Let's Go To Court!

TW: Police Brutality
We don’t normally do trigger warnings, but we’re making an exception this week. In this episode, Brandi’s case very briefly mentions police brutality. The case is old timey and the alleged brutality wasn’t racially motivated, but in light of police officer Derek Chauvin’s recent murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed, we figured some folks might like a heads up. Note: If it seems weird that we discuss police brutality without mentioning the current climate, that’s because we recorded this episode before the protests.
It was happening all around Chicago. People felt a little ill. So they took a Tylenol. A short time later, they dropped dead. Doctors were initially puzzled. Why were young, seemingly healthy people dying so suddenly? They soon found the unsettling answer. Someone -- or maybe multiple someones -- had gone to multiple Chicago-area grocery stores and drugstores, took the Tylenol off the shelves, and filled the capsules with poison. They then returned the poisoned Tylenol to the store shelves, where unsuspecting buyers picked it up.
Then Brandi tells us about Kansas City socialite Florence Barton. On an October night in 1920, Florence and her fiance Howard Winter went for a drive. They drove Howard’s Dodge Coupe through Swope Park, and eventually headed down a country road. When they stopped for Howard to smoke his cigar, a car pulled up alongside them. A man jumped out. He asked Howard for directions. As Howard answered, he realized that the man had a gun, and it was aimed right at him.
And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.
In this episode, Kristin pulled from:
“The Tylenol Terrorist,” by Rachael Bell on Crime Library
“Murder by Tylenol,” by Brian Anderson for Vice
“Home of man linked to Tylenol deaths searched,” the Associated Press
“James Lewis rape case reveals horrifying allegations,” by Laurel J. Sweet for the Boston Herald
In this episode, Brandi pulled from:
“The 1920 murder of a socialite exposes a corrupt Kansas City” by Diane Euston, Martin City Telegraph
“Roberts Aids Defense Pleas of an Alibi” The Kansas City Kansan, newspapers.com
“Denzel Chester Freed of Murder” Sacramento Union, California Digital Newspaper Collection

Brandi really outdid herself this week by covering the most horrifying crime... ever??? James Urban Ruppert had a rough life. As he grew into adulthood, his struggles continued. He couldn’t hold a job. He couldn't maintain relationships. He had paranoid delusions. That all came to a head on Easter Sunday of 1975, when his entire extended family celebrated the holiday at his mother’s house. Also, please cue the Golden Girls theme song for Brandi. She told our only case this week so that Kristin could spend time with her grandma. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “The 1975 Easter massacre: Uncle Jimmy Ruppert kills his family” by David J. Krajicek, New York Daily News “CRIME HUNTER: Easter Sunday massacre of Ohio family stunned U.S.” by Brad Hunter, Toronto Sun “James Ruppert” murderpedia.org “Easter Sunday Massacre” wikipedia.org “Mother, Brother Among James Ruppert’s Victims” by John R. Clark, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Grandmother Still Haunted By Memory” by Janet C. Wetzel, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Parole Hearing Not Due Til 95” by John R. Clark, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Officials Share Bitter Memories Of Ritter Case” by John R. Clark, The Cincinnati Enquirer “Ruppert Chronology” The Cincinnati Enquirer “Living in a murder house: Hamilton mom copes with her home's dark past” by Maxim Alter, WCPO 9 News
YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 30+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

Mary Scott Castle was hot, rich, and well connected. But when she met a 21-year-old Porter Charlton, she was down on her luck. She’d just gotten divorced, and she’d blown her reputation to bits by shooting a man in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria. But when Mary and Porter locked eyes, it was love at first sight. They got married a month later, and took off for a romantic European honeymoon. There was just one problem. Porter wasn’t so stable himself. Then Brandi tells us about a horrific attack in a Lululemon store. It was March of 2011. Coworkers Brittany Norwood and Jayna Murray had just left the Lululemon Athletica store in Bethesda, Maryland, when Brittany realized that she’d left her wallet in the store. When she called Jayna to tell her what she’d done, Jayna was accommodating. She told Brittany she’d meet her back at the store. The pain re-entered the store, leaving the door unlocked behind them. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: “Lady in the lake” by Mara Bovsun The Daily News. “The Murder of the Beautiful and Accomplished Mrs. Edith Woodhill, 1909,” written by Thomas Duke in 1910, posted to historicalcrimedetective.com “Charlton Must go to Italy for Trial,” The Evening Times-Republican, June 10, 1913
“May Ask Wilson to Save Slayer,” The Washington Herald , June 11, 1913 “True Detective Tales: What is Justice? Murder at Romantic Como,” by Peter Levins for the Pittsburg Sun-Telegraph, April 24, 1940 “‘On Trial’ -- Omaha Boy in Spotlight,” The Omaha Sunday Bee, October 17, 1915 In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Brittany Norwood” episode Snapped “‘The Yoga Store Murder: The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing’ by Dan Morse” by Daniel Stashower, The Washington Post “Lululemon victim was alive through most of beating” by Andrea Noble, The Washington Times “Brittany Norwood sentenced to life without parole” by Richard Reeve, WLJA 7 News “Maryland Lululemon Store Gives ‘Love’ Memorial to Family of Woman Killed There” NBC4 Washington “Lululemon Murder” wikipedia.org

