Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - No Escape: The Murder of Brittney Lavoll - Flashback

Episode Date: December 9, 2025

This week, after talking to Brittney Lavoll's son, we're sharing her case again. We were so moved by how well he's doing and the network of support that he and his brothers have had after the tragic loss of their mother.------A young mother of three, Brittney Lavoll, did everything right to escape her abuser—but it wasn’t enough. Her tragic murder sparks urgent questions about domestic violence and gun laws. Plus, the mysterious disappearance of Courtney Lynn Townsend raises troubling questions, as her burned-out car and partial remains leave her family searching for answers.In a 24-hour city like Las Vegas, early morning means many workers are getting their days started while others are clocking out and heading home at the end of a long shift. In the pre-dawn hours of March 25, 2010, a scream broke the silence. Lee and Wade turned their heads toward the Jack in the Box restaurant across the street. Moments later they heard a gunshot and saw a woman collapse in the parking lot. They ran to help, but it was too late. A young mother of three—who had done everything right to escape her abuser—had just been murdered. And the man who killed her? He should never have had a gun.https://sinspod.co/103https://sinspod.co/69sourceshttps://sinspod.co/103bloghttps://sinspod.co/103subhttps://sinspod.co/103transcriptBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sins-survivors-a-las-vegas-true-crime-podcast--6173686/support.Domestic Violence Resourceshttp://sinspod.co/resourcesClick here to become a member of our Patreon!https://sinspod.co/patreonVisit and join our Patreon now and access our ad-free episodes and exclusive bonus content & schwag! Get ad-free access for only $1 a month or ad-free and bonus episodes for $3 a monthApple Podcast Subscriptionshttps://sinspod.co/appleWe're now offering premium membership benefits on Apple Podcast Subscriptions! On your mobile deviceLet us know what you think about the episodehttps://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2248640/open_sms

To listen ad-free, visit sinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show. Every once in a while, a case we've covered comes back to us in a way we didn't expect. It reminds us that these stories don't end when the headlines fade or when the court case closes. The families keep living with the aftermath, the questions, and the memories. When we started this podcast, we said that if even one family felt seen or understood, it would all be worth it. We received a message of hope this holiday season from an unexpected source, and this week we are sharing it with all of you. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as missing persons and unsolved cases.

I'm your host Sean and I'm your co-host John as we mentioned in the intro we want to share something really meaningful that happened recently a few weeks ago one of brittany laval's sons reached out to us we mentioned him in the episode he was only three years old when she was murdered he's an adult now nineteen and doing incredibly well he told us that he listened to the episode we did about his mom and that hearing her story laid out so clearly helped him understand what she went through in a way that he had hadn't before. We cover a lot of difficult cases, but we always remind ourselves that every person we talk about is someone's family, someone's parent, someone's child, and there's always a good chance our episode will reach them. To hear from Brittany's son, now a young man who's building his own life, meant a lot to both of us. He shared a little bit with us about how he and his brothers are doing and how it was really uplifting. They've grown up surrounded by family, by people who

loved Brittany and kept her memory alive for him. And he told us that he's now a boxer fighting as Golden Boy Laval, which speaks to the resilience, strength, and discipline he has. He also mentioned that the boys received a small settlement after their mom died. Nothing replaces a parent, of course, but hearing that they had at least some support as they grew up, given everything they were facing, that was good to know. It's one of those small things that doesn't fix the loss, but at least offers some support. What really stayed with me, me was that he told us that his mom loved Christmas. It was her favorite holiday. And as soon as he said that, we realized now would be the perfect time to re-release her episode. The holidays are

an incredibly emotional time for families who have lost someone to violence, especially someone who should still be here celebrating with her kids, watching them grow into adulthood. He agreed that re-releasing the episode was a great idea. It feels right to the three of us, giving people another chance to hear her story to remember her. her and her family, and to honor what she went through. Brittany did everything she was supposed to do. She took every step that an advocate would recommend, and still, the system couldn't protect her.

