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 Diego and Adam blind folded his brother so that he could surprise him with his birthday gift. While blind ..read more

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 children. Spencer infamously said "I don't like Mondays" when asked why she committed the murders. Spencer ..read more

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.  FACTS: On December 23, 2020, Tom was transferred from Scripps Hospital to an aftercare facility an ..read more

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 we quiz the panel on laws on the books or crime related facts; 2 are real, 1 is fake, and see if you ..read more

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 Diego County, make sure to check out "Human Trafficking 101" on January 10, 2023 between 5:30 p.m. and ..read more

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 McGregor, TX, 5 people were shot dead in a suspected domestic violence rampage. And in San Be ..read more

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, authorities are investigating an arson case at the home of the mayor of Vancouver, Washington.  ..read more

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 laws on the books; 2 are real, 1 is fake, and can you guess which one is the fake?  A. It’s illegal to ..read more

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 takeovers. San Diego Police Sgt. John Ampol joins the podcast to discuss the dangers and ..read more

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 to discuss the A3 Charter School Fraud case. Deputy DA Schorr led the prosecution team that uncovered ..read more