SERIALously - 61: Bryan Kohberger Back In Court, 8 Passengers Ruby & Jodi Hildebrant, Crystal Rodgers, & Captured Fugitive

Episode Date: September 14, 2023

Welcome to this week’s Headline Highlights! In today’s episode, we are going to discuss the latest news on everything going on in the true crime world. This week, there have been some disturbing new cases as well as updates to ongoing cases. We have some news on the now captured fugitive, Danelo Cavalcante, Bryan Kohberger Updates, Crystal Rodgers, 8 Passengers Ruby Franke & Kevin Franke, and Jodi Hildebrandt. Beam! Subscribe and save 20%. Plus get an additional 20% off and a free frother with my code 10TOLIFE when you click my link. Thats up to 40% off!  http://www.shopbeam.com/annieelise Sources/Audio Credit: Law & Crime CNN Bonnie Hoellein-Youtube Channel Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/annieelise  All Social Media Links: https://www.flowcode.com/page/annieelise_  About Me: https://annieelise.com/  SERIALously FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/SERIALouslyAnnieElise/ For Business Inquiries: [e-mail]

Hey true crime besties, welcome back to an all new episode of Serialistly. Hello, hello, hello. Happy Thursday. Welcome back to this week's episode of Headline Highlights. It's me, Annie Elise. This is the podcast Serialistly, which you already know that, obviously. But today, we are talking about Headline Highlights, going through everything that's happened in the true crime world this week, the updates in cases, the new cases that have emerged. We're going to go through it all. And once again, there is no shortage. We've got a lot to talk about. We have the manhunt for that escaped prisoner that is now over. We've got, of course, more eight passengers updates and Ruby Frankie. There's a lot to talk about. Before we jump in, though, I did want to remind everybody, and I don't know if I said it on the last podcast or not, but we have relaunched Patreon. So there are new tiers on

Patreon depending at whatever level you want to choose, but we are releasing bonus ad-free episodes every single Friday. So you can either sign up for that through Patreon or on Apple Podcasts if that's where you get your podcasts, and you can also sign up for that through Patreon or on Apple Podcasts if that's where you get your podcasts and you can also sign up for other things like our private group chat where we talk about true crime 24-7, private live streams, members only live streams, early access to case videos, I mean all the works. So I will leave it in the show notes below but I just want to make mention that's something that went live the beginning of September. It's brand new, it's revamped, super exciting and excited to get you guys those bonus episodes every single Friday and ad-free because I know you all love when things are ad-free. All right, so let's get into this week's headline highlights. I want to start with

Danilo Calvocante, the escaped prisoner. So the manhunt is finally officially over. Danilo Calvocante has finally been caught after almost being on the run for two weeks. Pennsylvania State Police and other agencies captured him early Wednesday morning using thermal imaging and a very unexpected approach. Danilo, who had altered his looks after escaping, shaved his beard and then changed his hair a little bit. He had been seen in and around Chester County on numerous occasions, and at one point, he was seen in a white Ford transit van that was stolen from a dairy farm. Additionally, right before his capture, he stole a gun from somebody's garage. In a Wednesday, September 13th press briefing, Pennsylvania State Police said that around midnight on Tuesday,

a Holmes burglar alarm in the area had been triggered, prompting law enforcement to respond. Though they didn't find him there, further tactical squads were dispatched to broaden the search. Approximately an hour into this, an overhead aircraft detected a HEAT signature. However, an approaching storm forced the aircraft to leave. Once the storm cleared, teams then approached the HEAT's source location discreetly and caught Dinello off guard. Once he realized that law enforcement was on his heels, Dinello took the stolen rifle and tried to crawl through the undergrowth of the wooded area that he was in. and tried to crawl through the undergrowth of the wooded area that he was in. However, this was unsuccessful when a search dog from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol subdued him and bit him.

