Don't Blame The Mom

The brutal double murders of two young brothers in May 2019 shocked the community of Shiregreen, Sheffield, UK in May 2019.

The truth of these crimes became all the more horrifying when the identity of their killers & who helped to plan it were revealed.

Because most of us know there is nothing like a mother's love for their child .
They are normally the person who we naturally turn to from a young age when we are in need, or just want some comfort.

But what about when a mother defies that inbuilt maternal instinct? Leading the person who should protect their babies no matter what to instead be the one to brutally take their lives?

Sadly for 14 year old Blake & 13 year old Tristan, it was their own mother who took part in plotting their murders as well as attempting to kill their four younger siblings .

But the betrayal didn't end there.
The man they believed was their 'Uncle' 38 year old Brandon Machin also took part in their cold-blooded killings.

Thankfully the four younger siblings survived the attacks but the two boys shocking murders also revealed a sickening secret that 34 year old Sarah Barass & her brother Machin had planned to take with them to the grave.

Described as "Evil, nothing but evil" the shocking case of these child killers shines a light on how dangerous people really can walk amongst us every day, & in some cases can even be lurking within your own family....

This is episode 166: The Shiregreen Child Murders: The Sickening Case Of Sarah Barrass & Brandon Machin

**Crime talk begins at 14:42 minutes**

Sources: NSPCC / BBC.co.uk / The Guardian / ITV News / Wikipedia / Oxygen / The Mirror/
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What was meant to be a luxury vacation of a lifetime on board the 'Bluebelle' yacht soon changed into a bloody & deadly massacre for the Duperrault family of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In November 1961 Dr Arthur Duperrault along with his wife & three children had high hopes for their exciting trip, where they planned to sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas.

But none of them could ever have imagined what their family friend who was also on board, 44 year old Julian Harvey, had in store for them.

Harvey had plotted a sick plan to murder his new wife Mary whilst they were all at sea. This led to him also slaughtering the Duperrault family including 7 year old Renee & 14 year old Brian before escaping the sinking boat believing he was the only survivor.

However what he didn't count on was that one of the brave Duperrault children had taken the only chance she got to try and survive that fateful night .

And as 11 year old Terri Jo Duperrault quickly clambered onto a small float to escape the burning boat after witnessing her families murders she would spend almost 4 days floating alone in the Atlantic Ocean.

She was left with nothing to help her survive as the heat of the glaring sun beat down on her & hungry sharks surrounded her dingy.

Nothing keeping her alive that is, except for the cork float & her own fierce courage & staggering resilience. Thanks to this she was able to survive not just a sinking ship but also a brutal massacre.

Today's case shines a light on one heroic little girls unbreakable strength & spirit to survive despite the loss she had suffered , horrors she had witnessed & terrifying battles she was left to face alone .....

This is episode 165: Massacre On Board The Bluebelle: The Incredible Survival Of Terry Jo Duperrault

**Crime talk begins 10:22 minutes in

Sources: Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean by Richard Logan & Tere Dupperault Fassbender / Wikipedia / The Mirror/ Bluebell sources: allthatsinteresting.com- Gabe Paoletti/ www.rd.com (readers digest)/ www.vintag.es/ medium/ www.news.com/ www.salon.com/ www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ Wikipedia.org/
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On 19th January 2025 what should have been an exciting climb to the summit of Austria's tallest mountain instead turned into a nightmarish ordeal for 33 year old Kerstin Gurtner.

Her boyfriend 37 year old Thomas Plamberger who was an experienced climber had suggested they make the trip up to the Grossglockner but it ultimately ended in tragedy.

As a struggling & deteriorating Kerstin was left alone on the mountain without protection from the elements, she succumbed to hypothermia & her avoidable death soon exposed glaring mistakes her boyfriend had made.

Some of which are so unsettling it could well have lasting implications for mountain sports in the future.

Today's case is extremely polarising & Plamberger's lenient sentence despite being found guilty of negligent homicide has sparked a great deal of debate not only in Austria, but around the world.

With the circumstances surrounding Kerstins death raising some disturbing but very important questions.When does personal judgement and risk taking cross the line & when does it become a matter of criminal liability?

Was her death planned & intentional as some people still believe, or was it in-fact another tragic alpine accident ...?

This is episode 164....
Left On A Mountain To Die? The Death Of Kerstin Gurtner

**Crime talk begins 7:57 minutes in

Sources:The guardian.com/ www.nytimes.com/bbc.co.uk/ Reddit/ the Irish Times/ www.exploreweb.com/ YouTube / 7 News Australia/ www.number.com/ Ladbible/ Wikipedia.com
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Social media platforms & streaming channels like YouTube are hugely popular nowadays, with some live streams bringing in millions of viewers at any one time.

On December 18th 2022, 32 year old Stephen McCullagh decided to use his own YouTube channel in order to create a false alibi.

By playing a pre recorded gaming stream to his viewers he was able to slip away from his home & savagely murder his girlfriend Natalie McNally who was 15 weeks pregnant with his child .

A cunning plan he wrongly believed would enable him to commit the perfect murder but McCullagh was not as smart as he liked to believe.

Almost four years after Natalie's murder her family got to see to her killer, the man they had trusted finally face justice. A killer so cruel he has since been described as cold blooded, brutal & outlandish.

Even though McCullagh is now behind bars awaiting his sentence, this has not taken away any of the pain or loss Natalie's family still have to live with every single day...

This is episode 163:The YouTube Killer- The Murder Of Natalie McNally

**Crime talk begins 5 mins 40 seconds in

Sources :BBC.co.uk/ Wikipedia/ the guardian.com/ the telegraph article/ ITV’s The UTV podcast- Journey to Justice: A look back at the Natalie McNally Murder Trial / RTE.ie/ The Irish Times/ Kentonline.co.uk/ YouTube.fandom.com
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Sometimes you might hear about a shocking situation in life that makes you pause & question 'how would I react in that situation'?

Like what would you do if you saw a hand desperately banging against the window of a passing car & what would you do if you heard terrified screams coming from inside ?

Some might just pass it off as a domestic, or a child having a tantrum perhaps, or just carry on driving with the assumption that it's probably nothing.

But when Jane Kowalski witnessed exactly that in North Port Florida in January 2008 she did what she thought could help & called 911.

But tragically for 21 year old Denise Amber Lee even though eye witness Jane provided 911 operators a live location of where the kidnappers car was at the time still help did not reach her as she was trapped inside.

And despite Denise herself bravely making attempts to save her own life like calling 911, huge failures in the 911 response system meant the reports of an abduction were misfiled & police failed to find her in time...

These mistakes led to the beloved wife & mother of two suffering a terrifying hours long ordeal that ultimately resulted in her murder .

Today's harrowing case highlights massive errors that existed in the 911 system nationwide & how it took the devastating loss of Denise's life for those failures to be recognised.

It is also a testament to Denise's courage, bravery & quick thinking even when she was faced with the most horrific situation one could ever imagine.

Her legacy lives on not just through her children but also in the Denise Amber Lee Foundation that her family set up in her. This is aimed at instilling better training for 911 operators & creating improvements in the system that will help prevent other victims in the future losing their lives.

This is episode 162: When Help Never Came: The Tragic Murder Of Denise Amber Lee

**Crime talk begins at 8:02 minutes in

Sources: En.Wikipedia.org/ deniseamberlee.org/ abcnews.com/ euheraldtribune.com/ editioncnn.com/ explorewithus/ sarasota herald tribune YouTube/
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