done from, from devices controlled by the defendant at her around the time that she was first identified. So, you know, that's the evidence in this case. Again, it's just that. It's evidence. It's allegations. And we look forward to proving them at court. Now, they did allow questions. at the end of the press conference, and they shared even more about the evidence against Rex. Surrey, a bail application, the evidence and the allegations you mentioned, things that are found either in the home or his office, I wasn't sure if that was the Manhattan office,

but you talked also about the newspaper articles. There was evidence of a plumber being called to the home. Could you go over it? Yeah, so, you know, again, if you look at the planning document, It's discussed of foam, you know, drain foaming cleaner and, you know, issues with regard to that. And at around the time of the commission of this crime, there was a plumber did go to the Uerman residence. So you're thinking that some of the murders could have taken place in the problem? Well, I mean, obviously we don't have to, we don't have to specifically prove where they have.

We just you know we have to we have other elements that we need to prove but I think if you look at this case if you look at the planning document if you look at the adhesive The adhesive staining on the walls and sort of enclosed pattern certainly all of that is consistent with the Commission of those murders occurring at the home attorney Pitch his toddler daughter is down very close on Mission Parkway to Valerie Mann. Would that lead you to believe that that you're responsible for the Todd Love and teaches? It doesn't matter what I believe, as I say,

matters what I can prove. And, you know, what we've done, and to the extent we've been able to have success is you take each one of these cases, you take each one of the location of the bodies, and you use that as a separate investigation and a separate crime scene until you're specifically given clues which which allow you to put them together so until we're able to do that we won't speak on that and we speak on we speak to indictments well put a follow-up when Rex Eurman loudly proclaiming in court that he's not guilty of any of these charges just please listen that's that's the process and you know right now he's absolutely right these are allegations and it's our obligation to prove them so we're

We're going to be held to our burden. We're going to be held to our task, and we look forward to doing that. Valerie's leg being cut off is in line with a planning document found on Rex's computer that Rex allegedly made, which could also be referred to as basically a how to get away with murder guide. In that he talked about removing tattoos, which he considered ID marks. Valerie had a tattoo of her son's name on her right leg. Rex appeared in court on Tuesday where he told the judge, quote, Your Honor, I am not guilty of any of these charges, end quote.

Rex's attorney plans to argue that the fifth and sixth murders he was charged with for Sandra Costilla and Jessica Taylor should be tried separately. And now it looks like he's going to do the same argument when it comes to the seventh murder he's been charged with. We also know that his attorney is going to be trying to get a change of venue as he believes the media coverage in this case severely hinders the ability to have a fair trial. And in his words, the only place to have a fair trial would be Mars because the jury pool has been poisoned. So to get caught up on this case, if you want more on this case, you can check out our full Gilgo Beach playlist

or our full Gilgo Beach podcast season. And now on to Corey Richens. Last Thursday, December 12, Corey Ridgins appeared in court for a free trial hearing in regards to her upcoming trial that is scheduled to begin in April. Now, if you need a deep dive on this case, our full backstory is also linked in the description of this episode. And that's what I always do, by the way, anything we bring up that you feel is important, always check the description of our videos or our podcast episodes to find what we are discussing. But for a quick overview, in March 22, Eric Richens died under suspicious circumstances after allegedly drinking a Moscow mule prepared by his wife, Corey Richens, in bed, because Corey claimed he was celebrating the purchase, or they were celebrating, I should say, the purchase of a new investment property that Corey had made. And when his death was investigated, it was found that he

had five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. And after his death, Corey finalized the sale on this $2 million investment property, released a children's book on grief, and sued Eric's sister over the trust all before she was arrested and charged with his murder 14 months later. As the case progressed, Corey wrecked up 11 charges in total, which were, are you ready for this? Felony, aggravated murder, attempted criminal homicide, two counts of district of a controlled substance, two counts of mortgage fraud, two counts of fraudulent insurance claim, and three counts of forgery. That's quite the list. Over time in the months following her arrest, we learned more details in the case, including the fact that Corey had been allegedly

trying to get rid of Eric for quite some time. Just a couple of weeks before his death, he had reached out to friends saying he thought Corey was trying to poison him. That's not a red flag. And this was after he had eaten a sandwich on Valentine's Day, that prosecutors say was laced. Not only that, but police received a tip from an informant who turned out to be a dealer who claimed they had sold fentanyl to Corey before Eric died. And then to top it off, it was discovered that Corey was in serious financial distress at the time of Eric's death. She had a number, or I said to say a negative number. She had a negative number in her bank account, owing more than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor. She also had purchased multiple life insurance policies on Eric. It is alleged that due to

