Crime Stories With Nancy Grace

Brendan Banfield is now on trial for the murder of his wife, Christine, and the prosecution's star witness is Banfield's lover, the family's former nanny. Juliana Peres Magalhaes, who was also charged, has agreed to testify as part of a plea deal. In exchange for her testimony, she will plead to the lesser charge of manslaughter, then walk free for time served. She will then be deported back to Brazil. The murder plot unfolded as Christine Banfield planned a fun day for her 4-year-old daughter, with a trip to the National Zoo with her Brazilian au pair, Magalhaes. The adult and child leave for the day, but turn around when Peres Magalhaes realizes she forgot their bagged lunches. Arriving at the house, the au pair sees a car she doesn't recognize, and a man she doesn't know entering the house. Confused, she calls her employer, Brendan Banfield, who tells her to stay in the car, and that he will be right home. Banfield is at the house in minutes, and they enter the house together. The au pair takes the 4-year-

A Missouri man is charged with gunning down his neighbor in a violent confrontation that ended a lengthy history of harassment. A Tennessee church deacon was arrested and charged with nine counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after his wife found photos and videos on his phone of a teenage babysitter using their bathroom. A US Bureau of Land Management officer has been charged with second degree murder after a drunken brawl at a Wyoming bar last week left a man dead. Sydney Sumner reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Illinois surgeon accused of gunning down his ex-wife, Monique Tepe, and her husband, the father of their two young children, Spencer Tepe, allegedly threatened to kill Monique nearly a decade ago on “multiple occasions” during their brief marriage. Police arrested Michael D. McKee, 39, at a Chick-fil-A in Rockford, Illinois, on January 10, 2026, and charged him with two counts of murder in the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe. Authorities then upgraded the charges against McKee, who now faces premeditated aggravated murder. Police report they have the suspect's vehicle on neighborhood video surveillance in the couple's Ohio neighborhood, arriving just before the murders and leaving shortly after. A search warrant of McKee's luxury Chicago condo results in multiple weapons being found, with one of those weapons preliminarily matching evidence through ballistic testing to the Tepe murder scene. Twelve weeks before McKee is accused of murder, he is sued for malpractice by a Nevada man who claims

A dad blames his ex-wife for their son's road rage murder; he's suing the mom claiming raising her middle at another car finger put their 6yo in the crosshairs.  A grave insult for a slain Arkansas mom: she's buried alone, as her abusive ex claims their twins bodies following a triple shooting. Plus, a gym floor face off goes from thrusts to cuffs. Jennifer Gould reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barry Morphew returns to the Alamosa County court to formally face murder charges for the second time. Morphew is soft-spoken in a cream-colored sweater and light-wash jeans, sitting next to attorneys David Beller and Jane Fisher-Byrialsen. His daughters, Mallory and Macy, sat behind him in the first row.  Beller enters a not guilty plea on Morphew's behalf. Maintaining his innocence in his wife’s murder, Morphew waives his right to a speedy trial. Defense attorneys and prosecutors, agreeing on the large amounts of data, anticipate that the length of the proceedings requires more time to prepare. The judge sets October 13 for Morphew’s jury trial; it is expected to run up to six weeks. Barry Morphew was originally charged with the murder of his wife in May 2021, but the case was dropped days before trial, after the judge barred prosecutors from calling key witnesses to the State's case, for failing to follow rules in turning over evidence. Former 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley

A long-delayed quadruple murder trial is now underway in New Jersey, with prosecutors and defense attorneys laying out starkly different versions of how an entire family was wiped out inside their own home. A North Texas reality television husband and wife are now convicted felons after a federal jury found they ran a multi-million-dollar pyramid scheme that prosecutors say preyed on trust inside the Black community during the pandemic. Shock ripples through a small North Carolina town after its police chief is jailed on child sex charges, with prosecutors detailing allegations involving secret photos taken while a child slept. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sources say Nick Reiner believes he’s the victim of a "conspiracy" after killing his parents. It is clear that Reiner knows he killed his parents, but doesn’t understand why he’s in jail. Reiner, delusional, thinks the people who put him there are "conspiring against him." Sources close to the legal proceedings claim it’s likely Reiner will plead not guilty by reason of insanity, placingthe blame on unbalanced schizophrenia meds. Now, claims are being made that a change in medication may have led Reiner to murder his parents.  Reiner reported complaining to his doctors that his meds had caused him to gain weight. Changes were made, and some are saying the new medication allegedly caused him to become increasingly "erratic," "dangerous," and isolated, marking a total physical and mental decline. Joining Nancy Grace today: Josh Kolsrud - Criminal Defense Attorney and Former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Founder of Kolsrud Law Offices; Facebook and YouTube @KolsrudLawOffices, Dr. Bethany

