Gulf Coast Confidential with Mollye Barrows

The Florida Department of Health has issued an emergency order immediately restricting the medical license of Dr. Ben Brown, the Gulf Breeze plastic surgeon whose wife, Hillary Brown, died after he performed several procedures on her after hours in his office last November.State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo said Brown’s “inability or unwillingness” to follow basic medical procedure presents an “immediate serious danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the public” and to the citizens of the state of Florida. Allegations include performing unauthorized Brazilian butt lifts on patients, leaving an unlocked medicine cabinet open in his Restore Plastic Surgery office so employees could help themselves to meds that would "take the edge off," and allowing his wife, an unlicensed medical professional, to perform procedures on patients including herself the day she went into cardiac arrest.  Brown responded to the allegations through his crisis management public relations team. "This is an ongoing investigation, and therefore we cannot comment on specific details," Red Banyan wrote in an email. "However, this public order was issued without Dr. Brown having any opportunity to dispute the allegations against him through any hearing process. These accusations are inaccurate and misleading, and Dr. Brown looks forward to the opportunity to defend himself and present the actual facts through a hearing process in the future. Dr. Brown continues to live an endless nightmare without his wife Hillary by his side, and these inaccurate allegations only further deepen his immense pain.”However, some of Brown's former patients, employees, and the father of his deceased wife say the state's order doesn't go far enough. Join us for details on the state's order and heartbreaking accounts from patients in "Beauty Buyer Beware IV: Dr. Ben Brown."Support the Show.

Alex King, one of two brothers who made headlines worldwide in 2001 when they confessed to beating their unsuspecting father to death with a baseball bat in Pensacola, Florida, when they were just 12 and 13 years old, has died. Now 35, Alex died of a drug overdose according to family. It's a demon he has been battling for years and his family says he lost the fight against addiction in Missoula, Montana where he was living when he overdosed. His family is now planning a memorial service later this summer that they say will be open to everyone.  I covered this case from the beginning and wrote a book on it, "A Perversion of Justice." This is not the ending myself and many others were hoping for when the boys made headlines as young murderers more than twenty years ago, but it is the end of a painful journey for a young man who has suffered for a long time. Join us for an update on the King Brothers in "Alex King rest in peace, finally." Support the Show.

Eric Smith was only 13 years old when he murdered a child. Smith, a red-headed, freckle-faced boy with thick glasses, was something of a loner and said he was often targeted by bullies. When he saw four-year-old Derrick Robie walking alone to a summer day camp at the park, in 1993, he became the bully.Smith lured the happy, blonde headed boy neighbors nicknamed “the mayor” into the woods where he strangled him and dropped a large rock on his head, among other atrocities. Smith spent nearly thirty years in prison for the boy’s murder, but now at 44-years-old he is out on parole, despite pleas from Derrick’s family to keep him locked up for good. Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Freckle Face Killer.”  Support the Show.

A popular Florida teacher happily opened the door of her home to her son when he came to visit, but her gladness turned to fear and horror when the young man pulled a knife and started stabbing his mother until she lay dead on the floor. Sound familiar? This is not the case of popular middle school teacher Sharon Aydelott who was stabbed to death by her son, Brandon Aydelott, in the doorway of her Gulf Breeze home on Christmas Eve 2013, but the murder of 46-year-old Elvia Espinoza, a teacher in South Florida, is eerily similar.Espinoza’s son was a pre-med student at the University of Florida who police say drove to his mother’s home in Frostproof and waited with a knife behind his back for her to open the door. Like Sharon Aydelott, she was expecting him, but not the vicious attack.Investigators say she had called him at school with plans to visit, but instead Emmanuel Espinoza said he’d come to see her and save her the trip. They say he stabbed her more than 70 times because “she got on his nerves.”   Will he, like Brandon Aydelott, also claim voices told him to do it? Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Mom Killer Two-Point-OHHH! Florida pre-med student stabs mom to death.”Support the Show.

Cheesecake, poison, and a Russian dominatrix – what a recipe! A Russian born woman is now serving time in prison for trying to steal the identify of her look-a-like aesthetician by killing her with a piece of poisoned cheesecake. It turns out it was just the latest act in an international crime spree.Join us for this episode of Gulf Coast Confidential: “Murder, it’s as easy as pie…um, or cheesecake - Russian dominatrix poisons look-a-like." Support the Show.

