Shows
Crime and MotiveKilled By Teen He Tried To Help: Julian Trevino ArrestedHe let a homeless teenager move in, and police say it cost him his life.In a quiet Florida retirement community, 67-year-old retired nurse John Torneo was found dead inside his own home. Detectives quickly focused on 19-year-old Julian Trevino, the teenager investigators say Torneo had been trying to help.In this episode of Murder U, we break down the newly released details from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, including what investigators say happened behind closed doors, the confession that followed Trevino’s arrest, and the sheriff’s message to the public as the case moves...
2026-01-2114 minCrime and MotiveD4VD and the Death of Celeste Rivas HernandezCeleste Rivas Hernandez vanished at 14. A year later, her remains were found inside the trunk of a Tesla registered to music star D4VD.Ten days after the discovery, investigators were searching the 20-year-old singer’s Hollywood Hills rental home for evidence of foul play. What they uncovered only deepened the mystery—and intensified scrutiny around D4VD’s role in the case.Authorities now acknowledge that Celeste’s death is being investigated as a murder. As months have passed with no arrests, resurfaced videos and online activity have raised disturbing questions about the nature of Celeste’...
2026-01-1408 minCrime and MotiveDeadly School Day: The Apalachee High RampageA quiet Georgia high school becomes the site of the deadliest school shooting in the state’s history — after a series of warnings were missed.On September 4, 2024, a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia left four people dead and multiple others wounded. The suspect, a 14-year-old student who had been enrolled at the school for less than a week, surrendered shortly after the attack. Days later, in a shocking development, his father was also arrested and charged in connection with the crime.In this episode, we examine what led up to the Apalachee High...
2026-01-0626 minCrime and MotiveDeadliest Day on Campus: The Virginia Tech ShootingA series of missed warnings and fatal delays culminate in a massacre that forever changed campus safety in America.On April 16, 2007, a lone student carried out a coordinated shooting across the Virginia Tech campus, killing 33 people and wounding 17 others. What began as a double homicide in a residence hall escalated into a mass shooting inside Norris Hall, while students and faculty remained unaware of the threat.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the life and warning signs of the shooter, the investigative failures and administrative decisions that allowed the attack to continue, and the devastating impact...
2025-12-3035 minCrime and MotivePitonyak and Hall: Austin's Killer CoupleA 21-year-old student vanishes in Austin… and her family makes a horrifying discovery inside a condo just steps from campus. In August 2005, Jennifer Cave was days away from starting a new job and turning her life around when she went out to help a troubled friend.Hours later, she was found murdered in a West Campus condominium near the University of Texas — her body brutally mutilated in an act that stunned investigators and traumatized her family.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the killing of Jennifer Cave, the disturbing post-crime behavior of Colton Pitonyak and...
2025-12-1623 minCrime and MotiveParking Garage Nightmare: The Murder of Anna JonesA random encounter in a college-town parking lot leaves an 18-year-old student dead… and a community demanding answers. Anna Jones had just graduated high school and was enjoying a summer night out with friends — minutes from the university she planned to attend in the fall. But when a drunk professor approached their car and opened fire, a senseless act of violence ended her future before it began.Investigators would soon uncover how a night of reckless behavior escalated into tragedy — and how the failures of those who could have intervened allowed a dangerous man to roam free.
2025-12-0919 minCrime and MotiveThe Concrete Drum Murder: Junko Furuta’s StoryA hardworking high school student in Japan disappears on her way home… and doesn’t return. For weeks, her family searches desperately, unaware that she is trapped in a nightmare unfolding behind closed doors.When her body is finally discovered—hidden in a concrete drum—the case shocks the world and exposes a terrifying failure of justice.In this episode of Murder U, we tell the story of seventeen-year-old Junko Furuta, whose bravery in the face of unimaginable cruelty sparked outrage around the world… and raised the question so many still ask: how could anyone get away with...