Some interesting reports have come out in all of this, saying that he had stolen work boots that were outside of a home, that he survived on watermelon and stream water, and surprisingly, he actually spoke to the U.S. Marshals at length and gave a lot of insight on what he was doing while out on the run. And he didn't move for the first couple of days, he said. He survived on a watermelon that he found at a farm. He drank stream water. He was hiding his fecal matter under leaves and foliage so that law enforcement couldn't track him. He was a desperate man. He also described the backpack that he obtained was obtained early in his flight.

He had taken it from a residence, and that's where he obtained a razor. I know a lot of people have talked about how did he get so clean shaven? Did somebody assist him? Well, quite simply, that razor was in the backpack. So he answered a lot of questions for us. And he also described an increasing amount of law enforcement every day. And that goes for both perimeters. And ultimately, that's why he decided to leave the Longwood Gardens area. He said that on numerous occasions, three times, he described that law enforcement officials almost stepped on him within seven or eight yards. Three times.

So you're literally saying it was just luck that he finds a backpack and there's a razor in the backpack, that that was just luck. You can't make it up, Erin. We specifically asked him that question. How did he get clean shaven? And he said there was one in the razor in the backpack that he took. We still don't know the exact place where he took that backpack, nor do we know the exact location that he took the Eagle sweatshirt as well. He actually said that he was going to steal stuff where there was opportunity. He was a desperate man that was going day to day in order just to survive.

An interesting statement he said also was that his end game was to carjack somebody and to head north up to Canada. And he intended to do that in the next 24 hours. He said the law enforcement presence where he was was immense and that he felt that he needed to leave. He had seen the aerial assets we were using. He had seen the helicopters. So that's why he held onto that rifle for so long. And did he, you said that he survived on stream water and watermelon. Do you talk about anything else about how he was able to obtain food? No, it was just the watermelon, the stream water. We didn't get too much into what else he was

eating, but we were interested in the part about the carjacking and the rifle and his intentions and the end game. Did he give you, did you learn anything more about that rifle? And I know there'd been, you know, whether his willingness to use it. No, but we did learn that before he went into that gentleman's house, that he had actually surveilled it. And he had said he had surveilled the perimeter where he broke the perimeter at Longwood Gardens for a little while. And he had also surveilled the residence where he stole the truck at Derry Farms. He said when he stole that truck, there were actually two vehicles that were unsecured there. He decided to take one of them and then flee to

an area that he knew. So I want to kind of move now into a case that I haven't covered yet, but there has been breaking news in the Crystal Rogers case. It's something that so many of you have been asking me to update you on and asking me to cover, so I may end up doing a deep dive video on this over on my YouTube channel, 10 to Life, but I at least wanted to jump over here and give you the updates in this case because so many of you have been requesting it. And these updates and breaking news actually are coming seven years after her mysterious disappearance. And she's a mother of five. She mysteriously disappeared seven years ago. There hasn't really been much heard until now. To give you a little bit of the backstory, Crystal Rogers was last seen on July 3rd, 2015. Two days later, after her mother

reported her absence, officials discovered her car containing her keys, phone, and purse. It was abandoned with a flat tire in Bardstown. The FBI's missing person report highlighted that Crystal, who was a devoted mother of five, wouldn't typically leave without her children. And now, an arrest has been made, although she still remains missing. Joseph Lawson, a 32-year-old man, has now been arrested in relation with this case. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering. According to his indictment, it's alleged that he collaborated with one or more individuals in plotting or committing this crime. Now, I'm not exactly sure

why he was hospitalized, but while in the hospital in a WebEx hearing, he pled not guilty to these charges. That was back on September 7th. Interestingly, Brooks Houck, Crystal's boyfriend at the time and father to one of her kids, was reportedly the last individual to see her. Now, although authorities have searched his property on multiple occasions without finding any leads and have even named him a suspect, he hasn't ever been arrested or charged in connection to the case. So stay tuned on this story because, again, I might do So stay tuned on this story because again I might do a deeper dive on this case over on my YouTube channel and there are things not adding up here especially if this guy Joseph Lawson was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and in

