Snapped: Women Who Murder - Crystal Gregoire

Episode Date: January 7, 2024

Investigators must determine if they are looking for professional killer, or if they are being told lies from someone in the victim's inner circle, when a Tennessee man who was rumored to have connections with the mob is murdered.Season 29 Episode 05Originally aired: May 2, 2021Watch 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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We're God. Ex-Mess. Now streaming only on freebie. After a turbulent childhood, he found happiness in his later years. I think everybody here thought he'd kind of put his past behind him and was starting his life over again. She was a single mother with three kids. She was raising her three kids.

She felt like she was on her own. She just wanted a better life for us. Their unlikely friendship gave them both new hope. He spent money on the kids to seem like he really loved the family. Until the unthinkable happens and tears their world apart. I yield his name and he just laying there and just blood everywhere. It looked like someone had just splattered paint all over the walls.

This seems like someone with some experience committed this crime. As the investigation begins, detectives question if a big city crime has made its home in their quaint Tennessee town. A portrayed himself has been connected to the Mafia in New York City. The city crime has made its home in their Quaint Tennessee town. The portrayed himself has been connected to the mafia in New York City. As investigators probe deeper into the mystery, buried secrets are uncovered.

He was very controlling through everything. When she would eat, when she would shower, what, she decided to order at a restaurant. He digs it up, he opens it up, and there's a pill bottle. The first question was, how did you find this stuff? I said, tellburg, Tennessee. At 8.50pm, 16-year-old Josh Brown arrives at a senior living complex to check on a family friend, Sam John Pasarella. No one had spoken to Mr. Pasarella since the night before. Josh had been the football practice earlier in the day

and had came by to check on him. When he got to Sam's residence, he checked the door. It was unlocked. He went on the end. He called out for Uncle Tony as Josh called Sam Pasarella. And Uncle Tony did not answer. The bedroom door was closed, so he knocked on the bedroom door. There was no answer, so he opened the door.

What Josh finds behind the door sends him tearing out of the house, frantically dialing 911 911 what they had just your marketing the clock your senior home I just came to my house and I opened the door and he's laying on the bed. He's dead You can tell just from listing to the 911 call from the tone of his voice. I mean, this is like a 16-year-old boy. He is frantic.

He is terribly upset. You're for sure that he is not breathing. I yell his name, and he just lay in there and is blood everywhere. When officers arrive at the complex, they're confronted by a horrific scene inside Sam John Pasarella's bedroom. It looked like someone had taken a paintbrush, basically,

and just splattered blood all over the walls and the ceiling. This is one of the bloodiest crime scenes I've ever seen. the most dangerous crime scenes I've ever seen. MUSIC Sam John Pasarello was born on August 6, 1945 into a large Italian-American family in New York City. Sam John had a charismatic sense to him. You know, he had the personality that just it attracted people. But Sam John had a knack always of seeming to be in trouble

in the big city of New York. Just before Sam John started high school, his family shipped the troublemaker off to rural Lawrence County, Tennessee, where another branch of the Pasarella family lived. His family sent sound down and hopes that his uncle and their family could have some good influences on him. He first became known as a musician, as a singer.

He and some of his friends started a band, a dance band, that would play at parties and dances and clubs. It was back in the early 70s and he was like a cruner. He just knew how to get the crowd in the palm of his hands. He really was an entertainer. Sam Don moved to Nashville after high school to try to make it big and the music seemed there. While he was waiting for his chance at fame,

Sam John fell back into the mischievous habits of his use. He began the business of counter-fitting and buying and selling stolen property, selling drugs, portrayed himself as being connected to the mob or the mafia in New York City. Sam John fell into even more trouble in 1982, when a man named Monty Hudson allegedly cheated him in his gang out of thousands of dollars by selling them a batch of counterfeit silver.

