Snapped: Women Who Murder - BONUS: Jennifer Smith and Dale Moneypenny (Snapped: Killer Couples)

Episode Date: May 15, 2025

A house fire in Louisville, Ky., sparks a murder investigation.Season 17, Episode 6Originally aired: July 16, 2023Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on the Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WatchSnappedPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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situations. This might just be the most important book you'll ever read. Go to survivalguidebook.com to preorder How to Survive Against the Odds today. Hi, Snap listeners. We are bringing you a special bonus episode today from Oxygen's hit series, Killer Couples. You can also watch full episodes live or on demand on the free Oxygen app or on Peacock by clicking the link in our description. Enjoy. He was looking for a fresh start in a new town. I watched him blossom into a guy that felt like he had found something he needed.

He had an impact on a lot of people. But a horrifying crime would destroy his future and baffle police. They found him in the bedroom with a knife stuck in the side of his head. It appeared that the body had been intentionally set on fire. I have never seen a case like this in my career. When we found out a second

person was dead, this turned into a big story. As the body count rises, detectives face a race against the clock to unmask a dangerous killer. It was imperative that we find him. And extinguish a deadly combination of passion and desperation. She just seemed like she cared about me. No matter what I did, you know, she wanted me to come to her. You had a relationship with him, a sexual relationship with him. I'm sure you all talked more than you're saying. People who are that cold and non-caring just don't urge you to have them.

How could these people be so evil that they would take advantage of two people who were willing to give everything they could to help someone? Louisville, Kentucky is known for the glitz and glamour of the famed Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs is home to the biggest, to the most exciting, and to the most well-known horse race in the world. The area around Churchill Downs is the Old Louisville area. It is a pretty vibrant community.

On March 24, 2006, a concerned member of the community calls authorities to report a house fire on Harlan Avenue. It was about midnight. I seen flashing lights outside the window. And then I looked at the house next door and there was smoke rolling out of the top of the door. About that time the fire engines came and they told me that I had to leave the house. So I went across the street and watched the flames look towards my house.

It was enormous. I was praying to God that my house was not going to catch on fire. It seemed like the house burnt forever. After nearly 45 minutes, the flames are suppressed, and arson investigators move in to determine the source of the blaze. The Louisville Fire Department and arson investigators subsequently located a deceased subject within the house. They call us. We go in there, do our scene investigation, crime scene unit comes and does their investigation. We entered into the kitchen. There was significant smoke and fire damage to the house. We were directed to the bedroom. As soon as we walked in you could see the victim was laying face up on the bed.

Although you couldn't determine facial features, a lot of charring to the body, and subsequently saw a knife handle that was still embedded in the face of the victim. It's one that sticks with me. It takes a lot to put a knife into somebody's head. I had never seen a case like this in my career. You're the voice for the person who is laying there dead, and you've got to recreate all the events that led up to it.

It was very obvious that there was foul play involved. Judging from the handle of the knife that was in the face, it looked like your standard kitchen knife, not something like a hunting knife or a pocket knife. It was assumed by us that the knife was taken from the victim's kitchen. It didn't fit the MO of a breaking and entering or a robbery. It was a very brutal attack, very violent, a very emotionally charged attack.

Crowds of passion tend to be in an overkill manner. This appeared to be exactly that. So my initial thoughts were this was somebody that the victim knew, or had a relationship with, romantically or otherwise. Based on the extensive damage around the victim, arson investigators believe they know where the fire originated. It appeared that the fire had started in the bedroom

based on some of the things that we had seen about the bed. Burnt sheets, comforter, papers from books that had been torn out. It wasn't just that they were trying to burn the body, they were trying to burn the whole house to conceal any and all evidence. After discovering the body and doing the initial investigation within the bedroom, we kind of make our way out and try to identify the victim.

We look for mail, we look for pictures, we look for anything that might have a name associated with the address. We didn't see a lot. We didn't have anything that identified who the victim was. Then we started interviewing whoever was around, who showed up at the scene. As I walked out of the house, I looked over

and saw somebody that I recognized named Darryl Binzel. Darryl was a friend of my brother and my dad. I saw Lee and we looked at each other and like, wow, what's this about? I greeted Darryl, you know, hi Darryl, what are you doing here? I said, well, that's my house. She's like, oh, my goodness. Darryl tells detectives that he had just received a frantic call from a neighbor.

