Hi everyone, it's Andrea Canning back with the latest episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly.Episodes drop first thing every Thursday morning, and you can also find them by searching for the Dateline True Crime Weekly feed.
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Our editorial team is catching up on breaking crime news around the country.
He sees his wife in bed.She is dead.She has a gun on her chest.He had a ton of aliases, and he was this leader of this big criminal network.But what's amazing about this story is the bear is the alternative suspect.
Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly.I'm Andrea Canning.It's October 24th and here's what's on our docket.Explosive testimony in a San Francisco courtroom as the sister of the man accused of murdering tech executive Bob Lee takes the stand.
She responds that Bob was not a calm person and he could be erratic and would get in your face.
In Dateline Roundup, details in the arrest of the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch for alleged sex trafficking. And what did Sarah Boone, the Florida woman standing trial for suffocating her boyfriend in a suitcase, tell the jury?
I shook the suitcase, telling him, please stop doing this.Please, please stop doing this to me.
Plus, it's Halloween next week.NBC News' Vicky Nguyen will be here with some spooky safety tips.
I think the important thing is you want them to be prepared, not scared.
But first, we're heading to an Indiana courthouse where emotions are running high in a gruesome double murder trial.
Journalists have been camping out overnight to get a seat in the tiny Carroll County Courthouse in Indiana, where a man named Richard Allen is on trial for the murders of two middle school girls, Abby Williams and Liberty German.
The girl's bodies were found in the woods near Deer Creek on Valentine's Day in 2017.Because of a gag order imposed by the judge shortly after Allen's arrest, very few details of the investigation have been shared with the public until now.
And the testimony so far at trial has been disturbing and painful.
The judge isn't allowing cameras or recording devices inside the courtroom, but Dateline producer Marian O'Donnell has been there every day and is here to fill us in on what she's learned.
Marianne, we should warn listeners that some of what we're going to be discussing is difficult to hear.
It is.I don't think there's any way around it.
All right.So describe the scene for us at the courthouse.Is this a little bit like your colleague Sue Simpson at Karen Reed, where it's a tiny courthouse, not a lot of room?Are you showing up in the middle of the night to get a seat?
It is very, very similar.People are camping out starting at 8 p.m.the night before.It's been stressful.
I'll tell you, the families of the victims and Richard Allen have all been there.I don't know how many people really from the community are attending.
The defendant, Richard Allen, what are you noticing about him?How's he reacting to everything?
He, for the most part to me, seems pretty emotionless.He looks, you know, very clean shaven, nice shirt every day, just seems mild-mannered is the best way to describe it.
Let's talk about the opening statements.The prosecution didn't hold back with how disturbing this crime was.
It starts off with the prosecutor saying this case is about three things.Bridge guy.Bullet.Two murdered girls.From there. he proceeds to give the TikTok of these girls day.
They wake up, they've got a day off from school, the father of one of them makes them pancakes, the sister of one of the girls takes them to the trail.And it's really then about the search that follows and how the bodies are discovered.
They didn't wait to introduce some of these graphic details of the scene.
Earlier this week, we really saw a lot of disturbing photos.One girl is stripped naked.The other girl is dressed in the other girl's clothing, and her own clothes are mainly in the creek.
And then in front of the girl's feet, there is this pool of blood.So how does that connect?Was that the spot they were killed?With a pose, it certainly looks like They were posed.
We talked last week about a defense theory, which the judge won't let them bring up in the trial, that the girls were the victims of some kind of sacrificial killing because of the way the sticks were placed on and around their bodies.
Marianne, you finally had a chance to see the sticks for yourself in these photos.What did they look like to you?
Libby is placed beneath a bifurcated tree in the shape of a V, if you will. And next to her is Abby, but their heads are farther apart and their feet are closer together.
So as you look on it down, they're shaped in a V. And then particularly on Libby, there is a branch that's placed on her that is also a bifurcated branch that is like in the shape of a V. What does any of that mean?Does it mean anything?
I don't know, but it is bizarre.The prosecution's take on that is that, oh yeah, branches were put on them as if to conceal them.The defense's take is, hey, there weren't that many branches put on them.Really hard to conceal them.