their prenuptial agreement, she believed that she would inherit his trust. However, she had no idea that Eric had, well, made his sister the trustee on his estate. And of course, let's also throw in that Corey was having an affair with the handyman. So Corey ended up, pleading not guilty to all 11 charges. And then just last month, the two counts of distribution of a controlled substance were dropped. It was also decided she would be tried separately on two of the three counts of forgery and the two mortgage fraud charges stemming from things that happened before Eric died. So in other words, that will be a completely different trial, not this one that's about to come up and that I'm about to tell you. But well, last week, when Corey appeared in court for another

pretrial hearing. The scheduled 2025 trial was lengthened an extra week after both the prosecution and the defense were worried about not having enough time to argue their case. Corrie's team let the court know that they planned to have quite the defense prepared for her, which possibly, get this, includes Corey testifying at her own murder trial. They said that if Corey testifies, it will be lengthy. That was the word they used, lengthy. They also dealt with issues regarding jury selection, both sides wanted jurors from both Summit County, where the crime occurred, as well as Salt Lake County, a neighboring county in Utah. However, the judge has currently ruled that they will not be able to call jurors from Salt Lake. Corey's attorney has said, though,

that they plan to appeal that decision. Corey returns to court on January 23rd, 2025, for another pretrial hearing, where they will decide what evidence will be allowed in during her trial that is scheduled for April 21st, 2025. That's the plan right now. I was actually just recently in Midway, Utah, and checked out Corey's investment property, the one that she was allegedly celebrating with her husband, Eric, the night he died. Well, you can find that video on our YouTube channel, Hidden True Crime, if you want to see that. It's two kitchens, 12 bathrooms. It's massive. And now let's get to a very recent case that we have been following very closely for the very beginning, and that is

Luigi Mangione. There has been no shortage of updates in the Luigi Mangione case. And most recently, he was formally indicted in the New York Supreme Court this week. According to court documents, he is charged with the following, one count of murder in the first degree. That changed, by the way. Remember the original charge was second degree. So here we go. One count of murder in the first degree in furtherance of terrorism. Two counts of murder in the second degree. One is charged as killing as an act of terrorism. Two counts of second degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Four counts of third degree criminal possession of a weapon. One count of fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. There was a press conference to announce the indictment and give more details on the charges and what They mean. Take a listen. Let me tell you a bit about the facts. On November 24th, we alleged that the defendant arrived in New York City to murder Brian Thompson.

After the defendant arrived in New York City on a bus at Port Authority, he checked into the hostel on the Upper West Side using the name Mark Rosario with a fake New Jersey ID. On the morning of December 4th, the defendant left the hospital, hostile, excuse me, just after 530 a.m. traveled to midtown. For nearly an hour, we alleged the defendant waited in the area near the Hilton Hotel, waiting for Mr. Thompson to appear. From 6.38 a.m. to 6.44 a.m., the defendant stood across from the entrance of the hotel on West 54th Street. When he saw Mr. Thompson, he crossed the street and approached him from behind. We allege he then took out a 9mm 3D printed ghost gun, equipped with a 3D printed suppressor, and shot him once in the back and once in the leg. The defendant then fled northeast on 54th Street and took an e-bike uptown before getting into a taxi that took him to West 178th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. On December 9th, the defendant was spotted at McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

police were notified he was arrested and he was found with a nine millimeter handgun a suppressor two ammunition magazines and the same fake new jersey id he used at the hostel i want to say a word about ghost guns these weapons are increasingly proliferating throughout new york city and the entire country involving technology will only make this problem worse last year over 80 Ghost guns and ghost gun parts were recovered in Manhattan alone. The NYPD and the Manhattan DA's office have been leading in the interdiction of these ghost guns. And one thing I want to make clear, they're unseuralized. They can be printed out.

But is this case tragically makes clear they are just as deadly as traditional firearms. This will remain a priority for us here in Manhattan. Well, during the press conference, the NYPD commissioner brought up the social media uproar that has been circulating since the arrest of Luigi. Most people don't realize how much their personal information is being bought and sold every day. Data brokers are making billions, pulling details about you from public records and the internet, and then packaging and selling it, usually without your consent. That's how your information lands in the hands of scammers, spammers, even stalkers.

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ORA gives you all of it, together, at the same price competitors charge for just one. one service. Start your free trial today atora.com slash remove. Protect yourself now atora.com slash remove. You know about this case. You probably know about how much people are talking about this on social media, not just social media, but also the media. Make a listen. In the nearly two weeks since Mr. Thompson's killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder. social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack. People ghoulishly plastered posters threatening the CEOs, other CEOs, with an X over Mr. Thompson's picture, as though he was some sort of a sick trophy.

