Mel + Rebecca take a train to tangent city PLUS the new Turtleboy hearing v. Cosgrove where Cosgrove argues for emails verses hard copies, days 4+5 of the Brian Walshe Trial--including testimony from Ana Walshe's DC boyfriend, William Fastow...and vampire facials? If you like us, tip us. http://www.venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Thank you!!! You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news / @boston25news Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Drama, drama, drama. Mel + Rebecca try to parse the latest Turtleboy drama, while the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is back on their bullshit with the Kelsey Fitzsimmons case, and Mel takes you on a journey through the bonkers first three days of the Brian Walshe Murder Trial. If you like us, tip us. http://www.venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Thank you!!! You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news https://www.youtube.com/@Boston25News Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) on Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB
It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Pamela Smart's attorneys are filing a petition of Habeus Corpus asking for a new trial or at the very least resentencing and they've given me access to the petition. I've been investigating Pam's case for going on a decade and some of the work I did on the first season of The In Between Podcast became the basis for this Habeus. I'm always so proud of the work I do on The In Between Podcast, but this case has been my white whale and I'm so honored to be apart of these arguments. I want to share what I can with you, so without further adieu, here are the five points Pam's case will hinge on. PLEASE PLEASE share her story. And if you like the work I do, please tip. TO LISTEN TO SEASON ONE, start here. Watch SOMETHING'S OFF Join the Investigator Club for early and ad-free episode, bonus content, lives, and so much more!
It’s been more than thirty years since Pamela Smart, a 22-year-old media coordinator from Derry, New Hampshire, was convicted of plotting her husband’s murder. But the story isn’t over. In fact, it’s entering a new chapter. Pamela’s legal team, led by attorney Matthew Zernhelt, has just filed a new habeas corpus petition — and some of the evidence behind it came directly from Mel's own investigation. Among the claims: Inaccurate transcripts given to the jury — words allegedly spoken by Pam that were never actually audible on tape. A defense attorney’s unauthorized admission of guilt, undermining her right to a fair defense. Jurors influenced by the media, not the evidence. Faulty jury instructions that failed to define deliberation and premeditation. And a sentence—life without parole for an accomplice—that may have been unconstitutional under New Hampshire law. Over the next few weeks, Mel will be breaking down these developments, including new expert findings from Marion Davidson and a Loyola University study confirming major transcript errors that went unnoticed for decades.
If you're a listening learner, you'll hopefully get a lot out of listening to Mel read you the new Karen Read complaint. If you want to read along, here's the court filing: https://www.scribd.com/document/951000000/Karen-Read-Lawsuit#from_embed If you want to listen without ads, join The Investigator Club Thanks for listening. If you like Mel's work, please let her know, by tipping.
In PART TWO of this mega episode--which was too big to upload, so I'm releasing it in parts--Mel + Rebecca break down Brian Walshe pre-trial updates, Karen Read's civil suit against Proctor, Bukhenik, Tully and the McAlberts, Corri Hopkins gets the sidebahs, Deitch is running for Morrissey’s job, Gaitani helps out Turtleboy, and Depetro reaches out to Rebecca. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @Boston25News : https://www.youtube.com/live/z26hqsgcXVY?si=JqawYIbzwdQSQ9ZY If you want to listen to the whole complaint, tune in on Friday, November 21, 2025 to The In Between Podcast (wherever you get your podcasts) to listen to Mel read it to you. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-in-between-podcast-with-mel-barrett/id1785257330
In PART ONE of this mega episode--which was too big to upload, so I'm releasing it in parts--Mel + Rebecca break down Brian Walshe pre-trial updates, Karen Read's civil suit against Proctor, Bukhenik, Tully and the McAlberts, Corri Hopkins gets the sidebahs, Deitch is running for Morrissey’s job, Gaitani helps out Turtleboy, and Depetro reaches out to Rebecca. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @Boston25News : https://www.youtube.com/live/z26hqsgcXVY?si=JqawYIbzwdQSQ9ZY If you want to listen to the whole complaint, tune in on Friday, November 21, 2025 to The In Between Podcast (wherever you get your podcasts) to listen to Mel read it to you. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-in-between-podcast-with-mel-barrett/id1785257330 Mel + Rebecca's coverage of the Karen Read Complaint starts at: 52:09