Jealousy can kill a friendship in a heartbeat. Just ask Annette Harvey. Harvey’s best friend since childhood, Robin Leonard, took in the struggling mother’s children after Harvey had a mental breakdown in 2021. Leonard, a college professor and mother herself, was glad to help her friend while she recovered and got back on her feet. However, Harvey grew to resent Leonard’s generous gesture and the stable life she gave her kids. In a brutal and calculated attack, Harvey stabbed her childhood friend 15 times in Leonard’s own home. She lived long enough to name her killer, but at trial Harvey claimed she was insane at the time of the crime and deep down truly cared for her friend. What did the jury believe? Join us for more on the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Amicide: With friends like Annette Harvey, who needs enemies?”Support the Show.

Dr. Charles Stamitoles is only a few months into his two-year prison sentence for lying to an Escambia County judge. The Pensacola dentist accused of inappropriately touching patients and employees wouldn’t be spending as much time behind bars if he hadn’t. Stamitoles was convicted of multiple battery charges including cornering a young woman who worked for him and slapping her backside, kissing her neck, and grabbing her from her behind, leaving her scared and shaken. However, it was Stamitoles’ lies to the judge about his trip to Mobile while out on bond that put him behind bars for as long as he is. Join us for an update on Stamitoles’ criminal and civil cases in the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “That mouth will get you into trouble every time: Dr. Charles Stamitoles.”Support the Show.

Mothers are naturally expected to love and protect their children, not torture and torment them. Ruby Franke claimed to be a loving mother. In fact, the young, passionate mom amassed a billion views and millions of dollars from her YouTube-famous show, “8 Passengers,” which followed the daily lives of Franke, her husband, and their six children in Utah. The wholesome show took an unholy turn behind the scenes, though, when it was discovered Ruby Franke and her friend and fellow You-Tuber, Jodi Hildebrandt, were cruelly and criminally practicing what they preached about being an authoritarian parent on Franke’s younger children.   Their on-camera teachings were bad enough. Off-camera police say it was even worse. No one knew just how awful until one day, Ruby Franke’s emaciated, 12-year-old son showed up at a neighbor’s door, wounded, bound, and begging for water. Join us for more on the case in this episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Mom-fluencer Ruby Franke makes millions peddling child abuse.” Support the Show.

Confessed mommy killer Brandon Aydelott has a status hearing coming up, Tuesday, March 26, to determine where he should go now that the Department of Children and Families says he no longer meets the criteria for placement at Florida State Hospital, for the criminally insane. Aydelott’s aunt and the victim’s sister, Pam Hill, sat down with me on the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast to talk about the possibility of her nephew’s eventual release back into the community,Join us for the episode, “He killed his mother for heaven's sake! Update."Support the Show.

Death is the last thing on the minds of most college students when they go off to school. It’s supposed to be a time of new beginnings, not tragic endings. For three young women and their families, dreams and lives were cut short all because they unknowingly crossed paths with a predator.Just last month, 22-year-old Laken Riley was killed while jogging on campus at the University of Georgia in February. It’s similar to what happened to 20-year-old University of Iowa student, Mollie Tibbetts, in 2018, who was attacked and killed while running near her home.Tragically, a Gulf Coast co-ed was murdered in 1993, while leaving class at the University of West Florida. Susan Morris was 21-years-old, and wearing her new Christmas sweater when she was attacked and killed by a man who has since been executed for the crime. Join us for more on these cases in this episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Dead Degrees: from Dorm to Grave.”  Support the Show.

Kouri Richins was well-known in her hometown as a busy mom, wife, and realtor. In all her family and work photos the pretty brunette flashed the same sparkling, white-toothed smile, giving the appearance of a picture-perfect life. However, behind her killer grin was someone police say friends and neighbors didn’t know – a cold, calculating woman driven by greed who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, even murder her husband. Investigators say the mother of three was so shameless she wrote a children’s book on grief to help her young sons cope with their father’s unexpected passing and is planning to write another novel behind bars while she waits to stand trial. Join us for the latest episode of Gulf Coast Confidential, “Accused of fentanyl poisoning her husband, then authoring children’s grief book: “I’ll take ‘Who is Kouri Richins?’ for $100, Alex.”Support the Show.

Hillary Brown’s cause of death is still pending, but answers are slowly coming out. Besides Major Crimes with the Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Health is also investigating Dr. Ben Brown, who was performing procedures on his young wife at his Gulf Breeze office when she went into cardiac arrest.  Although the details of the state’s investigation aren’t being released, it comes as more patients are sharing their experiences with Ben Brown. Some say their pleas and complaints about his “shoddy work” were not only discounted, but they were shamed and blamed into believing their suffering was their own fault. We’re also learning more about the legal loopholes that some patients say kept them from finding justice, as more reports and information are expected.  Join us for this third installment of Beauty Buyer Beware in a continuing series on the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast.  Support the Show.

