Crime News Insider

Trial Insider: People v. Adam Thomas - Crossbow murder

November 13, 2023 08:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB

On July 21, 2023, 20 year-old Adam Thomas of Sacramento was tried for 1st degree murder for the death of his brother, Trenton Thomas. Trenton was found shot to death by a crossbow in a park in San Diego. Was it an accident or was it a murder? Deputy District Attorney Christina Eastman joined the podcast to discuss this trial. Facts: Adam drove from Sacramento to San Diego and told his family he was going to San Diego to visit Trenton for his birthday. Adam and Trenton went to a park in San...

N. Leigh Hunt - Author of "I Don't Like Mondays"

May 29, 2023 07:00 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MB

Author N. Leigh Hunt joins the podcast and talks about his book "I Don't Like Mondays: The True Story Behind America's First Modern School Shooting". This book uncovers key details behind the 1979 school shooting at Cleveland Elementary School, in the San Carols community of San Diego, CA. On the morning of January 29, 1979, 16 y.o. Brenda Spencer shot several elementary children and adults, killing principal Burton Wragg and custodian Mike Suchar, who both died trying to help the childre...

Trial Insider: People v. Jade Janks

May 15, 2023 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MB

Deputy District Attorneys Teresa Pham and Jorge Del Portillo talk about their trial strategies in prosecuting People v. Jade Janks. On December 21, 2022, Jade Janks was found guilty of first degree murder. Janks murdered her former stepfather, Tom Merriman, after discovering nude photographs of herself on Tom's computer. Tom was the founder of the Butterfly Farms in Encinitas, CA and the murder took place in Solana Beach, CA. This case received lots of publicity and was featured on CourtTV...

Re-Elected San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan

March 20, 2023 07:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MB

San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan was re-elected in 2022 after a rare uncontested election. DA Stephan returns to the podcast to discuss her accomplishments in her first term and some of her goals for her next term. DA Stephan discussed a recent school threat assessment conference and a new app to help the homeless find an available bed. DA Stephan also discussed the success of opening the new family justice center in the North County--One Safe Place. Crime or Fiction: Each week w...

Human Trafficking

January 09, 2023 08:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MB

San Diego Human Trafficking prosecutor Flavio Nominati joins the podcast to discuss the crime of human trafficking. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and we wanted to speak with our local expert on this important topic. Deputy DA Flavio Nominati tells us about how he prosecutes these crimes, what are the red flags to look for, and what parents can do. He also discusses how young boys are often overlooked as targets of human trafficking. If you're in San Die...

Domestic Violence

October 17, 2022 07:00 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MB

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Deputy DA Ben Barlow joins the podcast to talk about prosecuting domestic violence cases, the impact of these crimes, and helping survivors recover from abuse. Harris County, Texas reported that 35% of homicides in its county were related to domestic violence. Atlanta reported 25% of homicides in its county were related to domestic violence. Domestic violence is a topic that is, unfortunately, always in the news. Just recently, in McG...

Bomb and Arson Investigations

September 19, 2022 07:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MB

Detective Anthony Tripoli with the San Diego Sheriff's Department joins the podcast to talk about investigating fires, what makes it an arson under the law, and what it takes to dismantle a bomb. Arson has been in the news lately, from wildfires to buildings being set on fire during protests, and attempted arsons at the home of political figures. Earlier this year in San Diego, a suspected arson was started at the home of County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. On September 12, 2022, authoriti...

Frank Figliuzzi and The FBI Way

July 25, 2022 07:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MB

Frank Figliuzzi was the assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the government. He is a national security contributor and regular columnist for NBC News and MSNBC. He is the host of the popular podcast “The Bureau with Frank Figliuzzi” and he is the author of the national bestseller “The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence.” Crime or Fiction: Each episode we look at the la...

Street Takeovers

July 04, 2022 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MB

A dangerous trend is happening across the country called street takeovers, where numerous cars block an intersection and perform dangerous stunts. Police in Bristol, Connecticut said they have seen a rise in takeovers, and recently in Los Angeles, California witnesses said 2 women died after fleeing from a street takeover. And it's happening in San Diego, too. According to an NBC report, the San Diego Police Department has identified 172 people or vehicles that were involved in these street...