• Seventy years later, an Alabama disappearance remains the state’s longest-running cold case • Mississippi authorities charge a suspect after six people are killed in a series of shootings • A former federal agent goes on trial in Virginia in the deaths of his wife and another man • Florida schedules its first execution of the year in a case dating back to 1989See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigators obtain all available surveillance video from the Tepe neighborhood, focusing on the time between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., and release video of one person walking in the alley behind the Tepe home. Police believe that person is Michael McKee. One car with an Illinois license plate arrives in the neighborhood shortly before the Tepe murders take place, and leaves shortly thereafter. The license plate on the vehicle is registered to Michael McKee, a vascular surgeon in Chicago. McKee is also Monique Tepe's ex-husband. The vehicle registered to McKee is traced to Rockford, Illinois, and evidence inside the vehicle links McKee to the murders of Spencer and Monique. Police are not saying what evidence was found in the vehicle, and a motive for the murders has not been made public, but police say there is proof McKee had the vehicle prior to and after the homicides. The arrest warrant for McKee says the murders took place at 3:52 am, and McKee is identified by surveillance video and the vehicle. McKee is cha

The 1st District Court of Appeal has decided to hold oral arguments in the case of Charlie Adelson, who is seeking a retrial after being convicted for his role in the 2014 murder-for-hire of law professor Dan Markel. A 24-year-old man from Mississippi has been charged with the murder of six individuals, including his father, brother, uncle, and a 7-year-old cousin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New details are emerging in the case of a 21-year-old college student and cheerleader from the University of Kentucky accused of hiding her newborn inside her college apartment closet. Laken Snelling's case is on its way to a grand jury. The panel is expected to hear evidence in late January. The grand jury will likely be asked to indict Snelling on the three charges she initially pleaded not guilty to, and there’s possibly a count of murder or manslaughter depending on the newborn's autopsy results. Laken Snelling is arrested after her infant is found dead in a trash bag inside the closet. An autopsy report only deepens the mystery surrounding the infant's death because the results are found to be inconclusive. Snelling posted baby bump pics before her infant was found dead. Authorities allege Snelling gave birth in secret, wrapped her baby in a towel, placed him in a trash bag, and left him in her closet. According to an arrest report, Lexington police were called to a home on Park Avenue for an unres

Sarah Grace Patrick is accused of murdering her mother and stepfather while they were asleep in their bed, leaving their bodies to be discovered by the couple's five-year-old daughter. The trial was schedule to begin yesterday, January 5, 2026, but has now been delayed until August awaiting a report from a forensic neuropsychologist who evaluated the teen over several visits in August 2025. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack break down the scene of the crime, trajectory of bullets and sound...is it possible shots were fired in the home but not heard by a 16-year-old? Also, the long, "crying without tears" eulogy of the now accused teen.    Transcribe Highlights 00:00.03 Introduction - Sarah Grace Patrick   00:53.56 Rural Geography - Double homicide 04:12.36 Blended Family with a past 07:11.46 A person's past follows them around 09:57.18 James Brock - Victim had a VLAD 15:08.86 5-year-old finds parents bodies in their bed, sister Sarah Grace Patrick calls 911 16:52.09 Sarah tells 911 bodies cold

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Here's some of our top stories this week: Chaos in the courtroom as Nick Reiner's legal eagle abandons him on arraignment day. Alan Jackson says he's dropping out due to circumstances beyond "his & Nick's control." The son of film icon Rob Reiner will go from being repped by a celeb lawyer to public defender. Harvey Weinstein is considering a guilty plea to address an unresolved rape charge and potentially avoid a third trial in New York, as mentioned by a judge on Thursday. A father in Tennessee is speaking out after investigators say a mother killed her two young sons and their grandmother before taking her own life. A Florida jury is now deciding whether a man convicted in a decades-old child murder case should again be sentenced to death Two eerie calls, One Mystery: Chilling 911 records reveal a "domestic blowout" & an attempted break-in mon

It's been more than two months since Anna Kepner’s death aboard a Carnival cruise ship, and still, there has been no arrest. Her death is now ruled a homicide, and according to her autopsy report, she was “mechanically asphyxiated by another person or persons.” The medical examiner also found two bruises on the side of Anna’s neck, writing she may have been held in a ‘bar hold,’ meaning her attacker held an arm across her neck. Anna’s stepbrother may be a suspect in the teen’s murder; the FBI remains silent. Anna Kepner’s cruise to the Caribbean is a family trip. She’s joined by her grandparents, who took her on her first cruise; her father, Chris Kepner; her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson; and her two siblings and two step-siblings. Anna’s parents share a room with the two youngest girls, and by their own decision, Anna, her brother, 14, and stepbrother, 16, split a second room. Grandparents Barbara and Jeffrey Kepner remind the teens they have a