As far as 911 calls went, this one was strange. An anonymous woman claimed that her neighbor, whose name she didn’t know, had been attacked by a man. Then she hung up. When the dispatcher called back, she realized that the “neighbor” had called from a pay phone outside a fast food restaurant. But when police arrived on the scene, they quickly realized that the caller had been onto something. Anna Lisa Raymundo, an ivy-league educated research scientist, lay dead in her entryway. She’d been stabbed multiple times and beaten over the head. Her condo showed signs of a violent struggle with her attacker. Then Brandi tells us about a woman who died tragically while taking down party lights from a tree. When investigators arrived at the home of Louis Mahony and Lainie Coldwell, it seemed clear that Lainie had fallen off a ladder, to her death. But she was only injured on the back of her head. The rest of her body was unharmed. As time passed, it seemed less and less likely that Lainie’s death was an accident. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: Vengeance: Killer Coworkers episode, “Obsession at the office” “Sheila Davalloo,” entry on Murderpedia.com “Big pharma researcher stabs romantic rival to death, then tries to kill husband,” by Benjamin H. Smith on oxygen.com An episode of Killer Women with Piers Morgan “Wife guilty of trying to kill husband,” by Jonathan Bandler for The Journal News In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Ex-cop staged freak accident to cover up brutal murder” by Gail Shortland, The Mirror “R v Mahony” Queensland Judgements “'I could put my fist into back of her head': Attending nurse” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder trial: Clothes iron 'very good fit' with head wound” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Partner discovered murder accused having affair after STD” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Lainie Coldwell was leaving her husband, murder trial hears” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder accused was 'ranting and raving': Court hears” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder accused changed story at de facto wife's wake” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused killer had colleagues lie to claim wife's $2m” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused wife killer had secret sex tryst in Sydney” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused killer's laptop had 'accidental deaths' search” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Murder trial: Human movement expert doubts tree fall death” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Why would Louis kill Lainie at home? Barrister asks” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Accused wife killer manipulated investigators, Crown claims” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily “Ex-policeman sentenced to life for murdering de-facto wife” by Peter Hardwick, Sunshine Coast Daily YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!

John Purnell was having a pretty normal day at his job as head of security for Great Britain’s biggest supermarket chain. Then he got a bizarre phone call from a local newscaster. The newscaster said they’d found a troubling document in their photocopier. The document was an extortion letter, aimed at Tesco. In it, a person calling themselves “SALLY,” threatened to send bombs to Tesco customers. The bombs would get bigger, and deadlier, unless Tesco paid up. Then Brandi tells us about Joe Musante, who was discovered dead in his pastor’s office. Investigators determined Joe’s death to be a suicide, but his sister, Rose, had questions. Hadn’t her brother and his wife recently been seeing their minister, AB Schirmer for marital counseling? When investigators looked into AB’s history, they discovered his wife had died tragically. And so had the one before her. And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Kristin pulled from: The documentary “Real Crime: Supermarket Heist”
“Forgive me, says baby food poisoner as he goes free,” The Free Library.com
“Tesco blackmail ‘bomber’ jailed,” BBC News “Inside the capture of Robert Dyer the supermarket blackmailer who threatened to bomb Tesco customers,” by Jennifer Newton for The Sun In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Sinister Minister” episode Accident Murder or Suicide “Death At The Parsonage” episode 48 Hours “DA Describes Prosecuting The ‘Sinister Minister,’ Who Had 2 Wives Die Under Mysterious Circumstances” by Benjamin H. Smith, oxygen.com “Former Lebanon pastor A.B. Schirmer sentenced in first wife's death” by Barbara Miller, Penn Live “Porn-addict pastor killed two wives and managed to make them look like accidents for years” by Akshay Pai, meaww.com YOU’RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We’d offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you’ll get 19+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90’s style chat room!