Once I found out that the silver was fake, they abducted Mr. Hudson and his wife at gunpoint in the parking lot of a motel. Sam John and another man took money Hudson with them in their vehicle, and that was last time he was ever seen. Until they found his body. they were seeing until they found his body. They could never actually pin the murder on Sam John. They did have enough evidence to convict him of the kidnapping

of both Monty and Liz. And so Sam was sentenced to 20 years and then I believe 50 years plus life. Facing the prospect of life behind bars, the former tough guy mellowed out in prison. They let him run a greenhouse while he was in there and his plants and all just flourished. There was an article in the National Geographic

about Sam John having a special touch with plants. Sam John passed the relus served around 30 years in prison before raining in a pill and being released in 2013. Me and my uncle Nick went over and picked him up when they led him out and it was quite a change. You sit over there 25, 30 years, you're definitely not the same person. Just shy of his 69th birthday, Sam John moved into the Crockett Senior Living Complex in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Mr. Pasarella was the gardener, and he prided himself on the flowers there at the apartment complex.

Most people who had lived around Lawrence County was aware of Sam John Pasarella and his past. I think everybody here thought he'd kind of put his past behind him and was starting his life over again. People in the community loved him. One of those people in the community that grew especially close to Sam John was 31-year-old Crystal Gregor. Despite their age difference, she and Sam related on their rough upbringing.

We had a pretty rough childhood. It was my mother and four girls. My dad left us when I think my oldest sister was about five. Born on November 26, 1980 in day Alamond, Louisiana, Crystal was the third of four children. My mom's the one that's kind of like outgoing. She's most outgoing of the four. She's very like, go with the flow, type of woman.

Seeking structure in her life, Crystal worked briefly as a police officer after high school, and then bounced from job to job. She also gave birth to three kids by the age of 20. After she had Josh and Mariah with their dad, she eventually got married to my dad and had me in 2000. The marriage ended after only a few years and Crystal quickly rebounded.

She was with my stepdad when I turned three, but eventually my mom and my stepdad, we're just getting into it a lot, and she just wanted a change for her three kids. He had an offshore job, and that put a lot of time and miles between the two of them, that were on their relationship quite a bit. She had a pretty rough time.

I encouraged her to move here just to have my support so I can help her with the children. In 2012, Crystal ended the relationship and moved from Converse Louisiana to Loretto Tennessee for a fresh start. She just wanted a better life for us. I think moving to Tennessee was the best thing my mom ever did for me personally. She was working at a plant here in Pulaski and she excelled. She moved herself up like really quick and it up man like one of the lead positions.

Crystal began a relationship with a local man named Jonathan Howell and soon the two were engaged. It was through Jonathan that she met Sam John Pasarella. The two warm-hearted free spirits became fast friends. Sam John didn't request for us to call him Uncle Tony. My mom came up with it because he's from Brooklyn. I would say that my brother was over at Sam John's house a lot more. And I guess he found a fall or figure in Sam John some way. But at the age of 69, Sam John's health took a turn, scaring his loved ones.

He had been suffering from pneumonia, congestive heart failure, hepatitis, just a myriad of health problems. In the spring of 2015, Sam John who went into hospital for some diabetic problems, and it's severely weakened. As Sam John recovered in the Crockett senior living complex, Crystal and her family were right by his side. Crystal was very close to Sam also and spent quite a bit of time over at Sam's apartment with him and that sometimes people would come in and she would actually be sitting beside him in the bed.

But Sam John's homecoming would be short lived. On May 19th, 2015, he has found dead in his home by Crystal's son Josh. After Josh calls 911, police rushed to the apartment and find a gruesome scene. Police start canvassing the area, going to these neighboring apartments, knocking on doors, asking, did you see anything? Did you hear anything?

Coming up, detectives narrow in on potential suspects. Whoever committed this crime had a fairly decent work and knowledge of the anatomy of the throat. So now you're wondering, is this some sort of mob hit? I was under the impression that there weren't really tellin' us everything that they knew. On May 19, 2015, local and state law enforcement in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee are on the scene of a brutal murder. The victim is 69-year-old Sam John Pasarella.

The victim is lying in his bed, crosswise of the bed, with his feet in the floor. There's a large pool of blood underneath his head. He very obviously had been beaten with some type of object about the head. The wounds that I observed on Sam, a lot of them have half moon shapes. That's very typical of a hammer. object about the head. The wounds that I observed on Sam, a lot of them have half moon shapes. That's very typical of a hammer or possibly a pipe that

has a rounded end on it. In addition to the blunt force trauma wounds, officers notice a deep gash in Sam John's neck. It appeared that perhaps the vein in his neck had been cut with a knife, because very obviously, there was a great deal of blood coming from the wound in his neck. Whoever committed this crime had a fairly decent work in knowledge of the anatomy of the throat, or at least what would ensure a for sure death.

