Loading...
Loading...

Good morning everyone, we have multiple breaking true crime cases this morning that you need
to know about and we're starting with the biggest one.
A California man is now on trial for allegedly stabbing his wife and killing his 11-year-old
stepdaughter, who prosecutors say used her final moments to tell first responders, quote,
my dad tried to kill me.
This is Crime House 24-7, your non-stop source for the biggest crime cases developing
right now.
Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a line up for you today.
Here's what you need to know.
On this show, we spend a lot of time focused on details because details can change how
you understand a case and in travel, details change how you understand a place.
For travel that gets the details right, visit go colette.com slash podcast and use offer
code travel 26 to get $200 off select colette explorations tours.
Colette's small group explorations tours are designed with that same focus on details.
You're led by experts and locals who know the destination inside and out and groups stay
small with an average of just 19 travelers so the experience feels more personal.
You might take part in a centuries old tea ceremony in Japan guided by the meaning and
tradition behind every step or explore Southern Africa on expert led safaris that spend multiple
days on game drives giving you time to truly understand the landscape and wildlife with
colette you get immersive travel bill on thoughtful planning local expertise and more than
a century of experience behind it for travel that gets the details right visit go colette.com
slash podcast and use offer code travel 26 to get $200 off select colette explorations
tours.
On March 5th, a murder trial began in Orange County Superior Court for 81 year old
Tan Tien Tron who was charged with murder and attempted murder in the stabbing death of
his pre teen stepdaughter and the attempted killing of his wife inside the family's garden
grove California home.
The attack happened on August 29th, 2018 more than seven years ago and the details laid
out by prosecutors in their opening statement are devastating.
The victim 11 year old Ann Nguyen Duong died after being stabbed while trying to save
her mother from the attack as she lay on the front lawn waiting for paramedics.
She told officers and first responders her last words quote my dad tried to kill me and
quote the knife had gone three and a half inches into her body striking the left side of
her abdomen deputy district attorney Devon Campbell told the jury that on literally gave
her life trying to save her mothers and that she died because she tried and succeeded in
saving her mom.
Tron met his wife, son Nguyen while traveling in Vietnam despite a nearly 40 year age difference
he was 69 and she was in her early 30s at the time.
They began dating around 2014 and married in 2016.
Tron brought Nguyen and her three children to Orange County on who was 11 at the time of
the attack and her two younger brothers then ages three and six.
Tron used his retirement benefits and watched the children while Nguyen worked to bring
in extra income.
But according to prosecutors Tron came to believe his wife was cheating on him.
Campbell told jurors there appeared to be flirty romantic texts with another man on Nguyen's
phone and that Tron's suspicions may have been warranted.
His anger the prosecutor said had been percolating and boiling up over time for weeks.
A trial briefly filed by the prosecution stated that Tron had been mulling the idea of
killing Nguyen.
The night before the attack, Nguyen told Tron that while she did not plan to divorce him,
she was looking for another place to live with the three children.
That was the tipping point.
The next morning, August 29th, as Nguyen was getting ready for work, Tron shot her in the
arm with a BB gun, forced her into a closet and began stabbing her repeatedly with a knife.
Her screams woke his stepdaughter on who came into the bedroom.
Nguyen initially shut the closet door, blocking the girl from reaching her mother.
Then according to the prosecution, he grabbed on through her to the ground and straddled
her body as he continued stabbing at her mother through the closet door.
The knife struck on in the abdomen.
Nguyen was eventually able to escape from the closet and from the home running outside
in blood splattered clothing.
Her screams drew immediate attention from neighbors in what had been a quiet residential
street.
Nguyen responded and were able to get the injured girl and her two younger brothers who
were apparently unharmed out of the house.
Tron remained inside and got into a standoff with officers.
He made several attempts to take his own life by cutting his wrist, his neck, and poking
a blade into his stomach.
But all of the wounds were superficial.
He was eventually taken into custody.
Nguyen was found on the front lawn where paramedics tried to save her.
She did not survive.
The prosecution also revealed that after Nguyen was released from the hospital in September
2018, she returned home and found a journal her daughter had been keeping.
According to a trial brief, the journal contained allegations that Tron had been molesting
on.
The prosecution also noted that Tron's phone contained search history for explicit material involving
underage girls.
Tron is charged with murder and attempted murder, with sentencing enhancements for the personal
use of a deadly weapon, inflicting great bodily injury and attempted premeditated murder.
He listened to the March 5th proceedings through Vietnamese language interpreters and appeared
overcome with emotion by the end of opening statements, prompting Judge Lewis Clap to
call a temporary recess.
His defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Eugene Sun, told jurors the evidence would
lead them to a different conclusion than what the prosecution alleged, but did not elaborate.
While that trial gets underway in California, a judge in Wisconsin showed no mercy this
week when sentencing a teenager who killed both of his parents to fund the terrorist
plot that never came close to succeeding.
On Thursday, March 5th, a Waukeshaw County judge sentenced 18-year-old Nikita Kasup to
two life sentences with no chance of parole for the murders of his mother Tatiana Kasup
and his stepfather, Donald Meyer Jr., inside the family's home in the village of Waukeshaw
Wisconsin last year.
Kasup had pleaded guilty in January to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
Prosecutors dropped seven additional charges as part of the plea deal, including two counts
of hiding a corpse and theft.
Under Wisconsin law, first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence.
The only question before Judge Ralph Ramirez on Thursday was whether Kasup would ever be
eligible for what Wisconsin calls extended supervision, the state's equivalent of parole.
The defense had asked for eligibility after 20 years, and Judge Ramirez said no.
He called Kasup's crimes horrific and inexplicable, telling him he did not have a crystal ball
that would tell him when or if a profound or significant change could happen.
Here's the timeline of what happened leading up to this point.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators believe Kasup shot his stepfather once in the
back of the head while Meyer was working at his desk in his den and shot his mother three
times as she entered the home on or around February 11, 2025.
He then lived with the decomposing bodies for approximately two weeks.
On February 28th, Waukeshaw County Sheriff's Deputies conducting a welfare check requested
by family members discovered the bodies.
By that point, Kasup had already fled across the country and Meyer's SUV, taking $14,000
in cash, jewelry, passports, his stepfather's gun, and the family dog, according to the
criminal complaint.
He was arrested February 28th during a traffic stop in Kansas when officers spotted the
gun in plain view on the passenger side floor.
But the murders were not the end of the story.
Federal authorities accused Kasup of planning the killings to fund a far larger plot.
The assassination of the president, according to a federal search warrant, Kasup had written
a three-page manifesto calling for the president's assassination with the goal of starting
a political revolution.
He'd been communicating online with others, including a Russian-speaking individual, about
plans to flee to Ukraine afterward.
He sent more than $8,700 in Bitcoin to purchase a fake license plate, a drone, and explosives
he planned to use in the attack.
A classmate of Kasup's told police that Kasup had told him he was planning to kill his parents
and was in contact with someone in Russia about overthrowing the government and assassinating
the president.
But prosecutors say the people Kasup had been communicating with never intended to supply
him with anything and only saw him as an easy mark.
After an intensive federal investigation, no other arrests were made.
At his sentencing, Kasup gave a tearful statement, saying he loved his mother and acknowledged
that both she and Meyer were kind, loving people who took care of him.
He said he became obsessed with hateful thoughts after the deadly Christmas market attack
in Germany in December 2024 and told himself bad things had to happen in war.
Kasup came to the United States from the Republic of Moldova with his mother when he was in
grade school.
Prosecutors described him as a kid who had it all.
And now to New York, where a quiet residential street in Astoria became a crime scene this
week after a years-long feud between neighbors ended in a fatal stabbing.
The all-new 2026 Toyota RAV4 is here and it builds on everything drivers know and love
about Toyota.
With a redesigned look and modern tech that makes life behind the wheel easier than ever,
the 26 RAV4 comes standard as a hybrid, providing smooth, efficient performance for both
city streets and longer journeys.
While the available all-wheel drive keeps you in command when conditions are unpredictable.
The new RAV4 is designed around the way people actually use their SUV, from daily errands
to weekend adventures.
While the GR Sport model, coming soon, both Sunnet combined 320 horsepower in a plug-in
hybrid drivetrain with a GR-tune suspension for an even more responsive, exciting drive.
No matter which RAV4 you choose, you'll enjoy the reliability Toyota is known for, coupled
with the inspiring performance that's unique to Toyota.
Shop more and find details at toyota.com.
The all-new RAV4 from Toyota, let's go places.
Testing season is right around the corner and this is when confidence really matters.
When kids take time to review key concepts and strengthen their skills before assessments,
it can make all the difference.
IXL helps reinforce what they're learning right now, so they walk into every test feeling
prepared, capable and confident.
IXL is an award-winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what
they're learning, whether they're building math confidence, strengthening reading and
writing skills, or reviewing science concepts.
Designed for students from pre-K through 12th grade, IXL delivers personalized interactive
practice that adapts to your child's level and pace.