Benita, who lived next door, let me know that our house was on fire. That's all she could tell us, that the house was on fire and the fire department was there. So I got there as fast as I could, all the time thinking what happened. He had asked me at that point if there was anybody inside. I got there as fast as I could all the time thinking what happened. He had asked me at that point if there was anybody inside. I advised him that there was. I asked him if he knew who it was.

He said, well, yes, it's my tenant and it's Eddie Pointer. And at that point, I kind of took a step back and my shoulders just kind of dropped and I know that name. Wow. And it's the first, well, it's the first and only homicide I ever had where I had actually met the victim. Born in the Bible Belt community of Edmonton, Kentucky, Eddie Pointer had moved to Louisville in the late 90s. He came from a small town, Man, Kentucky.

Eddie was gay and probably didn't have a lot of, I guess, outlets for the gay community. People outgrow their small town and they want to see a bigger city and socialize with people like themselves and where they can feel comfortable and accepted. And I think Louisville was that for Eddie. Louisville is a very diverse city. People can love who they want here and a lot of folks make it their home because of that. In Louisville, Eddie quickly found a community where he felt accepted. I didn't know Eddie well, but my brother knew him.

I had met him while having lunch with my brother one day, and he was a waiter here in town. My brother and I were dining there, and I just remember there was a bright smile on both of their faces and a very compassionate, welcoming greeting to one another. I remember my brother saying, Eddie's going through a tough time right now. Eddie had a problem with alcohol. He had battled that for some time. Eddie did seek a program of recovery

and had met a lot of people and had an impact on a lot of people. It was fun and funny, but he was serious too. He had a serious side. He believed in being in recovery and doing the best he could. I watched him blossom into a guy that felt like he had found something he needed. I just loved him to death.

Eddie was trying to turn his life around when he met Daryl Benzel, who offered him a place to live on historic Harlan Avenue. Eddie was several months sober and needing a place to stay. He was a good tenant. He really was. Eddie was a real nice guy. He was friendly and cordial with me at all times. But just eight months after moving into his new house,

the life Eddie had worked so hard to build in Louisville has gone up in flames. And detectives are searching for clues as to what happened. I always worked my hardest on these cases, but there was never really a personal attachment to these victims until this case. I just had a different connection. Despite the damage caused by the fire,

detectives recover one clue from the ashes. One of the fire arson investigators said, hey, we uncovered this notebook. There's a name Jennifer Smith in it. If we could identify a Jennifer Smith that might have had some sort of tie to this residence, it was worth investigating. The likelihood of tracking down every Jennifer Smith

in the city of Louisville was a big task. It could have just been a girl that had been visiting that was doodling her name when she visited and had nothing to do with this. Everything that could have caused a problem for me in the beginning stages of any investigation was there. We have no fingerprints. We have very limited, if any, evidence at the scene

because of the fire, and we have a crime of complete rage. It was a little bit overwhelming to think that it would be solved. Where do we start? Coming up, detectives search for clues among Eddie's inner circle. We heard that they had had a relationship at one point. There was about a 30 year age difference between the two of them.

And the case has turned upside down when detectives discover Eddie's murder may be connected to a larger crime spree. One with a rising body count. She called us and said she's ready to talk and clear things up for herself. She said she may know where another body is. In Louisville, Kentucky, homicide detectives are investigating the stabbing death of 43-year-old Eddie Pointer. death of 43-year-old Eddie Pointer. To learn more about Eddie and those closest to him, detectives must break the news of his death to his mother.

When you make a notification on somebody's death, I mean, it's the absolute hardest thing you do in your career, and it never, ever gets easier. It's heartbreaking. She said they had a very close relationship. She was heartbroken to hear that her son had died, and even more so that he had died in this manner. Eddie's mother can't think of anyone who would want to harm her son.

When detectives begin speaking to Eddie's friends, they say the same. He had a good network of friends both in the community of recovery as well as the gay community who were very close-knit. I was devastated. I just couldn't figure out how they could kill this sweet friend of mine.

out how they could kill this sweet friend of mine. Hoping for answers, detectives request for an autopsy to be done right away. The autopsy revealed that there were multiple stab wounds to the face as well as the torso, an excessive amount, probably in the dozens. He had numerous defensive wounds on his hands. They were fighting for their life. They were trying to stop what was coming at him.