That's why we told her story originally, and it's why we tell it today. But now, adding this update, hearing that her boys have grown into young men who are doing well, that gives her story a different kind of weight. As her son said, we're still heartbroken about our mother, but we all are out here striving. All of this highlights the long-term impact of domestic violence, not just the real lifelong trauma, but also the strength that takes for kids to rebuild their lives after losing a parent in such a violent way. It shows the strength of Brittany's family, who stepped in and loved those boys through the hardest possible thing, and the devotion of her mother

to become a vocal advocate and continue to push for change for survivors. So if you're listening today and you heard this episode when it first came out, we hope this gives you some new context, especially hearing about Brittany's sons and how they're doing. And if this is your first time hearing her story, we hope you'll keep her in mind throughout the holiday season. She loved this time of year, and she deserved many more Christmases with her boys. Before we go into the original episode, we want to say thank you again to Brittany's son for reaching out to us. That takes courage and openness. And it reminds us why we keep doing this, why these stories matter far beyond downloads and episodes and podcast charts. This

re-releases for Brittany. It's for her children, and it's for every survivor who did everything right and still wasn't protected. We hope that by sharing her story again, especially at a time of year she loved, we can honor her memory and remind everyone that domestic violence doesn't end when the news cycle moves on. It affects families for generations. With that, here is our original episode. In a 24-hour city like Las Vegas, early morning means many workers are getting their days started, while others are clocking out and heading home at the end of a long shift. In the pre-dawn hours of March 25, 2010, a scream broke the silence. Lee and Wade turned their heads towards the jack-in-the-box restaurant across the street.

Moments later, they heard a gunshot and saw a woman collapse in the parking lot. They ran out to help, but it was too late. A young mother of three who had done everything right to escape her abuser had just been murdered. And the man who killed her, he should never have had a gun. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as missing persons, and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean.

And I'm your co-host, John. Our main case this week is the story of a domestic violence survivor who did everything right, but still had her life taken by her obsessive, controlling acts. Brittany LaValle's story became a focal point for activists both locally and nationally in the conversation around guns and domestic violence and how we can create sensible gun regulations that keep survivors and families safe. Brittany was born on September 1st, 1987, and was a Las Vegas native. She graduated from Desert Pines High School, her mom's name is Michelle, and her father is Charles.

She had a brother, Brandon, and a sister, Shana. She worked as a restaurant manager for Jack in the Box and was known for being very hard work and also a very devoted mother of three boys whom she adored. The father of two of her boys was Kevin Gibson. Brittany had a relationship with Kevin that began in high school, which was described as being difficult, which is a bit of an understatement. Kevin was about three years older than she was,

and also attended Desert Pines High. His lawyer would later describe Kevin like this. He was well liked in high school by his peers and his teachers. He was known to be friendly and tried really hard in school. He was a talented football player, and he received a few offers from colleges to attend and play. However, he was not able to make that happen allegedly because of his mental health challenges. According to his lawyer, it's during that time between high school and college when Kevin's mental health took a turn. He is said to have received treatment for bipolar disorder as well as schizophrenia.

He reportedly did not have a steady work history and had difficulty maintaining access to health insurance and, of course, his medications. We don't share that as an attempt to excuse any of Kevin's behaviors. Even his lawyers argued that this did not excuse his actions. We want to share this to give a complete picture of the events leading up to the crime and to highlight another challenge in shortcoming when it comes to domestic violence, access to consistent, effective mental health care for both perpetrators and survivors. The relationship between Kevin and Brittany was plagued by violent incidents. while it said they were together on again, off again for 10 years. During that time, Kevin was involved

with multiple other women and was arrested several times. In 2003, he punched his girlfriend of two years, not Brittany, in the face, and several times in the back of the head. He threw her into a wall and strangled her. He threatened her so she wouldn't call the police, but several hours later, she was able to contact her sister, and then the police were called. He was convicted of battery in domestic violence. The following year, he pled guilty to a domestic violence misdemeanor after he pushed another different girlfriend down the stairs and then dragged her back up the stairs by her t-shirt and into their apartment. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail and was ordered to attend counseling and perform community service. Twice in 2009, he strangled yet another new girlfriend. He was also charged