2025-12-0220 minCrime and MotiveSoccer Star Slaying: The Murder of João SouzaA campus already grieving from a student’s murder was about to face a second nightmare. João Souza came to Binghamton University to study engineering, play soccer, and build the future he dreamed of. But on a quiet April night, he was attacked inside his freshman dorm, sending the campus into panic and confusion.As detectives began piecing together João’s final hours, they concentrated on the people around him, trying to understand whether anyone had reason to hate him. Interviews, security footage, and early witness accounts slowly narrowed the possibilities, pointing invest...
2025-11-2522 minCrime and MotiveThe Incel Killer: Rampage In Isla VistaA campus turned into a killing ground.In May 2014, the quiet college town of Isla Vista was shattered when a 22-year-old student launched a brutal, premeditated attack inspired by incel ideology and violent misogyny. What began with online rants and a 141-page manifesto exploded into one of the most infamous mass killings of the decade.In this episode of Murder U, we examine Elliot Rodger’s path from resentment to violence, the online communities that validated his rage, and the grief left behind for the families of six students whose lives were taken. We also explore ho...
2025-11-1822 minCrime and MotiveSpanish Teacher Murder: The Nohema Graber StoryA teacher is murdered over a bad grade. When 66-year-old Spanish teacher Nohema Graber disappeared after her afternoon walk in Fairfield, Iowa, police uncovered a crime that shocked the community — planned and carried out by two of her own students.In this episode of Murder U, we follow how a respected educator’s disappearance unraveled into a story of teenage rage, digital evidence, and a motive almost too petty to believe.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/crime-and-motive--6152042/support.Follow Murder U on:TikTok: https://www.t...
2025-11-1123 minCrime and MotiveMurder on School Grounds: The Colleen Ritzer CaseAt Danvers High, a beloved math teacher and the new kid mysteriously vanish after class. And police uncover something more shocking than anyone imagined.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the 2013 murder of 24-year-old Colleen Ritzer — a teacher who inspired her students and was loved by everyone who knew her. What began as two missing-person reports soon exposed a crime so disturbing it left an entire community searching for answers.We trace the events from Colleen’s final class to the discovery that shattered Danvers High, the evidence that broke the case open, and the...
2025-11-0417 minCrime and MotiveScream Killers: The Murder of Cassie Jo StoddartCassie Jo Stoddart was housesitting in Pocatello, Idaho, just days before Halloween — when a quiet weekend took a deadly turn.In this Halloween episode of Murder U, we revisit the 2006 killing that turned a suburban home into a scene straight out of a horror film. What began as an ordinary weekend quickly spiraled into one of the most unsettling true-crime cases of the decade. As investigators traced Cassie’s final hours, they uncovered evidence of a carefully orchestrated plan — and a chilling fascination that blurred the line between fiction and reality.It’s the story of a bright...
2025-10-2823 minCrime and MotiveMurder at the Deaf School: The Gallaudet University MurdersTwo deaths. Same dorm. Five months apart.At Gallaudet University — a prestigious school for the deaf — a tight-knit campus is shaken by back-to-back murders inside the same residence hall.At first, investigators fear a serial killer is targeting LGBTQ+ students. But as evidence unfolds, suspicion turns closer to home… and one of the witnesses becomes the prime suspect in a case that stunned the deaf community and raised urgent questions about safety, trust, and identity.This is the full story of the Gallaudet University murders — where silence wasn’t safety, and the truth was hiding in...
2025-10-2119 minCrime and MotiveFlores Family Massacre: The Killer Couple CaseA quiet family home turned into a crime scene.In the early hours of July 21, 2000, four members of the Flores family were found murdered inside their Pico Rivera house, and the mother was barely alive. Three daughters survived the night — but how? There was no forced entry, nothing stolen, and no clear reason for the slaughter.Detectives searched for answers in a maze of family ties, teenage secrets, and mounting contradictions. What began as a hunt for intruders soon uncovered something far more unsettling within the walls of the Flores home.This episode follows th...