This is someone trying to send a signal about this murder.
How did the family react to seeing these horrible photos of the girls?
Libby's mother pretty much cried throughout, and her grandmother sat and held her husband's, Libby's grandfather's hand throughout, sobbing.They knew what to expect.They had seen the photos before, we believe.
But still to see them, and to see them projected on a screen like that, that's something you can't unsee.
Oh my goodness.And you also heard from the investigators who secured the crime scenes?Yes.
They have really outlined how they diligently taped off the perimeter of what they called Ground Zero, where the girls were found.One detective said he wore multiple pairs of plastic gloves.So they really took great pains.
But the defense on cross took even greater pains to challenge how they collected that evidence.
When we spoke last week, You talked about a potential key piece of evidence in the prosecution's case, and that's this unfired bullet that investigators say they found at the scene and then connected to Richard Allen's gun.
That is very much the focus.The condition that that cartridge was found in, it looks like it's kind of wedged slightly in the ground. They took six photos.And the defense says, six photos?You only take six photos?
You did not do due diligence trying to photograph that bullet being removed from the ground, being placed in evidence as part of a chain of custody.This bullet could have come from anywhere.It's Indiana.It's the woods.
Someone could have been around there shooting before this.They're saying there's nothing that really ties our client categorically to that bullet.But We have not heard from the ballistics experts yet.So stay tuned.
The defense attorney, Andrew Baldwin, he is really laser focused on reasonable doubt.
He really is.And he's coming at it from any number of avenues.He's really challenging the physical evidence.
He's really challenging the state on its timeline, saying he can show that Richard Allen's car was gone from the trail more than an hour before the girls arrived.
And most importantly, he keeps saying nothing that they've collected is tying my client to these murders.
Marianne, the elephant in the room, Richard Allen confessed to this crime once he was in custody.Now he's taking it back.
Right, exactly.And what he is saying is that he was under such mental duress, given where they incarcerated him.Don't forget, they put him in a maximum security prison.His lawyers say at times he was shackled.And He clearly lost a lot of weight.
He looked hollow-eyed.So you can see why he might have been under duress, but he gave so many confessions.Was he under such duress that he just kept saying, I did it, I did it to multiple people?
That is something that the defense is really going to have to try to explain.
Okay, well, thank you for all your hard work on the story from the very beginning.It's a sad story.It is.Thank you so much, Marianne.Thank you. Up next, the woman at the heart of a murder trial, the defendant's little sister, surprises everybody.
We're heading back to San Francisco Superior Court, where the prosecution continues to present its case in the trial of the man accused of murdering 43-year-old tech executive Bob Lee in 2023.
As we talked about last week, the prosecution and defense are telling two different stories about Bob Lee's final moments.The prosecution says Nima Momeni stabbed Bob in a fit of rage.
The defense says Bob attacked Nima, who then killed Bob in self-defense. But there is something they do agree on.There's one woman at the heart of the men's conflict, and that's Nima's younger sister, Khazar.
She was with Bob hours before he was killed.Dateline associate producer Kelly Moody was inside the courtroom over the past few days as Khazar took the stand to finally tell her version of what happened that night.Kelly, thanks for coming back.
Yeah, you bet.Happy to be here.OK, so can you describe Khazar's presence in court and really in this whole case?
Yeah, Khazar has been such a long-awaited witness in this case.Everyone wants to hear from her, and it feels more like a paparazzi situation, with cameras crowding around her, following her into the courthouse.
Despite all of that, she holds herself as calm and elegant.She has very good posture.Journalists are obviously furiously typing every single word of her testimony, so lots of sore fingers over here.
Yeah, well, I mean, she's beautiful.There's mystery to this.You know, it's not surprising that everyone is so curious about this sort of mysterious woman at the center.
Yeah, curiosity is a good way to put it.I think this is the star witness, if you will, in a lot of people's minds.
Yeah, what has her demeanor been like on the stand?
She has a pretty quiet voice.Some would say even timid.And she has shared some pretty vulnerable moments that apparently occurred in the time surrounding Bob's death.