And yesterday, the New York Post reported that some extreme activists were circulating a deck of cards with other most wanted CEOs to be targeted for assassination. These are the threats of a lawless, violent mob who would trade in their own vigilanteism for the rule of law that protects us all. Let me say this plainly. There is no heroism in what Mangione did. This was a senseless act of violence.

It was a cold and calculated crime that stole a life and put New Yorkers at risk. We don't celebrate murders and we don't lionize the killing of anyone. And any attempt to rationalize this is vile, reckless, and offensive to our deeply held principles of justice. What's one financial lesson you learned the hard way? I'll go first. It's not too late to start saving. Today's episode is sponsored by Acorns.

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Head to Acorns.com slash hidden true crime or download the Acorns app to get started. Paid non-client endorsement. Compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns, Tier 1 compensation provided. Investing involves risk, Acorns Advisors, LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. A few important disclosures at acorns.com slash hidden true crime. Hormonal changes are so hard to see the least. Hot flashes, anyone else. Add in the thousands of hormone disruptors that are in our environment.

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Right now, our listeners can get 20% off their entire order at TrueDiagnostic.com by using code hidden true crime at checkout. That's True Diagnostic, T-R-U-D-A-G-N-O-S-T-I-C-C-com.com. just use code hidden true crime to save 20% off. Plus, if you subscribe, you'll get an additional 20% off. Discover your true age today. We have all seen the media uproar, and it has made us question, does publicity impact the legal process of a case? As we were researching this case,

we learned that a Florida woman was arrested after threatening Blue Cross and Blue Shield after they denied her claim. A 42-year-old woman named Brianna Boston was on the, the phone with the insurance company and was upset about the denial of her claims. Well, toward the end of the call, she told the representative on the phone, quote, delay, denied, depose, you people are next, end quote. Well, she has now been charged with threats to conduct a mass shooting or active terrorism. When police talked with Brianna, she apologized and told them that the reason she had used those words is because it's been in the news lately, which is true,

kind of. The bullets Luigi had had similar words deny, defend, and depose. I think that's what Brianna probably meant to say, but it makes me question, and I've been talking about this with Dr. John, does significant media coverage cause coffee cat crimes?

Does it make things worse? And thankfully though, Brianna never did do anything. And shifting back to Luigi for a bit. Something interesting. Luigi's grandma actually left millions for her family members. an inheritance, around 30 million, to be exact. But wait for this.

She has one condition, and that is no grandchild receiving an inheritance could be, quote, charged, indicted, convicted of, or plead guilty to any felony, end quote. So it looks like Luigi won't just be denied insurance, but actually his possible family's inheritance. Very interesting. We have also learned that Luigi's mother told investigators that based on the photos, she was shown of Luigi. She couldn't be sure it was him,

but that the shooting, quote, might be something she could see him doing, end quote. This conversation happened after a police sergeant in San Francisco who was handling the missing persons report filed by Luigi's mom in November, called the FBI and told them that the photo seemed to resemble Luigi. Attorney Bragg also discussed that Luigi's intent was to show terror, hence the terrorism charges.

And Dr. John, my co-ho, host has said the same thing about terror. And if you want an in-depth look on the hidden motives of Luigi Mangione from a forensic or criminal psychologist, check out our last two episodes on YouTube or our podcast. And lastly, the past couple of weeks, there have been some major updates in the Shana Gardner case that we have been following very closely. So on February 16th, so for a backstory, for all those new to the case, or if you need a fresh reminder, February 16th, 2022. 32, 33-year-old Microsoft Executive and a father of four, Jared Bridegan, was murdered in Jacksonville, Florida. He was on his way home after dropping his 10-year-old twins

off with their mother, Shanna. And a side note, Shanna, his ex-wife, is an heiress to a wealthy Mormon family's MLM crafting company. This is true, the crafting company called Stampin Up. So as Jared was driving home with his two-year-old daughter, Bexley, in the car from his new marriage, he noticed a tire in the road. And when he stepped out of his car to move the tire, he was quickly gunned down in front of his little two-year-old. The investigation into his murder began and fingers immediately were pointed at Shanna, due to Jared and Shanna's extremely intense, years-long custody battle over the twins after their divorce. And Shanna absolutely denied any involvement in Jared's murder.

And then after that major denial and an interview with the Florida News, she whisked her twins away to Washington State, a move on the other side of the country. Nearly one year, though, after Jared was killed, a man named Henry Tennant was arrested and charged with murdering Jared. Although it turns out, according to prosecutors, Henry was just the hitman. But he was also beyond, and I don't mean just the hitman. Stick with me here. He was the hitman. According to prosecutors, he pulled the trigger.