with threatening her and her dad to the effect of, you're going to come up missing or your father's going to come up missing. According to court records, the victim in these cases didn't follow up and the charges were eventually dropped. For me, this highlights why it's important to not just stress a victim leave their abuser and build all of our policies around that. In the span of seven years, Kevin committed several acts of violence against three different women other than Brittany. Without effective punishment or treatment, Kevin continued to develop relationships with new women and went on to threaten, beat, and strangle them. Court records show a history of other charges not related to domestic violence, including felony charges of robbery

and theft. In 2003, he was charged with felony theft, but accepted a plea deal to attempted theft, which is a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 30 days. During this time frame, he also had a few citations for other misdemeanors, including one that mentions leaving the scene of an accident and a DUI and a charge of lewd conduct in 2005. In 2006, Kevin was charged with two counts of felony robbery and one count of conspiracy. In that case, he shoved a worker who was carrying a bank to the bank to make a deposit after a shift. He slammed that victim into a lamp post, dislodging it from the ground. Once the victim was down, he grabbed the bank bag and ran away. The victim needed to be treated at a hospital for their injuries. He told the court that he was depressed and had

no money. His girlfriend had just had a baby and he was feeling like less of a man because he couldn't provide for his kids, and he couldn't get a job because he had outstanding warrants. He told the court that if he was granted probation, he promised he would never be arrested for anything again. He was sentenced to three years probation. But approximately two years after he was sentenced, he was dishonorably discharged from probation for failing to comply with the conditions he was ordered to follow. The paperwork says that he would no longer be under the court's supervision. This feels like a failure of the system again. Kevin also committed action. of violence against Brittany and threatened to kill her several times.

The two of them did have two children together, two boys, born approximately in 2003 and 2005. According to both Kevin and her family, the two of them broke up around 2008. Kevin said it was because he was cheating on her, but Brittany started disclosing to her friends and family the types of abuse Kevin had inflicted on her, and the actions Brittany took after the breakup indicate that something much more serious was going on. Her dad Charles would later tell reporters that Kevin was jealous and continued to stalk her after they broke up. Charles helped her move to a new apartment, and they did not tell Kevin where she was living. He continued to call her constantly to the point where she changed her phone number.

He would often threaten her and say, When are you going to let me see the kids? And repeatedly said, I'm going to kill you. Kevin would go to where she was working and demand money from her as a way of bribing her to prevent him from making a scene at her work. It reached the point where she was transferred to a different Jack-in-the-box location and her co-workers were told that no one was to tell anyone where Brittany was working. We want to take a minute and note that this is the right thing to do,

and we're glad that Jack-in-the-box took this step to help Brittany stay safe and avoid further harassment of both her and likely her co-workers as well. We all recognize that it is abusive behavior like this that can result in victims becoming unemployed, unhoused, and even further trapped by domestic violence. This controlling behavior and harassment often results in victims quitting or getting fired and were glad her employers allowed her to transfer. Going back to the children for a second,

it's in the record that Kevin repeatedly claimed she wasn't letting him see the kids. However, several friends and family members gave statements that Brittany did allow him to have visitation with the children often. She would bring the kids herself initially, but when that became unsafe, she asked friends and family to help her safely transfer the kids to him. She would never do it alone. There was an incident where Kevin went to Charles's house and broke in, demanding to know where Brittany was. From then on, when Brittany would go visit her dad, she would park far from his place, hoping he wouldn't know she was there.

Brittany's mother, Michelle, reported that he had threatened to shoot Brittany on previous occasions, and in February of 2010, Kevin's mother contacted Brittany and told her that he had a gun and was on his way to kill her. He did not follow through on that threat at that time. To us, it sounds like Brittany was doing everything she could think of to stay safe from Kevin, although she still had to be in contact with him because of the kids they shared. In the early morning hours of March 25, 2010, Brittany headed to work for an early shift at the Jack in the Box restaurant on Lake Mead Boulevard in Buffalo. It was about 5.45 a.m., 45 minutes before sunrise.