It appeared that the body had been intentionally set on fire due to the nature of the severe burns and the char marks that concealed his identity. It's almost like someone wanted to erase any trace of Eddie, physically and emotionally. I remember coming in that day and our assignment desk, sending myself and a photographer out to the home. Fire crews found 43-year-old Eddie Pointer inside his burning home on Harland Street

early Friday morning. Pointer's possessions charred and on his front lawn. I never felt like it was an unsafe neighborhood. The news of Eddie's death was circulating, so a lot of people were learning about it. People would call the office and offer to give information because they cared about Eddie. And one of his best friends actually reached out to us when he heard about Eddie's death,

and that was a man named Gary Perry. It was a great phone call to get because he's gonna be the person that probably knows Eddie more than anybody does. Gary indicated that Eddie predominantly hung out either in AA meeting groups or at a little small hole-in-the-wall bar called Teddy Bears that's in the heart of old Louisville. He was sober, but he was always there drinking just cokes and stuff because that's where his friends were.

What I want to know is, did he have any romantic relationships? Who were his closest friends? Gary really indicated that he didn't have any romantic relationships that he was aware of. He had very close friends. And one of his best friends, and he used to live with this older gentleman, and his name was Blaine Thacker.

There was about a 30 year age difference between the two of them. They were both in the restaurant industry and they were both part of the gay community and they just fell into a very deep friendship. Eddie and Blaine were seen together all the time. We heard that they had had a relationship at one point possibly,

but they were just friends more recently Armed with the knowledge that Blaine was close with Eddie Detectives must speak with him to rule out any involvement Gary said, you know Blaine would be the one person that probably knew Eddie the best He had just moved into an apartment down in Old Louisville on Ormsby. It was called the Mayflower Apartments. He did not have a current phone number for Blaine,

and he was going to work on that for us to reach out to Blaine to contact him to see if he could be any help in this investigation as well. Gary does know Blaine's current place of employment, so detectives decide to start there. Blaine was the cook at Masterson's, which is a family-owned restaurant and catering company here in Louisville. Blaine was just kind of a character. He would be yelling at someone one minute and hugging them the next.

Blaine was a great guy. He had a very, very kind heart and a strong work ethic. He was just a rock. He was always there. He was very dependable. He always took the morning shift, which was great because it's hard to find people to come in at 4 o'clock in the morning. And he always showed up. But Blaine didn't show up one day. We kind of thought, well, anybody can misread a schedule. And then the next day when he didn't show up and nobody heard from him, we knew that something, you know, was not right. Eddie and Blaine were seen together all the time. Eddie and Blaine were seen together all the time. Eddie is stabbed to death in his home, the home set on fire, and Blaine is nowhere to be found.

So does Blaine have anything to do with this? Once we learned that he hadn't been to work in two days, it was concerning for us. It was imperative that we find him. Hey, it's Abby Sharp from Bite Back with Abby Sharp Podcast, here to talk about TENNA's sensitive care incontinence pads for women. Three in five women with incontinence experience nocturia or nighttime overly active bladder. It can be a real quality of life disruptor. Tenna Sensitive Care Overnight Pads with Skin Comfort Formula provide triple protection

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Listen to Mr. Bollens Medical Mysteries on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Spotify or Apple podcasts. or on Spotify or Apple podcasts. In Louisville, Kentucky, detectives investigating the murder of 43-year-old Eddie Pointer are hoping to speak to his best friend, Blaine Thacker.

But before detectives can locate Blaine, they receive word that a possible witness has arrived at Eddie's home. Another detective was out there doing a neighborhood canvas. There was a car that pulled up to the crime scene tape, and he said, I'm trying to go to this house on Harlan Avenue. He said, my friend is in there. Well, who's your friend?

And he said, no, it's Dale Moneypenny. It was at that point that he wanted to know if we had identified Dale Moneypenny as the victim in the house. This was a bombshell. We knew Dale Moneypenny was not the victim in this case. According to the witness, he had gone to the Harlan Avenue home the day before the fire to see his friend Dale. Dale's friend said Dale Moneypenny was there,

covered in blood, and there was a girl in there. And she had blood on her clothes. He kind of got freaked out and left, and then saw the crime scene tape up, peaked his interests, and he went back over there to find out that the house had been burned. It was a huge break in this investigation, because not only did he give us the name, And he went back over there to find out that the house had been burned. It was a huge break in this investigation,

because not only did he give us the name, he put him at the crime scene with a female. Both of them had blood on their clothing within hours of the fire being set. The witness doesn't know Eddie Pointer, but he claims that Dale had been living in the house for two days. He didn't know this girl but Dale. She was unfamiliar to him, but he claims that Dale had been living in the house for two days. He didn't know this girl but Dale.