2025-10-1420 minCrime and MotiveCo-Ed Killer: The Ed Kemper StoryHe was known as the “Co-Ed Killer.”In the early 1970s, students in Northern California began vanishing while hitchhiking near campus. Behind the disappearances was Edmund Kemper, a towering figure with a history of violence dating back to the murder of his own grandparents at age 15.Over eleven months, Kemper lured six young women into his car, killed them, and mutilated their bodies. He terrorized the University of California, Santa Cruz community while socializing with local police officers who nicknamed him “Big Ed.” His crimes escalated until he turned his rage against the person he hated most — his abusiv...
2025-10-0728 minCrime and MotiveThe Nursing Student Murder: Haley Anderson's StoryShe was just weeks from graduating nursing school. The night before, Haley Anderson spent hours laughing and playing board games with friends. The next day, when she didn’t show up at a poetry reading, her friends tracked her phone to a nearby apartment — and found a scene they will never forget. The man who lived there was already gone, on a flight out of the country.In this episode of Murder U, we follow the murder of Haley Anderson — a case that began on the campus of Binghamton University and stretched across borders. From her life as a belo...
2025-09-3022 minCrime and MotiveWrestling Team Murder: The Death of Josiah KilmanA campus wrestling star found strangled in his dorm room. On February 24, 2024, Campbellsville University in Kentucky was shaken by the death of 18-year-old Josiah Kilman. A theology major and standout athlete, Josiah was known for his faith, leadership, and kindness. At first, the case looked like a mystery with no clear answers. But as investigators pieced together the evidence, they uncovered a suspect far closer than anyone on campus could have imagined.In this episode of Murder U Podcast, we follow Josiah’s journey from Montana to Campbellsville, where his promising future ended far too soon. We trace th...
2025-09-2320 minCrime and MotiveDavis Family Murders: A Central Michigan TragedyIn March 2018, Central Michigan University went into lockdown after reports of gunfire inside a dorm. By the time police reached the scene, two parents were dead — and the suspect was their own son. The killings left the campus reeling and raised urgent questions about mental health, warning signs, and how quickly a crisis can spiral out of control.In this episode of Murder U, we follow the lives of James Eric and Diva Davis, their son Eric Davis Jr.’s sudden unraveling, and the troubling signs of paranoia and disorientation he displayed before violence tore his family apart. This...
2025-09-1624 minCrime and MotiveCampus Double Murder: The Marlin Barnes CaseIt was one of the most shocking crimes in University of Miami history. In April 1996, linebacker Marlin Barnes and his close friend Timwanika Lumpkins were discovered brutally beaten inside Barnes’ on-campus apartment. At first, students feared a random predator was on the loose. But as detectives pieced together the evidence, the investigation led them to someone much closer — a jealous ex with a violent history.In this episode of Murder U, we trace Marlin’s journey from Liberty City to the Hurricanes football team, where he became an inspiration to his family and community. We look at the life o...
2025-09-0926 minCrime and MotivePregnant Cheerleader Murder: The Breana Rouhselang CaseOn a snowy December night in 2018, 17-year-old Breana Rouhselang left her Mishawaka, Indiana home to meet a classmate—and never came back. By sunrise, her body was found discarded behind a local restaurant, sending shockwaves through her tight-knit community.In this episode of Murder U, we follow Breana’s story from her life as a cheerleader and softball player to the final hours before her death, and the troubling signs her classmate Aaron Trejo displayed as investigators unraveled the truth. This devastating case of teen violence raised haunting questions about secrecy, betrayal, and a future stolen before it bega...
2025-09-0217 minCrime and MotiveHarvard Dorm Murder: Trang Ho’s StoryIn May 1995, Harvard sophomore Trang Ho was found murdered inside her dorm suite — the attack carried out by someone shockingly close to her. The killing stunned the Harvard campus and left classmates asking how such violence could erupt behind dorm room walls. In this episode of Murder U, we follow Trang’s journey from Vietnam to Harvard, her rise as a standout scholar, and the troubling signs of obsession and isolation her roommate Sinedu Tadesse revealed before everything collapsed in violence. Behind the ivy-covered walls, this case revealed painful truths about mental health, cultural isolation, and the consequences of ign...