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 5.5 Mel + Rebecca break down the final pre-trial hearing before the Dec 1 trial begins for Brian Walshe. We're back in Norfolk County and so are some of the characters from the Karen Read case. It gets SPICY. AND Turtleboy responds to the Mcalberts threats. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) on Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, EARLY and AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content, and so much more! SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Assault and DV. Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 5 Mel + Rebecca break down the case of rapist, Jesse Butler, who received no jail time even though he almost killed one of his victims, PLUS more Proctor emails in the Marbury V Mad email dump, holy shit the Epstein Files, annnnd Lindsey Gaetani releases an audio memo from one of the conspirators. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Or for EARLY + AD FREE audio only, Join THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts JESSE BUTLER ARREST AFFIDAVIT (WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD): chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.newsnationnow.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/108/2025/11/JESSE-MACK-BUTLER-FILES-REDACTED-2.pdf JESSE BUTLER AND HIS SUPPORTIVE FAMILY STARING DOWN ONE OF THE VICTIM'S MOMS: https://oklahomawatch.org/2025/10/22/families-outraged-after-osu-officials-son-spared-prison-in-sexual-assault-case/ JESSE BUTLER ARREST VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p5GpGiNHfY
Jesse Mack Butler was charged with raping and choking two girls at Stillwater High School. Eleven felonies. One girl thought she was going to die. And somehow—he walked. No jail. No detention. Just therapy, community service, and a ban on social media. In this episode, Mel breaks down exactly what he did, what the victims survived, and how the system—judges, prosecutors, schools—chose to protect him. This isn’t a case of “he said, she said.” This is a case of “she said—and they still didn’t care.” This one’s tough. But it’s the truth. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted RAINN: https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/ TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 4 Mel + Rebecca break down the MarburyVMad (Corri Hopkins) MSP email dump from the Karen Read Trial and Mel breaks down the civil case of the 1st grade shooter who shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips You can now join the channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts And check out listener, Kristan Shimpi's blog, The Thoughtful Mom https://thethoughtfulmom.com/2025/11/01/somethings-off/?fbclid=IwY2xjawN52fBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiaF6lnQKs_Mx1Id-8LZdku0mMMMiluD-VAhgB_Fu9EFNZwWs8uY0bJGYkpw_aem_TYDfVHFPSLTbIO4EMl85HA
When 36-year-old Sonya Massey—a Black mother of two—called 911 for help during a mental health crisis, she needed compassion. Instead, she was shot in the face by a white sheriff’s deputy in her own kitchen. In this episode of The In Between, host Mel Barrett walks listeners through the events of July 6, 2024, the bodycam footage that shook a community, the trial that followed, and the broader failures in policing, race, and mental health response. We’ll hear from Sonya’s family, legal experts, and activists demanding change. This isn’t just one isolated tragedy—it’s part of a devastating pattern. And as we trace Sonya’s legacy through courtroom justice, community grief, and legislative reform, we ask: What does accountability really look like when someone dies after asking for help? ⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of police violence, mental health crisis, and the fatal shooting of a Black woman. Listener discretion is advised. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips SOMETHING'S OFF: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 3.5 Mel + Rebecca break down the preservation of Michael Proctor's messages and go on a deep dive into Samanthan Benigno's analysis of the 911 call Jen McCabe made at the scene of John O'Keefe's death. If you weren't already convinced the McCabes and Alberts had something to do with you, you might be after watching Sam's video. We'll link below. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode Three Mel + Rebecca get into allll the chaos surrounding Turtleboy and the other boys, updates on all things Karen Read adjacent, including Microdots, and we take a deep dive on the Kelsey Fitzsimmons case. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
On September 15, 2025, 21-year-old Trey Reed—a first-generation college student at Delta State University—was found hanging from a tree on campus. Within hours, his death was ruled a suicide. No investigation. No real answers. But Trey’s family knew something was wrong. And the deeper you look, the more disturbing the picture becomes: missing surveillance footage, a mysterious belt with no buckle, a second autopsy showing blunt force trauma, and a chilling history of racially motivated violence in the very place Trey died. In this episode, Mel Barrett examines the facts, the cover-ups, and the rising pattern civil rights leaders are calling “lynching by suicide.” This isn’t just about one case. It’s about the systems that keep failing Black families, and the voices demanding justice. Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide, racial violence, and harm to Black bodies. ❤️ If you like Mel's work, click the tip jar ❤️ 🚨 Here's the link to the SOMETHING'S OFF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod -- Please subscribe for updates. Podcast episodes will be released on Patreon and video episodes will be released on YT! 🛒 Need something from Amazon: Mel's Affiliate Links: Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: Follow The In Between Podcast at: IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial FB: @TheInBetweenPod Bluesky: @inbetweenpod Web: inbetweenpod.com