Based on the positioning of Sam John's body, Detective suspect he had no idea what was about to happen. Someone was standing behind him when they struck him. And then he fell directly backwards and tried to protect himself with his hands because they were wounds on his arms from where he had tried to defend himself. And there's a knife in his hand. The knife was a large bread knife.

It looked out of place because there was no blood on it. And that wouldn't be my first choice of a defensive weapon. When detectives searched the rest of the apartment, they are most struck by what they don't find. The victim was known for carrying large amounts of cash and prescription medication. And there was no prescription medication or money located in the crime scene.

There was a possibility of maybe some drugs that might have been emotive, it might have probably break in to take these drugs. As investigators continue logging evidence throughout the house, the clues paint a peculiar picture. In the victim's bathroom, the lead was closed only to all it. Upon opening the lead, the victim's cell phone

was located inside. When I entered the kitchen, I was specifically looking for a set of knives that that knife that was in the Sam's hand, where I've come from. And the largest knife in the wooden block was missing. It did match the one that was in the bedroom in Sam's hands. There was bottle of bleach sitting there. If it had been used, it will destroy DNA

or blood evidence that might have been present. Detectives now suspect they may be dealing with a professional killer, especially considering Sam John's well-known past. For what I understand about Sam, he liked the people to think he was maybe connected with the mafia. Then he's found murdered in a very bloody scene and it looks like someone with some knowledge had tried to clean up the crime

scene. So now you're wondering, is this some sort of mob hit? After assessing the scene, detectives head outside to speak with 16-year-old Josh Brown, Sam John's close friend and the one who discovered his body. Josh's mother, Crystal Grigwar, was there comforting Josh, taking care of him. He was crying so hard, he was so distraught. He still had the phone in his hand,

and just, just crying, I mean uncontrollably. Detectives pulled Josh aside and asked him when he last saw Sam John. Josh says it was the previous night, May 18th, 2015. He and the crystal had gone to Sam's and they had had supper. They left there and arrived home, which was in large-burg city, somewhere around 10.30 p.m. Josh says that Sam John seemed to be in good spirits

and promised to come to Josh's sisters eighth grade graduation the next day. But he never showed. It was very uncommon for someone in Josh's family not to speak to Mr. Pasarella in a day's time. Josh was very close to Mr. Pasarella from all accounts. Mr. Pasarella is sort of like a mentor to him. He stayed with Mr. Pasarella sometimes.

Obviously, if you're an investigator, your ears perk up then, because you think, well, if you're an investigator, your ears perk up then, because you think, well, if this kid is there a lot, maybe he knows about some other people's comments and goings. You know who might be mad at Mr. Pasarella. You hear him say he was mad at somebody. Josh says that despite his past, Sam John didn't have any problems in the community. I think most people in this area didn't think about his past,

that he had served his time, and he was a different person when he came out. And that was all behind him. Determining that Josh is not a suspect, detectives thank him for his time and turn to his mother, Crystal Gregor. Investigators want to talk to Miss Gregor because based on Josh's statement, she has been shown to be someone that could give some information about

with whom Mr. Pasarella had dealings. Detectives ask to meet with her the next day for a more formal interview, and she agrees. The next afternoon, May 20, 2015, detectives arrive at the home of Crystal and her fiance, Jonathan Howell. In this meeting that Ms. Greg War has with officers, she tells them that her relationship with Mr. Pasarello was a very close relationship. She was just really down.

My mom just kept saying, who would do this? Who would do this? Crystal confirms her son's story about eating with Sam John the night before his murder. When they left approximately 9 p.m., Mr. Pasarella was fine. She was expecting her from Mr. Pasarello was fine. She was expecting here from Mr. Pasarello. She and Josh after dinner had gone home to their home.

