Today’s episode is rated a 3 (on my Serious Crime Scale). With March Madness still somewhat fresh in our minds and brackets either busted or celebrated, I figured it was the perfect time to explore a different kind of madness – one that doesn’t involve murder, but still raises serious questions about integrity, pressure, and the high-stakes world of college basketball.

In 1994, Stevin “Hedake” Smith was the star point guard at Arizona State University and the leading returning scorer in the Pac-10. But off the court, he was buried in gambling debt. His way out? A dangerous gamble of his own – fixing games in one of the biggest point-shaving scandals in NCAA history. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It was a warm summer night in July 2016 when 23-year-old Kaylee Sawyer crossed paths with a public safety officer from Central Oregon Community College. A simple offer for a ride – something meant to ensure safety – became the start of a nightmare. What happened next was a fight for survival that ended in tragedy. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). Now, as you can probably tell from the title on your screen, this is an UPDATE to a previous episode I covered about a year ago, back in March 2024. That episode, Chronicle 72, was titled “Suspension Sparks Murder.”

In that episode, I told you the chilling story of Sydney Powell, a college student at the University of Mount Union in Ohio. After being placed on academic suspension for poor grades, Sydney's defense claimed she suffered a psychotic break, which led her to brutally attack and kill her mother, Brenda Powell. But prosecutors argued—and successfully proved in Sydney's September 2023 trial—that she was fully aware of her actions when she beat her mother with an iron skillet and stabbed her roughly 30 times with a steak knife. The jury ultimately found her guilty of murder, and a judge sentenced Sydney Powell, then 23 years old, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

Now, you might think that would be the end of the story—a conviction, a sentence, and justice served. But as we know, court cases rarely end there. Appeals are a huge part of the process, and in December 2024, an Ohio appeals court made a surprising move: they REVERSED Sydney Powell’s conviction for her mother’s 2020 murder.

Today, I’m bringing you Part 2 of this update in a mini episode, where I will share all the details about the shocking development and where the case stands now, in 2025. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It is an UPDATE to a previous episode from March 2024. That was Chronicle 72: “Suspension Sparks Murder.”

In that episode, I told you the chilling story of Sydney Powell, a college student at the University of Mount Union in Ohio. After being placed on academic suspension for poor grades, Sydney's defense claimed she suffered a psychotic break, which led her to brutally attack and kill her mother, Brenda Powell. But prosecutors argued—and successfully proved in Sydney's September 2023 trial—that she was fully aware of her actions when she beat her mother with an iron skillet and stabbed her nearly 30 times with a steak knife. The jury ultimately found her guilty of murder, and a judge sentenced Sydney Powell, then 23 years old, to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years.

You might think that would be the end of the story—a conviction, a sentence, and justice served. But as we know, court cases rarely end there. Appeals are a huge part of the process, and in December 2024, an Ohio appeals court made a surprising move: they REVERSED Sydney Powell’s conviction for her mother’s 2020 murder.

I’ve got all the details about that shocking development and where the case stands today coming up next week, on Monday, March 24.

But before we get to that bombshell update, I wanted to make sure you’re fully caught up on the case. So today, I’m re-releasing the original episode from March 2024. Listen now to hear the full story.

Today’s episode is rated a 2 on our Serious Crime Scale—but stick with me, because that scale is a little unconventional this time. While this story leans more toward human interest, the case at its center—the one that made national headlines—would have easily been rated a 5. That’s because today, we’re diving into the incredible story of a college student who used genetic genealogy to crack a decades-old cold case. It’s a fascinating look at the power of advanced DNA technology and the real impact it can have in solving crimes. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It was December 2007 when 21-year-old Marshall University student Leah Hickman vanished without a trace in Huntington, West Virginia. As her family and friends desperately searched the city, police launched an investigation into her mysterious disappearance. But one week later, the search came to a devastating end – Leah’s body was discovered hidden in a crawl space beneath her apartment building. Nearly two decades later, her killer remains unknown, and justice has yet to be served. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). You may remember hearing something in the media from back in August of 2016 about a college student who attacked and killed a Florida couple in their garage. And, when police arrived to the scene, they found the student literally eating one of the victim’s faces. Now, at the time, there was a massive media frenzy that suggested the student, 19-year-old Austin Harrouff, had been high on bath salts or some other hallucinogenic drug that resulted in the bizarre, zombie-like attack. But y’all, there is SO much more to the story than that. Listen now to dive into it.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). In 1994, the University of Kentucky was rocked by tragedy when star offensive lineman Trent DiGiuro was shot and killed while sitting on his front porch. His death sent shockwaves through the campus, leaving fear and confusion in its wake. No one saw anything, no one heard anything, besides the gunshot itself, and there seemed to be no reason – no logical motive – for the senseless act. Ultimately, it would take years before the truth would even begin to unravel. Listen now to hear the full story.