So she did something surprising pretty much right out of the gate.What's up with that?
Yeah.She flat out said, my brother is not the one who killed Bob.And then she says she doesn't know who did.And this just felt really odd because this brother and sister who are supposed to be really close aren't
on the same page.She contradicted the defense's argument, her brother's argument, that he had killed Bob in self-defense.And also she's paying for her brother's defense.
She is.That was some new information.She claims, though, that she has not followed the coverage of the case and that she has not had communication with her brother's defense team other than some financial meetings.
She's been called as a prosecution witness.
What did they ask her about?
Much of Khazar's testimony was about what happened in the time surrounding when Bob was killed.Khazar said she and Bob went to the apartment of a man who she refers to as the drug dealer.She later identifies him as Jeremy Boivin.
Khazar says that she was introduced to him by Bob. Bob eventually did leave, and she says Jeremy gave her some drugs that she had never done before, including LSD and GHB.And GHB is known as the date rape drug.
Now, after Kazar took those drugs, she says that she blacked out.She told jurors that she has some vague memories.
And she does seem to remember that at one point, Jeremy grabbed her butt, taking advantage of her state, and that she generally has a bad feeling about what happened.
Jeremy's lawyer has released a statement that reads, in part, Kazar Momeni's narrative is false and riddled with blatant lies.Mr. Boyfriend looks forward to clearing his name at the right time and place.
So Khazar testified that after this alleged incident, she calls her older brother Nima in tears.
And last week, you told us that according to the prosecution, this is what led Nima to call Bob to confront him, even though Bob wasn't even with Khazar when this happened.
Right.So Nima apparently called Bob wanting to know, who is this person who gave my sister drugs?
What do you think the prosecution was hoping to accomplish with Kazar's testimony?
Prosecutors made it clear in the beginning that Kazar never interviewed with the DA's office or police. So this was the first time they're hearing her story, too.Their theory is, again, that Nima was angry at Bob.
They've based part of this off of texts between Khazar and Nima, but Khazar kept saying that she doesn't remember the meaning of or context for many of her own texts. She does, however, remember Bob coming over to her apartment the night he died.
Nima was there, and she said he and Bob were hanging out.They had their arms around each other.She said Nima actually even helped Bob put his shoes on as they were heading out the door.
The defense got to question Khazar as well.What were their main points?What were they trying to get out of her?
In Cross, we learn more about how Bob was acting earlier that weekend.Khazar was partying with Bob on Saturday, a few days before he was killed.She says Bob had taken cocaine and ketamine.
When the defense attorney asked Khazar about his demeanor, she said he was all over the place and acting aggressive.The defense is trying to plant seeds for the jury that Bob was not the calm person that the prosecution is trying to paint him as.
At the end of the day, with the complexity of Khazar's testimony, who do you think it ended up playing best for, the defense or the prosecution?
Complexity is a good way to put this.It's confusing.And this jury has been chosen because they have minimal knowledge of who any of these players are.It is so much to keep track of.
She acknowledges she doesn't remember a lot during the period of time surrounding Bob's death because she was under the influence of different substances.
It did also start to paint an idea for motive that Nima was possibly upset that Bob introduced her to this person who she calls the drug dealer.How did Bob Lee's family react to Kazar on the stand?
Khazar talked specifically about being heartbroken by Bob Lee's death and even said that she might never smile again, that she cried for days.
After both the first and second day of Khazar's testimony, Bob's brother spoke to press, and this is the first time that he's spoken out during the trial.He was emotional.He said that Khazar was an acquaintance and not a friend.
And to see her today, Take that grief from us and use it to repair her or her image within all of this scenario.It's really, really difficult for us.
All right, Kelly, never a dull moment in this trial so far.We appreciate it.And we'll come back to you.Next, we've got Dateline Roundup and the latest testimony of the defendant in the so-called suitcase murder trial.
Plus, some tips on keeping your kids safe this Halloween. Welcome back.Joining me for this week's Roundup is Dateline producer, Mike Nardi.Hey, Mike.
For our first story, we're heading to Orange County, Florida, where after more than a dozen delays, the so-called suitcase murder trial is finally underway.