the indictment it's alleged that he collaborated with one or more individuals in plotting or committing the crime. My mind could be wrong, but my mind immediately goes to murder for hire. That if her boyfriend at the time and father to one of her children, who was the last one to see her, who's also been named a suspect, his property was searched, if he hasn't been arrested, but there is suspicion looming around him, then this other guy has been arrested. And they're saying that he collaborated with one or more individuals I mean my mind immediately goes to oh then he must have collaborated with the boyfriend probably maybe hired by the boyfriend so since the arrest I wonder if he's gonna flip if he's gonna make a plea deal what's gonna happen maybe he will flip on the boyfriend if he was in fact involved who

knows I'm not saying he was I'm just spec speculating here, but I'm going to follow this, and I am probably actually going to do a deep dive because I'm very fascinated with this now. All right, guys, you know that I've been pretty open with you guys about my sleeping patterns, or lack thereof, because I've never been a solid sleeper, and I've tried everything from Ambien to Valerian Root to Melatonin. Nothing works for me, and even when I'm able to fall asleep, I can never seem to stay asleep because if I toss once, I'm up, my mind is racing, I'm not going back to sleep. But that all changed for me about seven months ago thanks to my husband, and thanks to my husband for introducing me to Beam's Dream Powder. I was a personal consumer already for the last seven months, so you know that when they asked me if I was interested in partnering with them, it was a no-brainer because I can't say enough good things about it.

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up rumors drama about it seems like it's never endingending, with a new video, new situation, new story, new point of view released every single day. And it's that of Brian Koberger, the accused quadruple murderer from Idaho. Brian Koberger appeared in court again on Wednesday. The main topic of discussion was whether cameras should be allowed in the courtroom. Now, no verdict was reached on this matter. should be allowed in the courtroom. Now, no verdict was reached on this matter. Both the defense and the prosecution urged the court to limit camera access given the national spotlight in this case. The judge, Judge John, commented that past trials with cameras have often become excessively sensationalized. He expressed his desires for these court proceedings to be taken seriously

and not used for entertainment, emphasizing that this is a grave matter proceedings to be taken seriously and not used for entertainment, emphasizing that this is a grave matter and should be taken seriously. The defense argued that the media focus infringes on Brian Koberger's constitutional rights, insisting that if cameras are present, they shouldn't be centered exclusively on Brian. The defense also expressed worries that the trial could turn into a media circus. Rightfully so, I think that speculation is definitely there. Further, they raised concerns about the potential for video footage to be altered and then disseminated on social media platforms. At the end of their argument, the defense proposed that if a camera were permitted, it shouldn't be placed directly behind their team.

And the judge did agree, saying that if he does allow cameras, they would be at the back of the courtroom. And the prosecution, unsurprisingly, in my opinion, didn't seem to have an objection to cameras being removed, but they also asked, at the very least, for camera restrictions during sensitive testimonies. Before the hearing, Kaylee and Zanna's family spoke out about their preference for camera presence in the courtroom, hoping to unveil some of the secrecy in this case. In a written statement, they said, and I quote, It is vitally important that this trial be open to the public to view and watch.

There is an enormous amount of media coverage about this case, some good, some bad. And with that comes the responsibility of the court to ensure a fair trial. This case is surrounded by secrecy. Everything is either sealed or redacted. The family has not received any discovery on this case or any information about the facts of the case from the state. No one knows anything about the case, which leads to speculation. That speculation is fueled by the secrecy surrounding everything that is filed and every hearing that is closed off to the media and the public. They also wrote that the prosecution's agreement with the defense team in this case

shows a lack of faith in the justice system. Now, I'm kind of torn on this. While I agree that cameras should be barred from the courtroom because it could turn into a media circus and sensationalized and all of the things, at the same time, I also agree with the victim's families saying that there should be a level of transparency, that by not having the cameras, it could only lead to further speculation and rumor. it could only lead to further speculation and rumor. There were no cameras until this verdict and the sentencing in the Lori Vallow trial and from what I can recall because it was pretty recent there wasn't that much craziness or speculation that came out of it without the cameras. So I'm kind of torn on whether I think cameras should be allowed or not. Personally, for myself, I would love for cameras to be there because I would want to watch every single waking minute of the trial