Jonathan was there at the house, and they simply stayed at home that night. Jonathan corroborated the story. Jonathan says that he hadn't left the house at all on the 18th, but when detectives try and press the couple further, they clam up. I didn't think she was real forthcoming, and I really didn't think Johnson was very forthcoming either. So I was under the impression that there weren't really tell unless everything that they

knew. So basically we left. Detectives hope that Sam John's phone collected from a toilet at the crime scene may offer them a clue to the murderer's identity. But lab technicians have bad news. They were able to give us a report fairly quickly that the cell phone had sustained such damage that they were not gonna be able to retrieve

any information from it, itself. It was obvious there was something on that phone. Someone didn't want us to find. As investigators re-strategized, they received an unexpected phone call from Crystal Gregor. Crystal volunteered that she had some information she needed to give us that she did not want to talk about it from John's phone. Coming up, had Sam John been keeping a deadly secret.

The past is coming back to catch up with him. He had plenty of time to come back and kill Sam and then leave town again. time to come back and kill Sam and then lead town again. Let's say you love sports, but you're also a busy person. Maybe you missed last night's games and you want to catch up on what happened. If we're talking about you right now, then you need to check out the lead starting five. The Daily Sports Podcast from Wondery, hosted by me, Sarah Kazal. And me, John Gonzalez, along with our other co-hosts, Matt Straup and Tip Oshinsky. Every weekday, we break down the five biggest stories of the day in about 10 minutes, whether it's LeBron James, Defying Father Time, yet again. New

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Hey everybody, I'm James. I'm Jimmy. You definitely want to hear us on Small Town Murder, our crazy podcast about murder and small towns. Pretty happily named. And what do you think of when you think of a small town? Oh, um, terrifying, terrifying murder. Exactly. Yeah, so you know, town. Oh, um, terrifying, terrifying murder. Exactly. Yeah. See, you know, and that's what we have for you. Shock full of it every week. We have two episodes a week, one regular on Thursdays and one express a little shorter episode on Fridays where you're going to hear the craziest stories from small towns. We'll talk a little bit about the town to give you a setting and then we'll get into some of the wildest, craziest murders you've ever heard of, mixing in some humor here to cut the dark. Keep it light. Just a little bit and keep it light.

You definitely want to join us there twice a week. You can't beat or come and join a small town murder podcast. Subscribe today. Follow small town murder on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to small town murder early and add free right now on Wondery Plus. On May 21, 2015, three days after the brutal murder of 69-year-old Sam John Pasarella, Sam's closest friend, 35-year-old Crystal Gregor, tells police that she wasn't entirely transparent in their initial interview. Jonathan was not at home the second time

that they talked to her. She tells them that she and Sam had a romantic relationship that they loved one another. Crystal says she was drawn to Sam John's kindness and attentiveness. Although Mr. Pasarella was in such poor health, he could not engage in a sexual relationship. They slept together, they cuddled, they kissed, they hugged. Sam John took care of her children and that he was a mentor to them. He helped her monetarily.

Crystal tells police that although Sam John was a gentleman to her and her family, she knew he had a darker side. In fact, she claimed she first met Sam John because he was her fiance's drug dealer. Sam actually, since he had been out of the penitentiary, had created a small network of friends and new acquaintances, and actually had his own small little enterprise going

there where he was buying scripts and drugs and then reselling them. Crystal told detectives on the evening of the 18th that Sam had mentioned having business with a guy lighter that night. She told Sam or asked him to contact her whenever the meeting was over and that she had not heard from him since. Crystal says she suspects Sam's meeting had something to do with a case the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was building against him. She says that three or four weeks prior to Sam's death that he was in a nursing home and the man comes in with these documents that are actually TBI Discovery documents revealed names, prices, amounts of marijuana that was being moved from Texas to Lawrence County Tennessee as part of a drug pipeline.

The information that was encompassed inside those documents linked Sam to some drug cases that were going on and incriminated him. According to Crystal, Sam John knew there was a snitch in his operation, and he quickly pinned down who it might be. Sam deducted from the paperwork that another guy who was just an acquaintance he is from North Carolina, Sean Tierney, appeared to be providing information. Sean Tierney, also known as Big New York. Tierney's normal procedure apparently was to make a trip to Lawrence County about once a month

to get a prescription for narcotic pills, go fill the prescription locally, and give the pills to Sam to sell. In exchange for that, Sean would be paid. Crystal says that Sam John was livid about Sean's supposed betrayal. He was very suspicious of Mr. Tierney. He had indicated to Crystal that he was going to confront him about whether or not he was snitching.