She was unfamiliar to him, but he was able to give us a description. Who the hell are those two people staying with me? That's what we need to figure out. Detectives prioritize this new lead and put a hold on tracking down Blaine Thacker. It's very unusual to get the name of a suspect within 24 hours of your investigation.

So going from a place of where do we begin to we may have a suspect was unexpected and exciting. All we needed to do was a little bit of research and search was on. We were able to locate criminal records. We knew very little about Dale Moneypenny, other than a general description of him as a white male, blonde hair, blue eyes, originating from Ashland, Kentucky, which is far eastern Kentucky.

We did have a knowledge that he was driving a black Honda, and we got the plate, so we put out a BOLO, which is a be on the lookout for this plate and this vehicle. If you see it, call the police. At that point, we just took the name Dale Moneypenny and did a search through our arrest records and found that Dale had spent some time in prison and had a fairly lengthy criminal history

for a young male in his 20s. Dale liked to assault people. He liked to steal things. I believe there was an escape charge at one point and some drug use in his history. Determined to locate Dale and learn more about his connection to Eddie, detectives begin reaching out to his relatives.

While no one has seen Dale, family members tell police they're not surprised to hear from them. Dale always had his little fair share of trouble, you know, not wanting to listen and, you know, just doing his own thing. So it's not Dale's first rodeo. According to Dale's family, his downward spiral into a life of crime developed after the tragic murder

of his mother when he was just a teenager. When my Aunt Karen died, it hit everybody pretty hard. But it hit Dale especially hard because that was the only family he really had for himself. Like, he was on his own. He had nowhere else to go. Del was already way in a party in at that age. And, you know, he was a ladies' man. He knew how to talk to people. He knew how to get what he wanted.

And he fed off of that. You know, he'd feed into your needs to talk to people, he knew how to get what he wanted. And he fed off of that. He'd feed into your needs to get to his needs. He grew up in a drug world and alcohol and all that. But it takes a toll on a person after a while. He had a temper. And you add drugs and alcohol with that, that's a bomb waiting to go off.

Following a stint in prison in 2000, family members say Dale left home for good. I knew Dale had took off to Louisville, Kentucky, and he ended up with this girl out there. Detectives have a theory for who Dale's girlfriend may be. We knew one name at that point, Jennifer Smith. Detectives released Dale's mugshot and asked the public for help identifying Jennifer Smith.

Shortly after, they get a call from the mother of a Jennifer Smith in southern Indiana. We went to her house. She said she hadn't seen Jennifer, but she knew that we were looking for her because she hadn't seen the news. Jennifer's a young 20-something, had been going to college. She didn't really have a residence that she lived at. She would, you know, kind of hop from place to place. Jennifer's mother confirms that her daughter has been dating Dale Moneypenny for two weeks. Jennifer's mom did see her with Dale and saw that she had a very strong attachment to this guy.

She didn't really like him or trust him. She made him get out of the house because he was there trying to manipulate, take money, and do stuff that way. And so Jennifer just went and stayed with him. Jennifer's mother believes that her daughter's life is in danger. She was scared for her daughter because the way money penny

was manipulating and preying on Jennifer. I know she cared about her daughter. She wanted her back home. With no clear indication where Jennifer and Dale are now, detectives fear they may have skipped town. But just a few hours after speaking with Jennifer's mom, police get another call. A short time later, she called us and said,

Jennifer's back, and she's ready to talk to you guys and clear things up for herself. We picked up Jennifer. Something was eating at her. Something was bothering her. It wasn't until we pressed her for a little bit more that she came clean.

Jennifer admits that her boyfriend, Dale Moneypenny, is responsible for Eddie Pointer's death. But Eddie is not the only victim. She says she may know where another body is. She drops a bomb. She tells us that she didn't know that Dale was going to kill the other guy. And I said, what other guy?