Charter School Fraud

June 20, 2022 07:00 - 32 minutes - 30.3 MB

In April, an investigative report from the North Carolina State Auditor states a North Carolina charter school falsified student records and misused school funding, to the tune of $400K. Earlier this year a man in Minnesota was charged with misspending $30M dollars in federal funding for meals for children, spending it instead on luxury cars and lakefront properties. Other charter school scandals have been reported throughout the country. San Diego Deputy DA Leon Schorr joins the podcast t...

School Shootings

June 06, 2022 07:00 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old fatally shot 19 students and 2 teachers, and wounded seventeen other people, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States. Earlier in the day, he shot his grandmother in the forehead at home, severely wounding her. There have been 119 school shootings since 2018, in which 88 people have died and 229 people were injured, according to Education Week. San Diego is no stranger to school shootings. From the San Diego Union Tribune: "In January 1979,...

DUI Homicides

March 14, 2022 07:00 - 30 minutes - 27.6 MB

DUI fatalities have spiked in San Diego County. 2021 marked the most fatal DUI crashes in two decades. Our county typically averages around 15-20 DUI fatalities annually, but 2021 saw more than 37 DUI fatalities. The average blood alcohol content (BAC) of someone arrested for DUI was .18%. Summer Stephan announced a half-million dollar grant from the Office of Traffic and Safety that is used to combat this growing problem. Guest Bio: Cally Bright has been a Deputy District Attorney at the S...

Elder Justice

January 24, 2022 08:00 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MB

Deputy DA Scott Pirrello joins the podcast to discuss his fight against elder abuse. Background: The Wall Street Journal recently reported a surge in elder abuse cases, stoked by the pandemic. “Elder Abuse Spreads, Stoked by the Pandemic.” In Pittsburgh, 2 people were initially arrested for elder abuse for neglecting the care of a 76 year old woman, and used the woman’s money for their personal use and admitted to not bathing her possibly for years. A third person also in charge of caring...

2021 Year in Review

December 27, 2021 08:00 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MB

We review podcast stats, quiz stats, provide an update on cases, and discuss crime news we didn't get to cover. We also play some of our funniest moments from this year and some outtakes. Thanks for listening and have a happy new year! Disclaimer: The views expressed on this podcast are solely of the speakers and do not reflect the views of the Deputy DA's Association nor the District Attorney. Questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected]. Featured in the Top 10 Cr...

Organized Retail Theft

December 13, 2021 08:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MB

A Best Buy in Minneapolis, a Louis Vuitton store in Chicago, and a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, CA were all struck recently by organized retail theft. But even before these high-profile thefts in the news, some cities have been plagued by constant theft. Wal-Greens in San Francisco had to close 5 stores due to rampant and brazen shoplifting. A Safeway in SF’s Castro neighborhood previously was open 24 hours a day, but will now operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m due to the relentless shoplifting. I...

District Attorney Summer Stephan

November 08, 2021 08:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MB

San Diego County is the 5th most populous county in the United States, and the second most populous county in California. The City of San Diego is, by many measures, one of the safest major cities in the United States. The San Diego DA’s office is the second largest DA’s office in California and has 1,000 employees. Bio: Summer Stephan was the first DA in San Diego to rise through the ranks as a prosecutor to become the elected DA. As a trial prosecutor, she tried more than 100 jury trials...

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Durst Prosecution Team - Part 2

October 25, 2021 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MB

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys John Lewin, Habib Balian, Ethan Milius, Euguene Miyata, and Rob Britton join the podcast and discuss the prosecution of Robert Durst. In this episode, the prosecutors discuss organizing discovery, preparing clips for cross examination, how they decided who would do opening and closing argument, whether they could prove the case without the cadaver note, changing Durst's catheter bag, what surprised them during Durst's testimony, and who would play John L...