But he was also the previous tenant of a property owned by Shanna's new husband, Mario Fernandez. So Henry quickly took a plea deal and he gave info to police, which then led to the arrest of Mario in March of 2023, followed by Shanna in August of 2023. Shanna and Mario are both currently in jail awaiting trial. So I'm getting to our update. Stick with me here. On the day of Shanna's arrest back in 2023, Shelly Gardner, Shanna's mom quickly secured custody of the twins by making sure she was in town

and waiting outside of Shiana's Washington State House when Shiana was arrested. Shelly has allegedly for over a year refused to let the Bridegan family see the twins. Shanna's mom, Shelly Gardner, the matriarch to this large, again, Mormon family, and a multi-millionaire due to being the founder of this multi-level marketing crafting company stepping up. Well, she has been living in Shanna's Washington House that she actually purchased for Shanna. She's been living there ever since Shanna's arrest with the twins. But Jared's parents, they also want guardianship of the children.

And rightfully so, in my opinion, they want to be able to see Jared's children, their grandchildren after. losing their son to murder. It's a heartbreaking that this hasn't happened, which makes it seem as if Shannon Gardner's alleged motive to murder is honestly being honored, right? Doesn't that seem like what it is? Like, if the motive, according to prosecutors, is a custody battle, that it's almost like her motive for murder is being honored and carried out by her wealthy parents. Well, here's the latest. Okay, so now we're coming to this major update. It looks as if both sides recently came to an agreement, and that agreement means that Shanna and Jared's twins will continue to stay in Washington with Shanna's mother, where they were relocated after

Jared's death. But the Bridegans will also allegedly get some hesitation now. An alleged joint statement was released last week that reads, and I'm going to quote this here, as the grandparents of Liam and Abigail Bridegan. We the Bridegans and Gardner's have used a cooperative approach to foster an environment that prioritizes the children's needs, even in the face of challenging circumstances. That spirit of cooperation and collaboration led the parties to resolve the guardianship matter without the need for a trial. For both sets of grandparents, the proceedings were never about winning or losing, but about ensuring that the children's well-being remains paramount. Both parties are happy with what was settled on.

we urge all parties to approach this matter with sensitivity and responsibility. We are hopeful that all parties can continue to move forward constructively, prioritizing the love and care that the children deserve. We will not be making any further comments publicly regarding this matter and kindly request that all respect the privacy that a matter involving minor children justifies, end quote. Well, after this settlement or agreement was announced by the gardeners, it didn't end there. Kirsten Brightigan, that's Jared's widow,

the stepmom to these two twins, and the mother to Jared's two youngest children, Bexley in London, she posted her own statement on her Instagram account, Justice for Jared B. And it reads, quote, my heart has been heavier than usual this past week. This isn't what Jared would have wanted

and this isn't what I want, but some things are out of my control ability to influence or correct. What I will say is thank you. Thank you to everyone that has shown support in the battle for Jared's oldest children through comments, prayers, donations to his parents, etc. I am continually in awe

of the goodness that has risen to meet the evil we have faced every step of the way since Jared's murder in 2022. As the article states, Jared's oldest children will remain in the custody of Sterling and Shelly Gardner. It also says a confidential agreement was reached between the bright,

and gardeners and a joint statement will be coming. I have no involvement or support for that. Let's hope and pray justice is served in the criminal case since it definitely wasn't served in this one. I will never stop fighting for him and for our family that was ripped apart by the evil and hatred of others, end quote. And honestly, to give my opinion, I'm proud of Kirsten for speaking out, especially if the Bridegans can't speak out now. because they are gagged. Due to an agreement, they just made that I understand that they made so that they can see their own grandkids. Because this is exactly what this smells like to me,

that the gardeners are using the Brideagin's desire to see their grandkids as leverage to keep the Bridegans quiet during this heartbreaking time. And I find that heartbreaking. Kirsten has also said on her social media account that when she spoke to the gardeners in court in Florida and requested to see her stepchildren. The gardeners explained to Kirsten that that was not what Shiana wanted,

and they will honor Shana's wishes. And so again, in other words, the Stamping Up Plan is honoring an alleged murderer's motives for killing Jared. They're not stepping up to the plate and uniting siblings. They are making sure that this family stays divided after Jared's death. And so if you pray, pray for everyone involved. And if you send vibes or energy, do that for both the Bridegans, the entire Bridegan family. If the Bridegans are able to see their grandchildren, Jared's parents, I am so glad that they were

able to come to an agreement. And I'm so grateful that Kirsten is able to speak out because she's not part of this and continue to speak her truth about what's really happening. And again, if the Bridegans are able to see their grandchildren again, but a relief. So also another update recently, there were financial documents released in that Bridegan case that showed repayments made to the hitman, Henry Tenon, on behalf of First Choice Home Rentals LLC, which is a company that is co-owned by Shannon and Mario. These payments, which were all made after Jared's murder, totaled 10 grand.