Across the street, two friends, Lee and Wade, were just leaving the Einstein's bagels when they heard a woman scream and heard a gunshot coming from the Jack-in-the-box parking lot. Another man named Christian was leaving the Starbucks next to Einstein's, and the three of them saw a woman on the ground near the Jack-and-the-box drive-thru, and a man in a hooded sweatshirt running away. The three of them hurried across the street and called 911. Wade approached the woman and saw her Jack-in-the-box name tag, which read Brittany, and he yelled her name over and over to see if she would answer him.

He got no response, and he thought she was dead. Around that same time, a woman named Christina was just leaving work at a nearby Vaughn supermarket. She was driving past the jack-in-the-box and saw a young woman lying on the ground, and a man in a dark sweatshirt standing over her. She hadn't heard the scream or the gunshot, so she thought maybe the woman was drunk and the man was helping her to her car. But as she approached the intersection, she noticed that same man, in the dark sweatshirt, run past her car and onto Lake Mead.

She must have had an instinct about what had happened because she decided to follow him. He was cutting into parking lots and behind buildings, and she lost him, and she was never able to see his face. Police arrived and Brittany was transported to UMC. She had been shot once in the head, and sadly, she died just a short time after arriving at the hospital. The police were able to find out that her three kids were at home with a babysitter. When they went to her apartment, the sitter told them about Kevin and his violent threats

and behavior. The police, of course, wanted to speak with Kevin. They went to his mom's apartment that same day, and while they were responsible. speaking with her, Kevin called her on the phone. The officers asked him to come in and talk to them about Brittany, and he agreed. He met them at the homicide offices around 3 p.m. that afternoon. Kevin was told he was not under arrest and could stop the interview at any time. They explained to him that he had the right to remain silent and had him explain what that meant back to them. They told him that all he would have to say is, I don't want to talk anymore, and they'd be done with

the interview. The officers even told him that they wouldn't be angry or upset if that happened. He said he understood that he didn't have to speak with them, and at one point they started recording the interview, and again, they reviewed his rights in detail before he agreed to speak. Kevin denied having anything to do with the murder. He told the police that the two of them had dated for five years, had two boys together, and they broke up about a year ago because he was cheating. He denied ever being abusive towards her. Kevin told the police he was trying to get back together with her, but he hadn't seen her in five months. He said he tried to contact her at her job, but they told him she no longer worked at that location.

Kevin explained he'd been trying to contact her again recently because his son's birthday was two days ago and he wanted to see him, but he said he wasn't ever able to get in touch with her. As far as his alibi, he told police that he was at his friend Denise's house, hanging out with her and her boyfriend, a man who went by the name Mississippi. Later that night, the three of them headed out to a party at a mutual friend's house. On their way to the party, they were pulled over by Las Vegas Metro and Mississippi he was arrested for having outstanding warrants. Despite this, Kevin and Denise went to the party anyway and enjoyed themselves drinking and playing cards until 2.30 or 3 in the morning when they

went back to Denise's house. Kevin said his mom had called him that morning and told him that something had happened to Brittany, and his cousin Isaiah let him know that everyone was looking for him. Kevin comes across as extremely cooperative with the police during this whole exchange. He even agreed to give a DNA sample and undergo a gunshot residue test. Police asked him about taking a polygraph test and reminded him again that all he would have to do is say he wanted to stop and they'd stop the interview. Kevin told him that he'd seen the shows, presumably referring to police procedural shows, and explained that he wasn't sure about doing a polygraph test. He said he wasn't against doing it, but he said he had some questions about it. He asked to speak to a lawyer and the officers explained that since he wasn't under arrest,