and learn all of the information. But at the same time, given how crazy it is right now in the media with a gag order in place, with things sealed, with things redacted, and there already being so much of a circus out there when no new details have been released I can only imagine what that's going to turn into once details and information does start to become available or public through camera footage kind of thinking back even to to the Gabby Petito case although I know that never really made its trial but like as things were revealed in that case it again just became a. So I think there really is a fine line. I think that the families deserve to have the transparency and the cameras in the courtroom,

but I do think there should be some restrictions in play. They shouldn't be able to focus on every single waking body movement of Brian, in my opinion. It should be maybe barred when there are very sensitive testimonies about what happened in those early morning hours. So I need to think more on this. I'm a little torn, so I don't have, I guess, a firm point of view at this point. But during the hearing, a media group also submitted a motion advocating for a camera's presence. A media coalition that includes law and crime has filed a motion objecting to the request to remove cameras.

Lawyers for the media wrote that the cameras did not focus on Koberger's fly, rather a social media user clipped an image. The media coalition's lawyers also noted that while counsel tables were shown in footage, none of the writing on papers could be seen in the images. Ultimately, the judge decided to reserve his ruling for a later date. I have deferred my decision about cameras. One of the things that's going to be really important, that is very important, is that the people with the camera and media need to follow the rules. So we will see. Not much news there, but I did want to keep you guys posted on where we are at with this since the original hearing about this was pushed back since we last discussed updates in this case.

Now let's get into eight passengers, Ruby Frankie and Jodi Hildebrandt. Okay, sorry, let me, I'm getting comfortable here in my chair because these people just fucking enrage me. Sorry, excuse my French. According to People, Ruby Frankie and Jodi Hildebrandt have both experienced medical issues in recent days while being held at a county jail in Utah. Washington County Jail records showed Ruby was moved to a medical observation block on Friday before returning to a usual holding block after the weekend. Jodi currently is being held in observation. Her attorney told a judge this past weekend that she has experienced a life-threatening medical issue resulting in her hospitalization for several days. So pretty vague on Jodi, but the timing is, I don't know, a little odd, a little suspicious, especially since her bail wasn't granted. Feels a little convenient,

if you ask me. Recently, the attorney for Ruby's husband, Kevin Franke, spoke to Law and Crime in an interview and spoke on Kevin's behalf. Now, when I was listening to this interview, I was pretty shocked in some of the things that he was saying. I do have an upcoming video where we are going to delve into all of this much, much deeper. I think that's going to come out on Monday. But I wanted to play a few clips of this interview because I found it very interesting. That she's manipulated him

in conjunction with Ruby. That she's been kind of the spearhead toward essentially destroying his life and destroying his family. How did Jody and Ruby get connected? Does Kevin know? I don't know. I don't know. I mean, again, is Kevin believing that perhaps it was Jody who was manipulating Ruby in this? Or because it also sounds like Kevin feels he was manipulated by Ruby. Is it just all the blame on Jody? I think it was a team effort, but with Jody being the spearhead.

One of Kevin's main claims was that Jody manipulated and spearheaded the destruction of his family. Kevin also said that he believes he was victimized by Jodi and connections. Now I do understand that Jodi probably did spearhead the destruction of her family with her thoughts and kind of maybe brainwashing Ruby to get on board with her tactics and points of view with punishment and accountability and trust and all those other crazy ass words she was saying and definitions for them. But at the same time, there needs to be accountability. Kevin and Ruby are the parents. So regardless whatever brainwashing or cult or whatever Jodi was trying to rope them into, at the end of the day, they are the parents. They are responsible for their children and their children's well-being.