This seemed to be a very big lead for us. There could have definitely been some beef between Sam John and Tyranny over these documents. So that leads the possibility out there that Sam is confronted them or has threatened them, and maybe they've decided they're going to get rid of him before he gets rid of them. On May 22nd, detectives call Sean Tierney.

He agrees to meet with police in two days, while they wait. Detectives pull Sean's phone records. We began looking into Mr. Tierney and discovered he had been in town on May 18th. He had visited a local nurse practitioner, Sean had also been the local pharmacy. By 4 p.m., the cell tower records tell us that he's leaving

large-burnt headed west toward Jackson, Tennessee. By 5 o'clock, his phone goes dead. We lose him somewhere around Union City, which is west of Jackson. For detectives, Sean's missing phone records are a major red flag. And I saw that Big New York's phone died around five o'clock. I felt like there was a good possibility that he may have turned it off. And he came back and robbed Sam and killed him.

On May 24th, Sean arrives at the police station. He confesses to providing Sam John with pills and admits that Sam John had recently confronted him about his suspicions that Sean was cooperating with the TBI. He told Big New York that he was very disappointed that Big New York was a CI. Well, Big New York told him that I'm not a CI. He says, I'm not the person talking in that.

So when he denied it, according to Big New York Sam believed it. Sean says that on May 18th, 2015, he came into town to fill a prescription and drop off the pills with Sam John. He says the conversation was nothing out of the ordinary. He says that he left in the late afternoon of the 18th, left town, and headed west toward Jackson, Tennessee. That's when detectives pull out Sean's phone records. I said, why am I losing you at five o'clock? He said, well, it's because my phone went dead.

And he said, I had no way of charging it. I suggested him that he had plenty of time to come back and kill Sam and then leave town again. He says, I can provide you with information to prove to you that I was not here. Big New York tells me that his girlfriend, Samantha Walters, was with him. He provides me with her phone number.

After Sean leaves, Detective Sapena Samantha's records. Sure enough, she's making the same track that he is. We track him to Union City Tennessee, where his phone went dead, but hers didn't off. They stayed all night in that area. Those records were able to confirm Mr. Tierney's Alibi. After clearing Sean Tierney, detectives dig deeper

into Sam Johns claims claims about mafia connections. Mr. Pasarella played up the mob ties because they locked the persona and people were afraid of it. I don't think Mr. Pasarella has any mob ties. I think he just locked the talk. By February 2016, after months of dead ends, investigators turned their attention back to Crystal Gregor.

Once investigators decided to speak with Crystal again, in looking for her, apparently they found her incarcerated in the neighboring county jail. Apparently, Crystal had been convicted of a crime and had violated that probation. On February 4, 2016, investigators plan to meet with Crystal at the jail. But prior to the scheduled meeting,

a tibster calls in with information that will change the entire course of the investigation. When this evidence is turned over to Special Agent Wes, he realizes this is the opportunity to solve this case. Coming up, new evidence brings Sam John's killer to light. In Fentlon God was watching over us. There had been calls of domestic disturbances. Could envy have been at the heart of the killing?

It was very jealous of that relationship. She was crying, saying, please just calm down. He held a knife up to her throat, and said, nobody will ever find y'all's bodies. On February 4, 2016, just before an interview with Crystal Gregor, regarding the murder of Sam John Pasarella, police received a chilling tip. Investigators receive a call from Miss Gregor's landlord, and the trailer that she lived in sat on a piece of his property that had a big area behind it.

One of his employees had been out there and ran across a bag sticking out of a mound of dirt. He digs it up, he opens it up, and there's a pill bottle, a prescription pill bottle inside, and it has Sam John Pasarella's name on it. We unearthed the rest of that bag. We carried it to the police department, where we dumped everything there out on the table.

There is a hammer that appeared to contain blood. There's articles of clothing and two knives in the bag. I realized that what we had here was virtually all the evidence in this case in one little package. It was like a present that had been delivered to us. We felt very good about the finding. It felt like God was watching over us. Later that afternoon, detectives meet with Crystal at the county jail.