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode Two Mel + Rebecca get into allll the chaos surrounding Michael Proctor, the Fed document dump/hearings, who lied: Dever or Cox? and an old rumor that resurfaced this week about a person being hit by a plow on Fairview Road. TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
Mel returns to three deeply unsettling cases that continue to raise serious questions: Ellen Greenberg: A new city-commissioned review reaffirms suicide, despite 20+ stab wounds. Her family says the fight for justice is far from over. Michael Proctor: The former state trooper withdraws his appeal after disturbing personal texts dating back to 2013 surface—some now allowed in a separate murder trial. Sam Nordquist: As DNA evidence is collected and pre-trial hearings wrap up, seven suspects await trial in a case involving kidnapping, torture, and murder. Mel breaks down the latest legal developments, new evidence, and the public response. These are stories we’ve covered before—but there’s more to say. ❤️ If you like Mel's work, click the tip jar ❤️ 🚨 Here's the link to the SOMETHING'S OFF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod -- Please subscribe for updates. Podcast episodes will be released on Patreon and video episodes will be released on YT! 🛒 Need something from Amazon: Mel's Affiliate Links: Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: Follow The In Between Podcast at: IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial FB: @TheInBetweenPod Bluesky: @inbetweenpod Web: inbetweenpod.com
Preview SOMETHING'S OFF here and join us in the Investigator Club to get early access to new episodes, or subscribe to the YouTube to watch Something's Off for FREE. In our first episode, Mel Barrett and Rebecca Lavoie dig into the discord in the Turtleboy/FKR communities and take a deeper dive into the upcoming Brian Walshe trial, which crosses over into Karen Read territory when Yuri Bukhenik and Michael Proctor show up again. To watch the episode, subscribe to the SOMETHING'S OFF YOUTUBE - New FREE Episodes every Friday. ❤️ If you like our work, click to send us a tip ❤️ 🛒 Need something from Amazon: Mel's Affiliate Links: Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast and Something's Off.
Fridays starting October 2025. You know that feeling? When a case doesn’t add up, when the story feels off? That’s where Investigative Journalists and podcast hosts, Mel Barrett and Rebecca Lavoie, come in, breaking down the crimes, the trials, and the cover-ups that make you say: Something’s Off. ❤️ If you like our work, click the tip jar ❤️ 🚨 Here's the link to the SOMETHING'S OFF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod -- Please subscribe for updates. Podcast episodes will be released on Patreon and video episodes will be released on YT! 🛒 Need something from Amazon: Mel's Affiliate Links: Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: Follow The In Between Podcast at: IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial FB: @TheInBetweenPod Bluesky: @inbetweenpod Web: inbetweenpod.com
In May of 2001, 49-year-old Leslie Preer was found brutally murdered inside her Chevy Chase home. For years, suspicion shadowed her husband, Sandy, who failed a polygraph and couldn’t explain his movements the night before her death. But one piece of evidence—male DNA under Leslie’s fingernails—told a different story. Two decades later, a new generation of detectives reopened the case, armed with technology that didn’t exist back then. Using forensic genetic genealogy, they traced the unknown DNA to a name that stunned everyone: Eugene Gligor, a D.C. man who had once dated Leslie’s daughter, Lauren. This episode unravels how Gligor lived freely for 23 years—attending recovery meetings, making friends, and even speaking kindly to Lauren years after the murder—while concealing the truth. We’ll follow the investigation from that first chilling crime scene through the groundbreaking DNA match, Gligor’s arrest and guilty plea, and the courtroom reckoning that finally brought justice for Leslie and cleared her husband’s name. It’s a story about secrets that linger, the families left in their wake, and the detectives who refuse to let time silence the truth. Because for every case like this one—where a killer is finally unmasked—there are thousands more still waiting in the dark. Thousands of families still waiting for the knock on the door that says, “We got him.” ❤️ If you like Mel's work, click the tip jar ❤️ 🚨 Here's the link to the SOMETHING'S OFF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod -- Please subscribe for updates. Podcast episodes will be released on Patreon and video episodes will be released on YT! 🛒 Need something from Amazon: Mel's Affiliate Links: Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: Follow The In Between Podcast at: IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial FB: @TheInBetweenPod Bluesky: @inbetweenpod Web: inbetweenpod.com