She said, the guy that lived in the Mayflower apartments. Immediately, I said, it's Blaine Packer. The stabbed to death inside his burned out home, 23-year-old Jennifer Smith has revealed that her boyfriend, Dale Moneypenny, killed Eddie's friend Blaine Thacker. While Jennifer is taken to the station

to await further questioning, detectives race to Blaine's apartment. The Thacker's Seabolt and I went to the building and met with the management there,, they let us into the apartment. We walked in, and his feet were sticking out, covered up in blankets. Blaine had multiple stab wounds to his chest and torso area

as a result of a knife, a kitchen knife. There was no fire at Blaine Thacker's house, although there were signs that there had been things kitchen knife. There was no fire at Blaine Thacker's house, although there were signs that there had been things that had been knocked over and appeared to have been removed from the home. After processing the scene, detectives returned to the station and pressed Jennifer for answers. We've read her rights, and then we just started having a conversation with her. You just basically build rapport with them. You try to get them to trust you.

What we need right now, okay, is you to tell us everything. Be honest with us. Tell us the truth. Because here's the deal, okay? We want to hear your side. And it can help you because you were there and you know what took place, okay? Yeah. Okay. I thought she was a young meek, You were there, and you know what took place, OK? Yeah. OK.

I thought she was a young, meek, very mild-mannered, lost young lady. Jennifer tells detectives that she didn't know Dale was violent when she first met him. Dale Moneypenny and Jennifer Smith had really only known each other for about 10 days. She stated she had met Dale through some friends that were in the party scene, and she was attracted to him immediately.

Very infatuated. Basically, popular. You know, you're partying with people and they're your best friends. It's been two weeks since, like, an eternity. You met this guy and you're in love with him, You're my best friends. It's been two weeks since an eternity. Thank you. You're welcome. You met this guy and you're in love with him, and I know you have a lot of strong feelings for him. David.

He was blonde with blue eyes. He carried himself well. He was very charismatic. He seemed to say the right thing at the right time. When you first meet Dale, you're going to get a side of Dale you think is just a very good person. Dale was fun to be around at times. He knew how to get Jennifer.

They kind of began to just kind of run around together for a period of seven days, staying from one place to another without separating from another. They technically were homeless. Jennifer's mom booted him out. Her mom just wasn't willing to accept the lifestyle that she was living at the time with Dale. According to Jennifer, while grabbing a drink at Teddy Bear's bar,

the couch-surfing couple had the good fortune of meeting Eddie Pointer. How do you know Eddie? I met him as Ed. As Ed? Okay. And how long ago did you meet him? I met him on Wednesday, every two weeks. Oh, so good.

He hit it off with them, offered them a place to stay, felt bad for them because they didn't really have a permanent place to stay. And Eddie was kind to them. He was just a good guy, and he wanted to help people. He had also had a rough time in life and had been down on his luck. In his recovery, he sought to help other people. Eddie took a big chance by inviting them into his home.

Eddie didn't know what he was in for. You know, Eddie didn't know who Dale really was. How did Dale and Eddie get along? They seemed like they got along great. OK. Jennifer says that only a couple of nights into their stay, on the night of March 23rd It was clear they had overstayed their welcome her story was that she and Dale were

Having sex in Eddie's bed and Eddie walked in Was he upset because you all had sex in his bed Jennifer claims that she left the room to avoid confrontation. But Dale grew enraged at Eddie's treatment of his girlfriend. Jennifer said at that point he grabbed a knife from the kitchen. Dale went in and approached Eddie, and an argument ensued,

at which time he came out. A few minutes later, he was covered in blood. And he said, we got to get out of here. I said, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, what are you doing? Oh, what are you doing? What about the fire? If you went and grabbed something for me, gave me some matches, whatever, OK, that's just part of it.

You gave him the light. She said Dale set the fire to the house. And they then got whatever they could that belonged to them. And they left. And they walked about 45 minutes to the apartment belonging to Blaine Thacker. According to Jennifer, she and Dale didn't really know Blaine that well, having met him

through Eddie only once. Did y'all at any point talk about what happened with Eddie to this guy? No. They told Blaine that, oh, they needed a place to spend the night, never letting him know what had just happened. Blaine allowed them into his apartment because he knew them as having stayed with Eddie and told them that they were welcome to stay there

for the night if they needed a place and to help themselves, to something to eat if they needed to, and that he was going to be going to bed. According to Jennifer, she fell asleep on the couch. But at 4.30 a.m., she awoke to a horrifying sight. Emma had blood all over her face, all over her face. She heard Dale come out from Blaine's bedroom, again covered in blood, him stating, we need to get out of here.