Armed with a steel mallet, a BB gun, a knife and pepper spray, astronaut, and married mother of three, Lisa Nowak, set out on a mission in 2007, to get rid of the new girlfriend her astronaut boyfriend was seeing.To save time on her cross-country mission, police said Nowak wore a diaper so she wouldn’t have to stop on her way from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida to confront the younger woman at the airport. Only this mission didn’t turn out as planned and it cost all three of them.During this month of love, join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Diaper wearing astronaut: An out-of-this-world love triangle.”   Support the Show.

School shooter mom, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for missing or ignoring red flags prior to her son, Ethan, opening fire at his high school and killing four teenagers. Crumbley faces at least 15 years in prison when she’s scheduled to be sentenced April 9, in a landmark case about parental responsibility. It’s part of a push by some prosecutors to hold parents accountable if they’re suspected of enabling their children to commit deadly violence, like neglecting warning signs. But is it fair or was she more than just a “bad mom?” We talked about this case before a jury found her guilty.Join us for this episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast: “Who’s to Blame? School shooter mom charged with manslaughter.”Support the Show.

Murder by yoga instructor took the life of a young, professional cyclist. All Moriah “Mo” Wilson did to make herself a target was date Kaitlyn Armstrong’s boyfriend when the two had taken a break.Kaitlyn stalked the pro cyclist to a friend’s house, gunned Mo down, and then ran from police when evidence of the crime led them to her door. The yoga instructor went on the lam, even going as far as having plastic surgery to change her appearance, but investigators saw through her disguise. Join us for the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast episode: “Plastic surgery loving yoga teacher on the lamb circles back to kill professional lady cyclist.”Support the Show.

Can cannabis make someone a killer? During this month of love on the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, we’re catching up on cases of romance-gone-wrong. In this episode, a young woman took two hits of marijuana from her boyfriend’s bong and then took him out. The attack was so vicious, there was a hole in his chest where his heart used to be. The victim’s family called it murder. She called it cannabis induced psychosis. When a jury agreed, the young man’s family said justice went up in smoke. Join us for “108 Stabs: female kills boyfriend in weed induced psychotic frenzy.” Support the Show.

Death was Dr. Bill Sybers' business. The Panama City medical examiner was the one who investigated when someone died, especially when it was unexplained. When his own wife, Kay, passed suddenly in 1991, Sybers insisted she died of natural causes. He didn’t even order an autopsy and went straight to embalming her body. Why wouldn’t people take the expert word of the top doc of death in the Florida Gulf Coast city? Many people did until police found several odd injection marks on Kay’s body and discovered Sybers had been having an affair with a woman he soon married. Join us for more on how the murderous truth was finally uncovered in this episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast: “Me and the M.E.: Married to Death. The murder of the Panama City Medical Examiner’s wife.”Support the Show.

Dr. Connor and Betty Bowman had a picture-perfect relationship. They both worked for Mayo Clinic, he was a poison specialist, and she was a pharmacist. They had an open relationship, but despite a few kinks and concerns, it all seemed to be going smoothly until the day Connor Bowman allegedly poisoned his wife’s smoothie.It wasn’t long before detectives realized Bowman had a girlfriend, a lot of debt, and a hefty life insurance policy on Betty.Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “He Picked Her Poison – Mayo Clinic doctor accused of secretly serving fatal drug to pharmacist wife.”Support the Show.

Physical carnage, emotional shrapnel. Unimaginable information is coming out about Dr. Ben Brown, the Gulf Coast plastic surgeon whose wife died after going under in his office surgical chair for elective, "minor" procedures. The untimely death of 33-year-old Hillary Brown is still under investigation, but you can hear first-hand why some former patients and employees say her husband needs to be "stopped."Join us for the latest on the case involving Dr. Ben Brown in this episode of Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, "Beauty Buyer Beware II." Support the Show.

The relationship between a 15-year-old boy and his “self-awareness” class teacher took a dark turn in 1990, when the young, married woman took an unhealthy interest in the creative teen. Before long, she seduced him and convinced the boy to not only keep quiet about their illicit affair but also to kill her husband. Pamela Smart, whose arrest and trial inspired the movie “To Die For,” wants her lifetime prison sentence reduced for conspiring to commit the murder.Join us for the latest episode of Gulf Coast Confidential on Pamela “Not so Smart” Smart.     Support the Show.