I laid out a couple of the pictures for her to look at. Her whole demeanor changed. She went from smiles to just solemn. Complete disbelief was on her face. The first question out of her mouth was, how did you find this stuff? I said, no, tell me what happened, Crystal. At that point, she came forth with a totally different version of events from that night.

For the first time, she did admit that she was there at the house with Sam. According to Crystal, she had been trapped for months in an abusive relationship with her fiance, Jonathan Howell. There had been calls of domestic disturbances with Ms. Greg War complaining that Mr. Howell had assaulted her. Though police recently were summoned to their home, Crystal tells investigators she has

never pressed charges against him. Jonathan was very controlling. I saw Jonathan controlling my mom through everything. When she would eat, when she would shower, what, she decided to order at a restaurant. Crystal advises them that Jonathan was very jealous of that relationship with Sam that she did spend a lot of time at Sam's house. According to Crystal, on May 18, 2015,

Jonathan wanted to accompany her to Sam John's house. She said, after I took Josh on that night after we had he, he went with me back to Sam's. And I told him to stay in the truck that I would go in and see Sam. Jonathan came in. He was mad. And he was upset because I was in the bedroom with Sam John.

She said, he and Sam began to argue. And Jonathan picked up a hammer that was lying on the dresser and hit him in the head with it. She said, I panic. So I didn't know what to do. She said, I knew he was dead. So I cleaned things up. She started cleaning up the place and gather up any kind of evidence

that was there and bagging all up. And went back home. And she got in the bathtub, and Jonathan went for a walk. She guessed that's when he buried the evidence. She tells the detectives that she was too terrified of Jonathan to call the police, so she kept quiet. Investigator Wesson thinks, okay, we finally got this thing uh, solved. It was Jonathan and then Crystal helped cover it up.

Early that morning I went to Jonathan's house. I presented him with crystal statement and her handwriting. He broke down and started to cry. Jonathan loved Crystal. He could not believe Crystal was accusing him of this. Jonathan says that although it was rumored that he might have been one of Sam John's customers, Crystal was in fact one of his dealers.

She had been involved in selling pills, for Mr. Pasarella and with Mr. Pasarella. I questioned Jonathan about Crystal's relationship with Sam and how he felt about that. He said he was really uncomfortable about it. He didn't approve of it. Jonathan said that on May 18, 2015, he had stayed home rather than face an awkward dinner

with Sam John. Crystal had returned home with her kids and then headed out again. She went back to Sam's. He said she didn't come back till early morning hours. When Jonathan heard the news about Sam John's death, he put two and two together. He goes on to say that Ms. Gregor admitted to him what

had happened and that she had killed Sam John. Jonathan's alibi that he'd been home all night was vouched for months earlier by Crystal Sun Josh. Outside of her statement, I really had no evidence that Jonathan had committed to the crime. On February 5, 2016, detectives meet with Crystal again. When they tell her that Jonathan has denied her story, Crystal offers up a new version.

Ms. Greg War admits that she, in fact, killed Sam Pasero. But she claims she did it in self-defense. Crystal admits to selling pills, but she claims Sam John coerced her into it. He was killing her how worthless she was, and how he was gonna take care of her if she didn't do what he needed her to do.

She said, I'm just so scared. Crystal says that on May 18, 2015, when she came back to Sam John's house, he tried to make good on his threats. So he started yelling and cussing me and told me that I had stolen his drug contacts, and that I was going around him to do business with his contacts, and that he was going to have my bitch

ass killed. She was crying, saying, please just calm down. Tony just calm down, please. And she said that he held a knife up to her throat and said, you just sit right there. I got a hit man that's going to get all three of your kids and then do the same thing to you and bury all and nobody will ever find your own bodies.

She's frantic. She's afraid for her life. She looks right under the edge of his bed and sees a hammer. So she comes up with the hammer swinging. It's him. He falls onto the bed. She continues to strike blows. She's well, he laid there on the bed, bleeding,

but he was still breathing. So I started to clean up, and I thought, I can't leave him alive, because if I do, the wise guys will come get me. She said, so I grabbed his phone, and I threw it in the toilet, and I got an eye, and I punched him in the throat twice to make sure that he blood out. I said, so you want to make sure he was dead? She said, yes want to make sure he was dead.