The first check was for 2000 on March 28, which they said was for landscaping and clearing, okay, 2000 even. The second check was written on the same day for $3,000. And in the memo on the check, it says it was for keeping up with the roof. And then the third check on April 4th was for $5,000. And the memo was, quote, for Kickstarter. Good luck, end quote. Shetta and Mario were back in court last Thursday for a hearing and they are expected to be back in court on January 6th, 2025 for another hearing. the trial is scheduled for October 20, 2025, and the prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in both Shanna and Mario's cases. However, Shannon's defense, which includes the infamous Casey Anthony

lawyer Jose Baez, has filed six motions to block the death penalty. Now, you can also think stamping up for financing the most expensive defense attorney in the country, according to the local Florida station News for Jacks, quote, Shannon's defense is trying to prevent the state from using the word recommendation to describe the jury's role in the case if it reaches the penalty phase. Attorneys argue it misleads jurors, end quote. Another one of the things they are arguing about is a law that recently changed in Florida, and this is interesting and it does affect the case.

As it stands now, when the death penalty is sought, only eight of the 12 jurors have to agree with the death penalty. And it used to be that all of them had to agree on the death penalty. And Shianna's team is saying that the old law should still be in effect for this case, for Shianna's case, because the new law came into effect after Jared was murdered. The motions have yet to be ruled on, so we are awaiting the judge's decision. That's it for this week. I am on my way to Delphi in just a couple of hours.

I will see you at Richard Allen's sentencing. So stay tuned for all updated information. hit subscribe and check out our additional Patreon exclusive episodes on, you guessed it, Patreon. Patreon.com slash hidden true crime. And if you like these headlines, let me know by hitting like or in comments. It's something I would love to do more of in the future. And by future, I mean 20, 25. And so we can keep on the many cases hidden true crime continues to cover with these sort of weekly updates.

Thank you for watching. Thank you for subscribing. and thank you for all of those that hung out with us in 2024. I just got into Delphi, Indiana on a red-eye flight. I'm exhausted. There's already a line outside the courthouse. I'm trying to get to Richard Allen's sentencing. You can hear the hearing behind me because I need sleep.

Like I said, we're going to all be taking shifts at this line in front of the courthouse for Richard Allen's sentencing. and I am just glad that I brought Dream. Thank you again. They were a sponsor for the trial and helped us to travel to be there at the trial and I am grateful to have them again because I'm actually honestly like I didn't sleep. I've let a crash.

So I'm making it now. And so I was like, wait, show them. This is exactly what I'm doing. So packed, came, and this is the very, very first thing I'm doing now that I arrived. I've got to get like a few hours of just a really solid REM.

Like, I'm looking for some REM, not just like a little power nap. So I got my dream out. And again, oh, it even has the sleep stages back here. I'm looking for sleep stage number three. Oh, no, number four. I don't know. They tell you. Anyway, this helps not just with sleep, but with transition and memory.

And then you get to the deep sleep. And then it tells you all of the amazing things that are in it. This actually is sugar-free. dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and then it has mushrooms and things that actually help you think better once you wake up because I certainly need to be able to think while I'm here. Because there were certainly some days during the trial that I wasn't thinking. That was a problem. So I do. I will be able to go to bed for a few hours and wake up refreshed and ready to go. Well, maybe I'll take a cup of coffee. I might need a cup of coffee. But after that, I feel. I feel.

think I'll be ready to go. And so stick with us too, by the way. I am in Delphi and I will be bringing you the very latest. I completely forgot to mention. I just had my roommate. I was like, turn it back on because I have to tell you that Dream actually sent me this new holiday flavor. White chocolate peppermint flavored and I'm going to be very, very honest now because I have recommended other flavors. By far, Dream, good job because this is by far the most favorite, most favorite, Is that a thing, a favoritist flavor I have ever had? Bring this all year, okay, please? Because this is amazing, I want to live off this stuff.

White chocolate peppermint. It is a holiday flavor though. So if you're thinking about getting it, grab this while you can't. It is so good. So thank you, Bean, for doing this flavor. Right, we're not food photographers. It's amazing. Your old or broken phone can let you down, but

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