EXCLUSIVE: Robert Durst Prosecution Team - Part 1

October 18, 2021 06:13 - 38 minutes - 35.8 MB

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys John Lewin, Habib Balian, Ethan Milius, Euguene Miyata, and Rob Britton join the podcast and discuss the prosecution of Robert Durst. In this episode, the prosecutors discuss investigating the case, interviewing Durst, preparing for trial, and catching a fabrication by Durst while he was on the witness stand. (Spoiler alert: there is a reference to the movie The Usual Suspects.) The trial of Susan Berman's murder lasted over 4 months, had over 100 witn...

Fentanyl and the Rise of Overdoses

September 13, 2021 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MB

Deputy DAs Jennifer Kaplan and Gabriella DiCaprio join the podcast to talk about the San Diego Deputy DAs Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and the Claudine Ruiz Scholarship that is awarded each year. You can donate to the foundation through our website at https://sdddaa.net/the-claudine-ruiz-scholarship/ Deputy District Attorney James Fontaine, the Chief of the Major Narcotics Division of the San Diego DA's Office, joins the podcast to discuss the opioid epidemic and the dramatic rise in ...

Extraditions

August 23, 2021 07:00 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MB

There’s been a lot of recent news coverage of high profile defendants being extradited or fighting extradition. The Huawei CFO who is accused of fraud charges in New York, Harvey Weinstein who was recently extradited to L.A., and Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange who is fighting extradition to the United States. And here in San Diego, a 25 year old suspect accused of a fatal shooting in the Gaslamp Quarter was just extradited to San Diego from Arizona. Recently retired Deputy District Attorne...

Cold Case Homicide

August 02, 2021 07:00 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MB

Several cold cases throughout the United States have recently been solved using new DNA technology and genealogy investigations, including the infamous Golden State Killer who was arrested in 2018. The San Diego District Attorney's Office has also solved several cold cases using genealogy, such as the Potter murder and the Martinez murder. Deputy District Attorney Brian Erickson of the Cold Case Homicide Unit joins the podcast to discuss how law enforcement solves cold cases using this new i...

Get to know a Deputy DA

July 12, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MB

Every now and then we interview criminal justice leaders and promote the good work they do, both on and off the court. Deputy DA John Dunn is the author of the children's book "Boo and Ted's Amazing Adventures". Deputy DA Nicole Gerard is the author of the children's book "My Aunt is a Lawyer". This is second book in the series and follows "My Mom is a Lawyer" written by her sister Deputy DA Vanessa Gerard. Click here to buy "Boo and Ted's Amazing Adventures" on Amazon. Click here to buy ...

Ghost Guns

June 21, 2021 07:00 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MB

A mass shooting in downtown San Diego resulted in the death of a valet driver and injured 4 others. Authorities reported that the suspect used a “ghost gun.” Laurie discusses an article in the San Diego Union Tribune by Teri Figueroa about the rise of ghost guns seized by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). 1 out of 5 guns seized by SDPD are ghost guns. Sgt. Albert Carrillo with the San Diego Sheriff's Department, San Marcos Station, joins the podcast to discuss this dangerous trend a...

Ransomware and Internet Scams

June 07, 2021 07:00 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MB

Ransomware attacks crippled Scripps Health and Colonial Pipeline. Learn why Colonial Pipeline was able to recover quickly and Scripps Health in San Diego has not. San Diego Deputy District Attorney Ryan Karkenny, a member of the Computer and Technology Crime Hight-Tech Task Force (CATCH) joins the podcast to discuss ransomware attacks, internet scams, the dark web, cryptocurrency, and how to protect yourself using digital hygiene. Read this article by DA Summer Stephan for more information...

Hate Crimes

May 17, 2021 19:31 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MB

There was a more than 164% increase in anti-Asian hate crime reports to police in the first quarter of 2021 in 16 major cities and jurisdictions compared with last year, according to a report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. The new data comes after several high-profile attacks. A man was arrested on May 4, 2021 for allegedly stabbing two Asian women in an unprovoked attack in downtown San Francisco. Over the prior weekend, ...

Introducing Crime News Insider

May 16, 2021 07:09 - 1 minute - 1.33 MB

Introducing Crime News Insider.