Sarah Boone is accused of the second-degree murder of her boyfriend, George Torres Jr., leaving him to die in a suitcase.She has pleaded not guilty.This week, we finally got to hear her side of the story when she took the witness stand.
Pretty bold move, Andrea, because the defense called Sarah Boone as their very first witness.She said she and Torres had been playing a game of hide-and-seek.He got into the suitcase willingly, and she zipped him in.
We thought it was funny, and we're joking about how he was small enough to fit inside of the suitcase.
After a certain point, she said things took a turn, and they began arguing.
The things that he was saying very much frightened me and cursing at me and threatening me.And my fear was that he was going to break out of the suitcase and his hands were to come through this way.
I shook the suitcase, trying to get his hand to go back in, shaking it, and telling him that, please stop doing this.Please, please stop doing this to me.Please stop doing this to me.
Were you in fear?Always. If he would have gotten out of the suitcase, what would he have done to you?
Like he used to tell me, he probably would have made me unrecognizable, or I would have lost my life.
The defense asked Boone to explain why she was so scared of him.She says that she's suffered at the hands of Taurus in the past.
Yeah, yeah.So remember, central to Boone's defense is her claim that she was suffering from battered spouse syndrome.
And she told the jury about various things she said Torres had done to her, like slamming her head against the wall or stabbing her leg.
So the prosecution, of course, got a chance to cross-examine Boone.How did that go?
Well, the prosecutor asked her about the cell phone video she'd made where you can hear Torres begging for help and she's taunting him.You played that on the podcast a few weeks ago.He noted that minutes go by between each clip that she films.
She could have stepped in at any time to help.Did you do anything to help him escape from the predicament that you zipped him up in?No.No other questions.
So this trial will continue.We'll be sure to keep you posted about what happens next.OK, so our next story is out of New York.Federal prosecutors announced a big arrest in a sex trafficking case earlier this week.
The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, was arrested.Mike, bring us up to speed on Mike Jeffries.Who is he?This story is getting a lot of play out there.
So Jeffries was the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, which is the clothing retail giant.He was there from 1992 through 2014.
So for listeners who might not remember what the stores were like in the 90s and early 2000s, it was dimly lit, cologne-filled store, there was loud popular music, huge photos of shirtless teenage, lots of male models.You actually worked there.
I did.I did.It was a job I had in college.And it was certainly an interesting place to be.It wasn't your typical retail store at all.
So tell us what we know so far about this federal indictment, which was filed in New York.
Well, prosecutors have charged Jeffries, his romantic partner Matthew Smith, and another man with one charge of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution.
The indictment accuses Jeffries and his co-defendants of using a combination of force, fraud, and coercion to prey on at least 15 young men between 2008 and 2015.
Many of them wanted to be models, and the indictment says there are probably many more victims.
U.S.Attorney Breon Peace gave a few more details at a press conference.Let's take a listen.
The defendants caused the men to believe that not complying with requests for certain acts, sex acts, could harm their careers.
Additionally, the indictment alleges, on more than one occasion, when men did not or could not consent, Jeffries and Smith violated the bodily integrity of these men
So where is Jeffries now and has he had anything to say about this?
He was arrested in Florida and he was released on a $10 million bond, but he'll be heading to New York for the arraignment.
Jeffries' attorney, Brian Bieber, told NBC News, we will respond in detail to the allegations when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse, not the media.
Matthew Smith's lawyer also said he would respond in court.An attorney for the third man declined to comment.
And on Wednesday, Abercrombie and Fitch put out a statement which in part says they're committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement as the legal process continues and that they have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or discrimination of any kind.
All right, Mike, thank you so much for joining us.
Thanks for having me, Andrea.
Halloween is just around the corner, and while the holiday can be a hauntingly good time, it can also have some risks.
According to a 2022 CPSC study, that's the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are over 3,000 Halloween-related accidents every year.
So we are joined by Today Show Senior Investigative Correspondent Vicki Nguyen for some tricks and treats to keep you and your loved ones safe this year. Hey, Vicky.Hey, Andrea.