The suspected mastermind in the deaths of moms Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley, has pleaded no contest to the murders. Grandmother Tiffany Adams made the plea to murder, removal of a body, and desecration of a corpse charges.  The full autopsy reports on Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley identified their cause of death as multiple sharp force trauma. The reports list a total of 30 wounds on each victim, including 9 stab wounds and 21 cuts. Many of Butler's wounds were consistent with defensive injuries. A police affidavit states that Tifany Adams allegedly made statements implicating herself in the deaths of Butler and Kelley. Investigators believe Butler and Kelley were lured to the location, arriving around 9:40 a.m. Officers found pools of blood, Butler’s glasses on the ground, and a broken hammer at the scene. Police believe the women were then forced into another vehicle. The probable cause affidavit contains extensive details, but the women’s causes of death were not initially discl

When Dr. Spencer Tepe doesn't show up for work at Athens Dental Depot in Columbus, Ohio, coworkers are shocked. They call their boss, the owner of Athens Dental, Dr Mark Valrose. Valrose is on vacation in Florida, but Spencer not showing up is so unusual that coworkers felt they needed to let Valrose know. Valrose tries to contact Spencer, and failing at that, Tepe's wife, Monique, is even more predictable than her husband. Unable to reach either Tepe, Valrose calls 911 in Columbus, Ohio, at 9:03 a.m., requesting a wellness check. Joining Nancy Grace: Derek Smith - Criminal Defense Attorney Dr. Joni Johnston - Forensic Psychologist and private investigator, performs risk and threat assessments on violent offenders, Author: “Serial Killers: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask;" Also Author of  "CONTROLLING ANXIETY (The Complete Idiot's Guide)," "FIGHT YOUR FRIGHT: A Holistic Approach to Understanding & Overcoming Anxiety," and "APPEARANCE OBSESSION Learning to Love the Way You Look" Tom Smith - F

Nicole Boodhai has been indicted on murder in the second degree for intentionally causing the death of her 15-month-old son, Charlie Ramraykha, discovered in a locked bathroom. The mother and stepfather of a 12-year-old Oklahoma boy missing since Friday have been arrested. An Illinois man has been charged with multiple counts relating to an alleged assault on his girlfriend as they were driving through Moultrie County last month. Sydney Sumner reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Linda Brown misses the first day of school after winter break, loved ones know something is wrong. Linda would never let her students down. Linda is a beloved special education teacher at Robert Healy Elementary School in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, happily married to Antwon Brown. Chicago PD is desperately searching for the missing school teacher. The special educator was last seen by her husband on Friday evening and by neighbors Saturday morning. Linda misses a weekly appointment that day, and isn’t answering her phone. Concern turns to fear when Linda hasn’t returned home on Sunday. Though Antwon last saw Linda Friday night, neighbors say they spotted her Saturday morning near their home.Linda’s purse, with her wallet and phone, is missing from the home, and her phone rings when called. Family members and friends retrace the teacher’s last known steps, but don’t find any leads.  Her sister’s husband, Lorenzo, tells “Crime Stories” staff

Fatal Festivities: A negligent neighbor is facing manslaughter charges after accidentally gunning down a granny while testing out a new Glock he got for Christmas.  A man stabs his ex-GF dead in her apartment, files a bogus missing report -then, bolts to India...before cops close in. Plus, an arrest that wasn't par for the course! Jennifer Gould reports.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Reiner appears in court to enter a plea to the killings of his parents. While Reiner already had an opportunity to do so in December, defense attorney Alan Jackson asked to delay the arraignment for a true chance to speak with his client, whom he had only had about half an hour before his initial appearance. Just ahead of his arraignment, Nick Reiner is moved off of suicide watch at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. Reiner no longer has to wear a padded smock and is now allowed a yellow shirt with his blue uniform pants. Reiner isn’t completely off the hook, still held alone in High Observation Housing until a judge orders he can move elsewhere. Even if Reiner is released from HOH, he will still be closely monitored and have a cell to himself. Experts say Nick Reiner trading a suicide smock for a standard uniform is a tactical victory for the District Attorney, preventing Reiner’s attorneys from arguing he’s too catatonic to participate in his own defense. The court will soon deter