And ultimately, they need to have the accountability in that as well. I don't care if it was Jodi who spearheaded it or not. In my opinion, they are equally responsible for the destruction and the downfall. Additionally, Ruby's sister Bonnie posted. And in my opinion, it is a very odd video where she says she's not her sister or her sister's crime. Now, I say that this was odd because while true, she isn't her sister or her sister's crime, she seemed more focused on not letting the news affect her or the construction of her new house. There was a lot of me. There was a lot of myself, a lot of I, I, I. So I don't know,

you take a listen and tell me what you think. This feels like a very impossible video to make. I know that my words will be used against me. I also know that my words may help people understand me a little. I can only speak for myself and I will only be speaking for myself. What my family and I have gone through the last couple of weeks is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. It is, I spent the first week in complete shock where I felt my body and my mind and my emotions were completely paralyzed because of the just absolute shock of all of this. The more I learn, my, my feelings are turning more to anger. I, I am mad. I am mad at what has happened. I am beyond disgusted. And I feel like I, it makes me tremble. I, it makes me tremble. It makes me tremble because it is, it is unheard of. It is, it is truly, it's truly unbelievable. Something that I pride myself on, something that I enjoy doing is being transparent. And I cannot be fully transparent with certain

aspects of this and if you don't understand that then you don't understand how the system works. The first thing that I want to say is that we have kept quiet for three years on the topic of our sister Ruby and Jodi and Kevin and connections, that is what we have stayed quiet about. We did not know what they were doing because like we said, we were cut off. We did not have access to anyone. cut off. We did not have access to anyone. My thoughts towards Ruby and Jodi and Kevin and Connections is that it was all bullcrap. And I have decided that I am no longer allowing them to have any control over what I do. I didn't post because I physically couldn't. I physically could not turn my camera on.

I physically could not come up with a structured thought in my mind. I felt completely, completely out of my mind. This has hurt every single person in our family. And watching it hurt my husband makes me mad. I have stood by Joel's side, building our home. And it sounds incredibly selfish to, given all the facts, be thinking of our house. But also, I have watched him put his heart and soul and every waking minute for the last couple of years on this project and I will not allow Ruby and Kevin and Jody and Connections to take away

one more thing. And so we wake up in the morning, we take our kids to school and we come and we work on the house and in the meantime and in between we do everything that we can to be involved, but there is only so much that we're allowed to do. So you better believe that for my husband, we will push forward. We will move on. Not because it feels good in any way. It feels horrible. It feels horrible coming into the house and working on things and and even thinking of anything else all while every news outlet every national news outlet people coming out of the woodworks making claims that are just so beyond ridiculous that i don't there is no comment it is so stupid that there is no comment I do understand she needs to separate herself from her sister but to me in my opinion there was something a bit

off-putting about this video all right guys so that is where we are for headline highlights this Thursday as I mentioned I will be doing a deep dive on not only the Crystal Rogers case but I am recording the deep dive today of Eight Passengers which is a follow-up to my previous video that I already published on it and we are doing just like a much deeper deeper deeper dive into this crazy ass family and cult cult in my opinion I should say so that I'm planning to release on my YouTube channel on Monday I also have a brand new podcast episode that we'll be releasing bright and early Monday morning and let me give you guys a little drum roll here. I don't have anything hard in front of me so I'll use my leg. It's the one you have all been asking for. It's Lucy Letby. Let me just

tell you guys it is a long episode. I had to try to make sense of it as best as I could so that while listening to it, while watching it, it's easy to follow. But it was exhausting. And she is a monster. And it is a deep dive. And it is coming bright and early Monday morning over here on the podcast. So make sure if you are not following the podcast yet, you follow really quickly so you don't miss it. All right, guys, I am signing off for the podcast. So make sure if you are not following the podcast yet, you follow really quickly so you don't miss it. All right, guys, I am signing off for the day. It is my daughter's second birthday. I'm going back home.

We are partying. We are celebrating. We are gonna have all of the fun, all of the cake, all of the things. So I'm out of here. If you would please take a quick second to rate, review the podcast. As always, in your review,

let me know what you wanna hear more of so that I can cater the content to you. All right, guys, thanks again for tuning in to this week's episode of Headline Highlights. I will be talking to you very soon. And don't forget, bonus episode ad free is out tomorrow. To get access to that, head over to Patreon. I will link it in the show notes. Or if you're listening on Apple, you can also access it there through the subscription. All right, guys, thank you so much. Have a great rest of your week and I will be talking with you soon. Bye.