This time they just throw blankets on top of him. According to Jennifer, she did not know Dale was going to kill Blaine. Did he say at any point why he killed this other guy? No. Did you ask him at all, and he just avoided it? Yeah, I just avoided it. Well, the picture is that Dale is on a violent rampage,

and she's just there going along, and it just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. She tried to separate herself from it as much as she could. It didn't seem feasible that a person that was completely innocent would not try to get help or separate herself from somebody who's seemingly in a killing spree. So it was time to kind of call her out on it. I know when you love somebody you'll do anything you can to try and help them but

now's the time to be as honest as you can, okay? Yeah, I know. At some point he started to tell you to look for money? Yeah. Did he find any money? None at all. Any credit cards or anything like that? I don't think so. Okay. Did he leave with anything?

A Senesadius, a Jaggi. I think a rodeo, and a mini-tambourine. Jennifer claims that she and Dale drove to Indiana and stayed with a friend before Dale decided to flee the state. He said, I'll get back in contact with you. So I think with him saying that, she felt reassured that they would be together once again.

Following her confession, detectives charged Jennifer with two counts of murder, one count of robbery, two counts of arson, and tampering with physical evidence. They next set their sights on locating Dale. Has he called you a lot or just maybe once? How many times has he called you? Once. Just one time? Well, what did he say when he called you? They just just maybe once? How many times has he called you? Once. Just one time?

Well, what did he say when he called you? They just asked me if I was your rate. OK. Did he say where he was? He said he was driving. Only thing she knew was that he had said that he had always wanted to go to Miami and that he was probably on his way to Florida.

So we contacted Miami-Dade County. We had a grand jury indictment of Dale Moneypenny and a felony warrant for his arrest. So should Dale be stopped, they would be alerted, no matter where he was located in the United States, that he was wanted for two counts of murder and arson here in Louisville. You know, you had to get him off the street, you know,

because if you got no remorse for the two deaths he's already committed, why wouldn't he kill others? And it was very high pressure. The stakes were very high. Dale wasn't going to stop. And I think it was concerning for anybody that encountered him on his path. We're desperate to find him.

Coming up, as the search for Dale Moneypenny intensifies, authorities fear he'll stop at nothing to stay a free man. There's no way to say he'd never do it again. The only way he knew how to survive was to steal and kill people. In March 2006, Jennifer Smith and Dale Moneypenny have been implicated in the brutal murders of two beloved members of the Louisville community. Residents are trying to make sense of two murders.

The first on Harlan Avenue, home to 43-year-old Charles Edward Pointer, who was the first to die last week. The second, 73-year-old Blaine Thacker Jr. wasn't discovered until Jennifer Smith was arrested late Saturday night and started talking to police. When we found out a second person was dead, not too far from Eddie's house, this turned into a big story, and a lot of people were upset.

Jennifer Smith has confessed that her boyfriend, 26-year-old Dale Moneypenny, is responsible. And now Dale has been on the run for more than two weeks. We really didn't know where Dale was going. He could have been lying to Jennifer. He could have been going, you know, to Colorado for all we know, which is why we had him in our national database as a wanted felon. national database as a wanted felon. On April 16th, detectives received the news they have been waiting for.

We got a hit. Sunny Owl's police department, which is very close to Miami, called our office and said, we just arrested Dale Moneypenny and we understand you're looking for him. We said, yes indeed. At the time that Dale was stopped,

he was in a stolen vehicle, which was not a surprise. Detectives learned that on March 30th, Dale stopped at a bar in Daytona Beach and charmed a 75-year-old man into buying him a hotel room. It's the same thing he was doing. He was preying upon the gay male population. That's his way of doing it because he was able to manipulate people. When they walked into the hotel room, Dale pulled a knife on the man.

Dale said, I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm going to kill you and take your money. And the man said, you can have it. You can have my wallet. You can have my keys. Just don't hurt me. Hotel managers had seen Dale go outside and they saw Dale trying to get into several different cars and ultimately leave in this man's car. They then went to the hotel room and checked on him and he was safe. The hotel called the police and then the police found Dale.

Then they realized who he was. Detectives extradite Dale Moneypenny back to Louisville, where he agrees to talk. Dale was a fairly easy interview because he wanted to talk. And he didn't have to ask a lot from Dale. Dale wanted to talk, and he talked freely. You guys had to go see the bodies, huh? Yeah.

