This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

It was supposed to be routine — just another custody handoff between two parents in rural Madison County, Tennessee. Tyeasha Starks, a bright young student at Austin Peay State University, had done this before. She was there to pick up her 1-year-old son. But what happened next would shatter everything.

A heated argument. A gunshot. And then, sheer chaos.

In broad daylight, in front of her child’s grandparents’ home, Tyeasha was gunned down. The shooter? Known. The method? Recorded. The time? Documented to the second in a chilling audio file.

And yet… there’s been no arrest. No trial. No justice. And, the perpetrator is not hiding. He’s simply living his life, in another state, untouched. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). In June 2017, Yingying Zhang — a 26-year-old Ph.D. student and visiting scholar from China — vanished after being seen at a campus bus stop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. What followed was a heartbreaking search, a chilling investigation, and a devastating truth – that Yinying Zhang was no longer alive. While a suspect was identified and convicted, Yingying’s body has never been found, and her final resting place still remains a controversial mystery. Listen now to hear the full story.

Hey y’all — quick heads up, I’m taking a little break this week. BUT, I didn’t want to leave you hanging with no episode at all. So today, I’m re-airing a story that originally ran back in 2022. It’s Chronicle 40, titled “From Friend to Foe.”

Now, I didn’t just pick this one at random — there’s a specific reason I wanted to bring it back. There’s actually been a new development in this case in 2025, and I’ll be sharing that update at the very end of this episode. So definitely stick around for that.

Now, with that, this episode is rated a 5. It’s the heartbreaking story of Alexis Crawford — a 21-year-old student at Clark Atlanta University with a bright future ahead of her. She considered her college roommate one of her best friends. But tragically, that same roommate — Jordyn Jones — along with Jones’ then-boyfriend Barron Brantley, would be responsible for ending Alexis’s life. Listen now to hear the full story.

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.