TRUE CRIME with Bratterstein

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Nicholas Markowitz with me today.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Brandon Teena, L. King, Charlie Howard, Gwen Araujo, and Matthew Shepard with me today.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Anna and Gracie Kemp with me today. On March 23, 2004, John Myles Sharpe killed his pregnant wife, 41-year-old Anna Kemp, at their home in Mornington, Victoria, Australia. After an argument that evening, he retrieved a speargun from the garage and shot her twice in the head while she slept. He buried her body in a shallow grave in their backyard.Four days later, on March 27, Sharpe killed their 20-month-old daughter, Gracie, with the same weapon while she was in her cot. He subsequently dug up Anna’s body, dismembered it, and disposed of her remains and Gracie’s body in waste bins at the Mornington rubbish-transfer station.smh+2Sharpe attempted to conceal the murders by claiming Anna had left him for another man and taken Gracie with her. He appeared in emotional television interviews appealing for information about their whereabouts. He eventually confessed, and investigators recovered their remains from a landfill. The case became widely known as the “Mornington Monster” or “Speargun Killer” case.wikipedia+1Sharpe pleaded guilty to both murders in February 2005. On August 5, 2005, the Supreme Court of Victoria sentenced him to two life terms with a minimum of 33 years before parole eligibility. The sentencing judge found that Sharpe had been fully aware of his actions and had killed Anna out of resentment.

On August 6, 2000, 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz was kidnapped near his home in West Hills, Los Angeles, by drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood and two associates. Hollywood wanted to use Nicholas as leverage to collect a $1,200 drug debt owed by the teenager’s older half-brother, Ben. Nicholas himself did not owe the money.The group took Nicholas to the Santa Barbara area, where he was held for several days. During that time, he attended parties and interacted with people who knew he had been kidnapped, but no one contacted police. Hollywood eventually ordered his associate Ryan Hoyt to kill Nicholas, offering to cancel Hoyt’s own debt in return.In the early hours of August 9, Nicholas was taken to a remote area near Lizard’s Mouth in the mountains above Santa Barbara. He was bound and gagged, and Hoyt shot him nine times before his body was concealed in a shallow grave. His remains were discovered on August 12.Hoyt was convicted in 2001 and sentenced to death; in January 2024, a judge vacated his death sentence, and he is now serving life without parole. Hollywood fled the country and was arrested in Brazil in 2005. He was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree murder in 2009 and also received life without parole. The case inspired the film Alpha Dog.

As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Carlo and Liana with me today. On December 29, 2022, 61-year-old Carlo Secondino was killed and his 19-year-old daughter, Liana, was seriously wounded inside their home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Prosecutors accused Carlo’s older daughter, 22-year-old Nikki Secondino, of attacking them following an earlier argument with her father over a laptop.According to the indictment, Nikki attacked Carlo while he was sleeping on the couch at about 5:20 a.m., striking him repeatedly with a hammer before stabbing him with a kitchen knife. When Liana heard the commotion and tried to intervene, Nikki allegedly stabbed her multiple times in the body, hands, and face. Carlo died at the scene; Liana survived but required surgery.Nikki initially claimed that two intruders had broken into the apartment, attacked her family, and sexually assaulted her. Investigators determined that the home-invasion account was false, and police sources said she subsequently admitted carrying out the attack. Liana’s account also helped contradict her sister’s version of events.On January 30, 2023, Nikki was arraigned on charges including second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, and was ordered held without bail. Prosecutors said she faced a maximum sentence of 50 years to life if convicted. The reliable reporting available does not establish a subsequent verdict or sentence, so the charges should not be described as convictions.