2025-08-2727 minCrime and MotiveJealous Mother Murder: The Lola Martinez CaseIn April 2008, 22-year-old college student Lola Martinez was found murdered inside her dorm apartment at Purdue University Fort Wayne. At first, investigators feared a random attack. But the truth was far more shocking: the killer was not a stranger, but her roommate’s mother.In this episode of Murder U, we follow Lola’s story from her childhood in New Mexico to her new life in Indiana, and the overlooked red flags in Tina Morris’s past that led to a fatal confrontation. This disturbing case of campus violence exposes the dangers that can arise when rules are ignore...
2025-08-1922 minCrime and MotiveIvy League Killing: The Death of Kevin JiangA Yale graduate student is gunned down just blocks from his fiancée’s apartment.Kevin Jiang, 26, was an Army veteran, a man of faith, and a rising scholar in environmental science. He had just proposed to the woman he loved, and the couple was planning their future together. But on a February night in 2021, a minor car collision became the opening move in a calculated attack that left Kevin dead in the street.The investigation that followed would take detectives far beyond the quiet New Haven neighborhood where it happened. Surveillance footage, stolen cars, and a t...
2025-08-1220 minCrime and MotiveUNLV Fight Night: The Death of Nathan ValenciaHe agreed to fight in a fraternity boxing match. The following night he was dead.A college student steps into the ring for a charity boxing event—just days before his 21st birthday. Hours later, he suffered a fatal brain injury. The match was organized by a fraternity, held off-campus, and widely attended by students. University officials were aware the event was happening but did not intervene.There was no licensed referee, no paramedics on standby, and no official oversight. In this episode of Murder U, we examine the death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia, the fa...
2025-08-0515 minCrime and MotiveAbducted in Auburn: Aniah Blanchard’s StoryA college student vanishes after a late-night stop at a gas station. Nineteen-year-old Aniah Blanchard had just texted a friend when she pulled into a convenience store in Auburn, Alabama—and was never seen again. Her car was found days later, abandoned and damaged, miles away from where she disappeared.As investigators pieced together the timeline, surveillance footage showed a man inside the store at the same time as Aniah. He had a violent criminal history and was out on bond for attempted murder. But did their paths actually cross? What started as a missing persons case quickly tu...
2025-07-2918 minCrime and MotiveRoad to Revenge: The Jared Bridegan AmbushA father is gunned down after pulling over to move a tire. Jared Bridegan had just dropped off his twin children at his ex-wife Shanna Gardner's home when he stopped on a quiet Jacksonville Beach road. His two-year-old daughter was still in the back seat when someone opened fire, killing Jared in what looked like a senseless act of violence. But police quickly realized this was no random attack. As detectives began to unravel the case, they found themselves drawn into a tangled web of custody disputes, strained relationships, and carefully concealed resentment. What began as a search f...
2025-07-2218 minCrime and MotiveKristin Smart: The Last Walk Home(00:00:00) The Last Walk Home
(00:01:19) Who was Kristin?
(00:03:33) The night of May 24, 1996
(00:05:28) Early investigation missteps
(00:05:55) Who is Paul Flores?
(00:08:47) A family that wouldn’t stop
(00:09:52) A podcast changes everything
(00:10:45) A new interest
(00:11:07) Backyard searches & secret recordings
(00:11:55) Flores family secrets
(00:12:24) The push for justice
(00:16:05) What really happened?
Kristin Smart left a Cal Poly frat party and was never seen again. The nineteen-year-old freshman was last spotted walking back to campus with fellow student Paul Flores, who claimed he left her near his dorm. Kristin's face was soon splashed across mi...