Let's start with Halloween decorations, which starts well before the holiday.More than half of Halloween related injuries are from pumpkin carving.
It's wild, but you think about it, pumpkins, they're round, they're slippery, they're slimy when you get into them.So make sure that when it comes to pumpkin carving, you leave the tough part to the adults.
Also adults, use those tools that are for pumpkin carving, because they're like little saws, they're blunt on the tip, so it's a lot safer to use those.
And you say instead of using the open flame candles, use something a little safer.
Yeah, these days you can buy the little flameless candles, they're battery operated, they look awesome inside the jack-o'-lantern, and you don't have to worry about a fire hazard.Okay, so what about costumes?So this is so important.
Visibility is vital.Halloween is actually the most dangerous night and has the highest rate of child pedestrian accidents than any other night of the year.And it's because kids are walking around, people can't see them.
So encourage your child to wear a bright costume.If they insist it's got to be Batman or a ninja or you know, a vampire and it's dark, then outfit them with glow sticks, have them hang one around their neck, give them a flashlight.
Also, for the little ones, reflective tape, that is great.It shows up in headlights, it keeps them safe and visible.If your child's gonna wear a mask, you can test it out at home, see what their visibility is before they go out there.
But ideally, the CPSC recommends costumes without masks, because you want your kids to have all of their senses on that night when it is dark outside.
If you have older kids who want to go trick-or-treating alone, any tips for them?Because we know older kids think they're invincible.
They really do.And I think the important thing is you want them to be prepared, not scared.I like to say that because
It's important to talk through the different scenarios they may encounter, but ultimately, they're going to have to make smart decisions because you're not there with them.So number one, older kids with the smartphones, no distractions.
If you're going out trick-or-treating with your friends, keep that smartphone in a pocket or in a bag.You shouldn't be on it when you're crossing the street.
You need all your wits about you to see cars, to see other people, to keep a lookout for anybody who might be out there that, you know, gives you the heebie-jeebies so you can cross the street.
Okay, and one of the things that goes back to when I was a kid was, you know, that the Halloween candy could be tampered with, there could be razor blades in an apple.We know that obviously doesn't happen very often, if at all.
But, you know, you still get a little nervous as a parent.
Yeah, that is largely a myth, Andrea, that candy is being tampered with.But you are going to want to talk to your kids about making sure that they only get candy from trusted neighbors.
But the real concern is more about allergies when it comes to candy, right?The Food Allergy Research and Education nonprofit says one in 13 kids has a food allergy.So if you want to give out non-food treats, you can join the Teal Pumpkin Project.
And that is placing a teal pumpkin outside of your house.So you're indicating that, hey, I'm giving out stickers or I'm giving out bracelets or toys instead of candy.
That's great.I've never heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project.Vicki, I think you've just made Halloween a little safer for anyone who's listening.So thank you so much for coming back.Happy Halloween.
That's it for this episode of Dateline True Crime Weekly.Coming up this Friday on Dateline, a murder mystery in Georgia and the suspect who slipped away.Could investigators track him down before he struck again?
Watch my new two-hour mystery, Deadly Omission, airing this Friday at 9, 8 Central on NBC or stream it on Saturday on Peacock.And be sure to check out Keith's newest Dateline original podcast, The Man in the Black Mask.
It's the story of a rising young director shooting a film about a serial killer in a hockey mask.But when a man goes missing near the set, a real-life horror story unfolds.
Was he dead?Was he alive?Where was Johnny Altinger?
The first four episodes are available now wherever you get your podcasts.Dateline Premium subscribers can binge the entire series ad-free.Thanks for listening. Dateline True Crime Weekly is produced by Frannie Kelley and Katie Ferguson.
Our associate producers are Carson Cummins and Caroline Casey.Our senior producer is Liz Brown-Kurloff.Production and fact-checking help by Sara Khadir.Veronica Mazzeca is our digital producer.Rick Kwan is our sound designer.
Original music by Jesse McGinty.Bryson Barnes is head of audio production.Paul Ryan is executive producer.And Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.
OK.Beautiful day out there.Thanks very much, everyone.