Wasn't pretty. What? Wasn't pretty at all. I mean... How do you feel about it? I can't. It's, uh, first thing in my mind when I go to sleep, first thing when I wake up.

So, I mean, I suffer for every night because I just, like, every night when I try to go to sleep, I keep seeing the last breath he took and then the way their body turned gray. Dale confirms Jennifer's story that Eddie Pointer had tried to kick them out of his house. And Dale admits he wasn't willing to comply with the request. If you've been around Dale long enough, you know his temper.

Dale's never really been one to accept a word no. He don't want to be told no. He went into a rage at that point, And there was an argument that ensued. And he grabbed a knife and attacked Eddie because he had lost control. I was hammered on whiskey. I don't remember what Eddie said to me. It made me snap on the bed room at first. They might have cussed Jennifer. After he killed Eddie, he knew he was in trouble,

and he had to cover his tracks. So he asked Jennifer to help him. They took a few belongings that they thought were valuable. It was a crime of opportunity because, you know, they were living for free. Dale says that after they set fire to Eddie's house, It was a crime of opportunity because they were living for free. Dale says that after they set fire to Eddie's house, they headed for Blaine Thacker's.

Blaine had opened the door for them, told them to help themselves to whatever food there was in the apartment. He went to bed. He had no idea that they had just murdered his best friend. Dale claims that he became increasingly paranoid that Blaine would realize what happened to Eddie. He eventually went into Blaine's bedroom

and stabbed him multiple times. I guess I stole some stuff from him after it happened. Dale said he needed some of Blaine's valuables so that he could pawn them to continue on his way out of town. If Orf can leave, he's got one key check with me, really. Why? She just seemed like she cared about me. No matter what I did, you know, she went and let that come between us, you know? I was going to attach this girl to him.

Dale basically took the blame himself and admitted that he was responsible for both the death of Eddie Pointer and Blaine Thacker and that Jennifer was pretty much just along for the ride. and that Jennifer was pretty much just along for the ride. Following Dale's confession, he is charged with two counts of murder, as well as first degree arson and robbery. Once Dale Moneypenny was informed that he was looking at possibly the death penalty, he decided to make a deal. He's in prison for life without parole.

I think life without parole. I think life without parole is wonderful because so many years to live. For 23-year-old Jennifer Lynn Smith, the introduction into the world of felony arrests is a harsh one. We've got two counts of murder, one count of robbery, one, two counts of arson, one of tamping with physical evidence. On September 30th, 2008, Jennifer Smith pleads guilty to complicity to commit murder and arson.

And is sentenced to 10 years in prison. How could these two people be so evil that they would take advantage of two people who were willing to give everything they could to help someone? It shows no remorse, no feelings. People who are that cold and non-caring, just unnerving. They had no reason to die like that.

Just cause of Dale. And Jennifer with Dale with the catalyst for the whole thing. I've always looked up to Dale. And Dale's always been family. But, uh... Dale had no remorse for what he did. He's exactly where he needs to be. Because if he got out, there's no way to say he'd never do it again.

I felt just such a deep sadness that Blaine was gone. And to never see Blaine again, it just didn't seem real. I never got any kind of closure. Eddie was shy, but had an underlying sweetness about him. You could just see it deep down. You didn't have to really look for it. It was him. It was who he was.

He had the best smile. He gave the best hugs. He meant something to me. I'm sure he meant something to other people. And I'll miss him. Yeah. Jennifer Smith served five years in prison. She was released in 2011 at the age of 29. Dale Moneypenny is serving his life sentence

in the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Everyone has that friend who seems kind of perfect. For Patty, that friend was Desiree. Until one day... I texted her and she was not getting the text. So I went to Instagram and she has no Instagram anymore. And Facebook, no Facebook anymore. Desiree was gone, and there was one person

who knew the answer. I am a spiritual person, a magical person, a witch. A gorgeous Brazilian influencer called Cat Torres, but who was hiding a secret. From Wandery, based on my smash hit podcast from Brazil, comes a new series, Don't Cross Cat, about a search that led me to a mystery in a Texas suburb. I'm calling to check on the two missing Brazilian girls. Maybe get some undercover crew there.

The family are freaking out. They are lost. I'm Chico Felitti. You can listen to Don't Cross Cat on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.