They couldn't provide him with a lawyer, but they suggested he go home for the night and speak to his mom and to an attorney, and they'd pick him up the next day for the polygraph. At noon the next day, the officers picked him up. He wasn't cuffed or placed under arrest, and he agreed to go with them. Before they began the test, they reviewed his rights again in detail. The police determined that Kevin was not on any medication, that he had eaten breakfast, and they had gotten a full night's sleep. To me, it's clear that they suspected he might talk, and they wanted to make sure that if he did confess, there would be no question as to whether the confession was coerced and that he was fully aware of what he was doing. The exam they gave him was called

a concealed information test, or a CIT. They told him that it wouldn't show if he was lying, it would test if he had specific knowledge of events. They then asked him questions about the murder that only the murderer would know. Police told Kevin that he had failed the CIT test, and as they suspected, he just confessed to the crime. Kevin said that he walked to the jack-in-the-box that morning because he heard from a co-worker that she was working at that location. He hid in the bushes until he saw her car pull up. He confronted her and shot her.

He said that she hadn't allowed him to see the children in months and that he had been in and out of the mental hospital. He said he killed her because she drove him crazy. He seems to mean this literally. He claimed that he was seeing and hearing things and that voices were telling him to shoot her. After the murder, he ran back to his friend Denise's house and got rid of his bloody shoes and sweatshirt. As we mentioned earlier, Kevin had been found guilty of a felony, and under

both Nevada and federal law, he was prohibited from owning a gun. He told police that he bought the gun the day before from a friend in exchange for $50 in cash and $50 in weed. This kind of purchase wouldn't require a background check in the unlikely event Kevin's friend would have thought to ask for one. Later, Kevin returned the gun without saying it had been used in a crime. Before we go any further, I want to explain something before people get too angry at this coworker who told Kevin where Brittany was working. I don't know if Kevin was telling the truth when he said that, but there were some facts that

made me wonder if he was. Kevin's stalking of Britney was relentless, and about a week before the murder, he was seen by a Metro Police employee sitting across the street from a different Jack-in-the-box location. This one was on Cheyenne, watching the inside of the restaurant with binoculars. The metro employee said what he was doing didn't warrant arrest, but she did let her metro co-workers know what she saw, and later she identified Kevin in a photo lineup. To me, it sounds like he had begun staking out different locations of Jack in the Box looking for her, and that may have been how he found her.

Her father, Charles, told Fox 5, he's nothing, and he took my daughter's life. She's somebody, and he's a bum. Kevin was arrested for Brittany's murder and charged with one count of murder with a deadly weapon. His lawyers did try to get his confession thrown out, which is why we went into all that detail to describe how that happened. The motion to suppress the statement was denied for all the reasons we reviewed. It was voluntary, and even though he wasn't under arrest, he was still advised of his rights. In December of 2011, Kevin Gibson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, and his sentencing was held on February 24, 2012. During the hearing, the

DA went over Kevin's criminal history and stressed that he had a history of making excuses for his behavior. She highlighted what we mentioned earlier, that he promised the judge in 2006 that he would never set foot in a courtroom again if he was granted probation. She also played a voicemail that he had left Brittany in 2006 that highlighted how controlling he was. He had called her from jail and Brittany could be heard saying, I hear you are trying to kill me. There was no evidence that Brittany had ever kept the children from him, even though she was forced to take extraordinary measures to avoid him and stay safe. They also stressed that while Gibson said he was suffering from mental illness, there was clear evidence that he had planned out the crime and then

concealed and lied about it afterward. He had bought the gun just the day before, intending to kill Britney with it. The defense stressed his history of mental health challenges and detailed his diagnoses and medications. We discussed earlier how Kevin was said to have been successful in high school, but at some point started showing signs of mental health challenges. Kevin offered a statement where he said he was sorry to Brittany's family and also to his children, who will grow up without a mother. He said he accepted his punishment because he needed to be held accountable for what he did. Brittany's mother, father, and sister gave powerful and detailed victim impact statements of how Kevin had forever altered their lives. Michelle described how Britney's three boys were in pain

after what happened and lost and confused since they were so young and couldn't truly comprehend what had happened. Brittany's youngest was only 13 months old, with the older boys being just seven and four when she died. Michelle asked the court for a life sentence since Kevin had given all of them a life sentence of grief and pain. Her father, Charles, asked the court to impose the maximum sentence so he would never be able to get out and hurt anyone again. Her sister gave a heartbreaking account of everything she, the boys, and Brittany had missed out on because of Kevin. She said that Brittany should still be here to meet her baby niece that she never got to meet and to help her children grow. She should be here to celebrate their birthdays and their