2025-07-1519 minCrime and MotiveBurned Alive: The Katie Autry CaseWhen 18-year-old Katie Autry was found barely alive inside her Western Kentucky University dorm room, it triggered a frantic search for her killers. Katie had been beaten, assaulted, and set on fire in a crime so vicious it stunned the world. Detectives soon focused on two young men with ties to the area, unraveling a web of shifting stories, surprising alibis, and a trial that left many wondering if the full truth ever came out.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the evidence, the contradictions that clouded the case, and the lasting impact on c...
2025-07-0825 minCrime and MotiveThe Rock-Throwing Murder: Alexa Bartell’s Final DriveA single rock, hurled from a passing car, turned an ordinary drive home into a fatal ambush. Nineteen-year-old Alexa Bartell was on the phone with a friend when it happened — the last words anyone would hear from her. What started as a reckless thrill for three teenagers ended in an unthinkable tragedy that shattered a family and shocked the entire community.In this episode of Murder U, we trace the devastating final moments of Alexa’s life and the chaotic hours that followed as investigators raced to piece together what happened. From scattered debris on a Colorado highway to a...
2025-07-0115 minCrime and MotiveBFF Betrayal: The Skylar Neese MurderShe thought they were her best friends... until they led her into the woods and pulled out the knives.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the shocking murder of 16-year-old Skylar Neese, an honors student from Star City, West Virginia, who vanished after slipping out of her bedroom window one summer night. For months, her disappearance remained a mystery—until one of the killers broke down and confessed to a crime so cold and calculated, it stunned the country. We follow the unraveling friendship between Skylar, Shelia Eddy, and Rachel Shoaf, and how petty tee...
2025-06-2428 minCrime and MotiveCampus Stalker Murder: Lauren McCluskey’s StoryShe thought she was dating a fellow college student. He was actually a 37-year-old convicted sex offender using a fake name.In this episode of Murder U, we investigate the heartbreaking case of Lauren McCluskey, a 21-year-old track star at the University of Utah who tried everything she could to stay safe—reporting threats, breaking off the relationship, even calling campus police more than 20 times. But when her cries for help went unanswered, it ended in tragedy.We walk through Lauren’s final weeks, the system failures that led to her death, and the shocking revelations that...
2025-06-1723 minCrime and MotiveThe Deadly Pact: Soering and HaysomTwo brilliant students at the University of Virginia. One forbidden romance. And a secret so dark, it ended in blood.In 1985, the mutilated bodies of Derek and Nancy Haysom were found in their Virginia home. Their daughter, Elizabeth Haysom, and her boyfriend, Jens Soering, quickly became the focus of a case that would span decades, cross international borders, and spark global controversy. In this episode of Murder U, we unravel the shocking story of Jens Soering and Elizabeth Haysom—two elite scholars whose deadly obsession led to a gruesome double murder and a tangled legal saga that still ma...
2025-06-1021 minCrime and MotiveThe Lacrosse Killing: Murder of Yeardley LoveShe was a star athlete, weeks away from graduating from the University of Virginia. He was her ex-boyfriend, a fellow lacrosse player, and increasingly volatile. Then, on May 3, 2010, Yeardley Love was found brutally beaten in her campus apartment.In this episode of Murder U, we examine the violent murder that shocked the collegiate sports world and sparked national conversations about dating violence, toxic masculinity, and institutional blind spots. We explore the disturbing behavior of George Huguely leading up to the killing, the warning signs that were ignored, and the heartbreaking aftermath for Yeardley’s family and community.
2025-06-0321 minCrime and MotiveTexas Sniper: America’s First Mass ShooterOn August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman climbed to the top of the University of Texas tower with a footlocker full of guns. By the time it was over, 16 people were dead, dozens more were wounded, and America had experienced its first modern mass shooting.In this episode of Murder U, we trace Whitman’s life from gifted child and former Marine to the deeply disturbed killer who changed the way police, schools, and the public responded to mass violence.We explore his childhood trauma, psychiatric red flags, suicide letters, and the brain tumor discovered during his autopsy. We al...
2025-05-2729 min