She said, yes, I did. Our story doesn't make sense because physically, he wasn't able to do the things you're saying he did. He was in a very weakened condition because of his various ailments. Crystal says that after Sam John was dead, she gathered up the evidence and hid it behind her house. Crystal was charged with tampering with evidence,

abuse of the corpse, and first degree murder. Coming up, prosecutors present what they believe is Crystal's true motive. I've been involved in a lot of murder cases. She may be the coldest one I've ever had any dealings with. On April 18, 2017, the trial of 35-year-old Crystal Greg War begins. In opening statements, prosecutors claim that Crystal had found

unexpected success, working in the small-time drug ring run by 69-year-old Sam Pasarella. Not too long before the trial started, we finally developed what we thought was her motive. She says in one of her statements, her final statement, that the reason Sam was so upset with her was that he accused her of going around his back to deal directly with his suppliers. She was trying to squeeze Sam out of his drug business and take it over. We felt that she wanted all that business for herself.

Prosecutors say that Crystal had manipulated Sam John into thinking that she loved him in order to get close to him. Then on May 18, 2015, after setting a romantic mood, Crystal had murdered Sam John Pasarella in cold blood. He was struck from behind and was most likely seated on the bed when he was struck. Even after she had beaten practically the death with a hammer, she made absolutely sure he was dead

before she left. I stabbing him in the jug, but it's wise. She knew what she was doing, and she intended to make sure he did not survive. In police interviews, Crystal had claimed she had killed Sam John in self-defense, but the prosecution refutes her story. We found that he was barely able to walk unassisted,

shortly before his death, and he had to have the walker or a cane, and yet she says he pushed her to the floor. He stood over her, looming over her, and threatening her. Look, all she had to do was walk away. You know, I could have held Sam John off me with one hand. It being a matter of self-defense is an absolute joke. When Crystal takes the stand in her own defense, she doesn't back down from her previous claims

that she'd killed Sam John only after he had threatened to have his henchmen kill her and her family. My reaction to my mom telling me everything that happened the night that Sam John was murdered, I just thought, okay, it was either him or me, my mom, my sister, my brother. When the jury begins deliberation, the prosecution worries that Sam John's past will sway the jury in Crystal's favor. This wasn't just a claim of self-defense against her Sunday school teacher. This was a claim of self-defense against Sam John Pasarella,

who was known to be a person with a violent past, who was known to have been involved in the kidnapping and a probable murder. On April 21, 2017, the jury returns with a verdict that stuns Crystal's family. When I first heard you are convicted of first degree murder, I was like, this isn't right. I literally just started crying, hugging my sister.

When the jury found her guilty of first degree murder, her sentence was automatic under the law, life in prison, with the possibility of parole. She killed him in a way that took some time for her to deliver that many blows and then stop and get a knife and stab him. As heinous as that is, that's not even the worst part. She allowed her 16-year-old son to discover the body.

I've been involved in a lot of murder cases. She may be the coldest one I've ever had any dealings with. I always remember Sam John as the young, grigorious man, being at my grandmother's house, making homemade spaghetti and pizza. And that'll be the way I remember Sam John. I'll never forget that as long as I'm alive. He was like my big brother.

Crystal remains incarcerated at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Her children were raised by multiple members of her family. Hey, I'm Michelle Beetle. And I'm Peter Rosenberg. Hey Peter, tell the people about our new podcast. Right, it's called Over the Top. And we cover the biggest topics in sports and pop culture

using royal rumble rules. That means we'll start with two stories. Toss one out on its ass and dive into the other stories with ruthless aggression. Oh, but it never stops because every 90 seconds after that. ["Stand in the fire!" While God, whose music is that? Another story comes down to the fire. While God, whose music is that? Another story comes down to the ring.

Rinse and repeat until we arrive at the one most important thing on planet Earth that week. Yeah. Follow over the top on the Wondry app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to over the top, add free right now by joining Wondry Plus. For the record, this is not a wrestling podcast.

No, no, but it is inspired by wrestling. Is it everything inspired by wrestling, Biddle? Fair point. Yeah!