milestones, like her middle son's first day of kindergarten. Her statement called for justice for Brittany, who was doing what she was supposed to do every day, working hard and taking care of her family. The judge sentenced Kevin Gibson to what was agreed upon in the plea deal, 28 years to life. He will be eligible for parole in 2030. Brittany's funeral was held on April 3, 2010, at Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas. The Reverend Rogers and Safe Faith United founder and executive director Rebecca Ferreira led the procession to Woodlawn Cemetery where she was laid to rest. The inscription on her tombstone reads, Always in our hearts, in loving memory, beloved daughter, sister, and mother.

Brittany's children are being lovingly raised by her mom and dad and are surrounded by many loving onsuckles and cousins. Britney's mom, Michelle, became a strong domestic violence victim advocate and wrote an op-ed for the Las Vegas son in 2016, speaking out about domestic violence and the effects of gun violence in Nevada. She also worked with every town for gun safety and the Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence on a detailed report of domestic violence, homicides, and firearms. We want to read part of what Michelle has said about her daughter. The toll of domestic violence shootings is far worse than many people realize.

These incidents devastate the families and the children of the women killed by their abusers, many of whom witnessed the shootings or are left behind. My daughter was taken from me by a man who should never have had a gun. My grandchildren's mother was stolen from them. No parents should have to bury their child, and no children should have to grow up without their mother. not a day goes by that I don't cry for her. I constantly fight back tears when I catch myself looking at the boys and seeing signs of Brittany. They are the loves of my life, but also a constant reminder of our deep loss. It has been several years since my daughter was killed and the void

her death left behind is as heartbreaking today as it was the day she died. You don't ever recover from the death of a child. You just have to try and make it through another day and learn to live with a new normal. It's too late to save Brittany, but I don't want another mother to go through this unbearable pain. Brittany has been gone for 15 years and we're still working to craft policies that effectively keep guns out of the hands of abusers. Brittany did everything an advocate would have advised her to do. She left her abusive partner.

She changed her number. She moved to a new place. She changed where she was working. She alerted her friends, family, and co-workers of what was happening. And she took steps to protect herself and her children when she had to do a custody exchange. Sarah Tofti from Every Town for Gun Safety wrote in their 2016 report, Our research shows undeniable proof that in many of these cases, there were ample indications that the shooters posed a risk to their partners,

and that some of these tragedies could have been avoided if stronger laws had been in place to protect Nevada women. For example, at least one in four shooters had a criminal record that prohibited them from having a gun legally, but they were able to get firearms because of loopholes in Nevada law, including through unlicensed gun sales. The data shines the light on elevated rates of intimate partner gun violence in Nevada, but they also show how stronger laws can reduce gun violence and save lives. These statistics are due for an update since nearly 10 years have passed, but in the context of the research Everytown did in 2016,

Nevada women were 65% more likely to be shot to death by intimate partners than women nationwide, and Nevada had the fifth highest rate of domestic violence gun homicide of women in any state. Meanwhile, in states that require background checks for all handgun sales, there were 46% fewer intimate partner gun homicides of women. This is why we do the podcast, so we can continue to highlight the stories of survivors and the lasting effects these tragedies have on our entire community, and we want to keep talking about solutions. As always, you can find resources and links to organizations near you where you can donate, volunteer, or get information on domestic violence, so we keep working toward prevention and solutions. Thanks for listening. If you want to help out the podcast, it helps out so much if you can take a minute and write a good review on whatever platform you're listening on.

Of course, you can get ad-free episodes and access to our swing-shift bonus episodes on Patreon or Apple podcast subscriptions by visiting sinspod.co slash subscribe. And we remind you that what happens here happens everywhere. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.com for subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at Questions at Sins and Survivors.com.

If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, Sins and Survivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your host, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website, sins and survivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests.

All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.