It's an easy, effective way to support learning as the school year heads into its final stretch.
Studies show kids who use IXL score higher on tests, proven in all 50 states.
IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the US.
Make an impact on your child's learning.
Get IXL now, and listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up
today at IXLLearning.com slash audio, visit IXLLearning.com slash audio to get the most effective
learning program out there at the best price.
A 75-year-old retired math teacher was stabbed to death in the lobby of his Queens apartment
building on March 3rd, and his 48-year-old neighbor has been charged with murder.
The NYPD says officers from the 114th precinct responded to a 911 call about an assault in
progress on 33rd Street in Astoria, around 140 pm.
This is where they found the victim, George Dordunas, with multiple slash wounds to his
neck in a first floor hallway, steps from his apartment door.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A neighbor who entered the building during the attack called 911.
Ray Fassanella, who lives across the hall, said he was asleep at the time and heard
a muffled voice calling out for help.
Dordunas had lived in the building for approximately 30 years.
Fassanella told Gothamist that Dordunas was soft-spoken, bookish, and non-confrontational.
He had recently earned his doctorate and spent most of his time at his girlfriend's
home or with his cats.
Detectives took 48-year-old Demetrios Manesis into custody hours later, and on March 5th
he was arraigned on a criminal complaint, charging him with second-degree murder and criminal
possession of a weapon.
Both men lived on the first floor of the building.
Sources familiar with the investigation told multiple outlets that the two men had been
involved in a long-standing feud, though the specific cause remains unclear.
Neighbors described it as one-sided, with Manesis fixated on Dordunas for years.
One neighbor told the New York Post that Manesis was mentally obsessed with the victim,
and that he would talk about Dordunas constantly while walking in the street.
Manesis Anella recalled that Manesis had referred to Dordunas as a fake Greek.
Fosanella said Manesis had damaged Dordunas' car the previous summer, but Dordunas chose
not to press charges.
Worried it would escalate the situation.
He said Manesis's behavior had grown increasingly erratic, adding that his eyes were not clear
and he would say things that did not make sense.
Fosanella said that lately, Manesis scared him.
When reached by phone, Manesis' mother, Georgia Manesis, told Gothamist tearfully that
her son is mentally ill, describing him as paranoid and schizophrenic.
She said he'd been receiving medication.
Queen's district attorney Melinda Katz called it a senseless act of violence that has rattled
the Astoria community.
Manesis faces 25 years to life in prison, if convicted, and is expected back in court
Monday, March 9.
And now to Ohio, where a dog walker's shocking discovery led police to a mother, now charged
with killing her two young daughters.
On March 6, an Ohio mother accused of killing her two young daughters, appeared in court
for the first time after prosecutors filed murder charges in a case we've been closely
following.
28-year-old Aliyah Henderson of Cleveland has been charged with two counts of aggravated
murder in the deaths of her daughters.
Ten-year-old Amor Wilson and eight-year-old Mila Chatman, a judge set Henderson's bond
at $2 million during her arrangement.
The case began unfolding on March 2, when a man walking his dog discovered a partially
buried suitcase in a field near Gin Academy and called police.
Officers responding to the scene located the suitcase and found the body of a child
inside.
While searching the surrounding area, investigators uncovered a second shallow grave about 25 feet
away, containing another suitcase with a second child's body.
The Kaya Hoga County Medical Examiner's office later confirmed through DNA testing that
the victims were Henderson's daughters.
Authorities detained Henderson on March 4 as the investigation intensified.
Police have not yet publicly detailed how the girls died or what evidence led to the
charges.
She was also located a third child connected to the household who was found safe at a
residence and placed into the custody of child protective services.
And in another disturbing case involving children, authorities say a Christian school teacher
has been accused of using artificial intelligence to place minor's faces onto explicit images.
On March 2, during a court appearance in Guildford County, North Carolina, a judge set
bond at $750,000 for a former Christian school teacher accused of creating explicit images
involving minors.
During the hearing, a detective testified that investigators discovered 111 explicit images
on the defendant's electronic devices.
Authorities alleged the images were created by placing minors' faces onto sexually explicit
photos using artificial intelligence.
The defendant, 56-year-old Richard Lynn Upright, is a former teacher at Vandelia Christian
School in Greensboro.
Upright was arrested on February 27 and charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation
of a minor.
Investigators say the case began after Google submitted multiple cybertips to authorities,
flagging suspicious material that had allegedly been uploaded to Upright's Google Drive
account.
Following the charges, Vandelia Christian School confirmed Upright was fired from his teaching
position.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing and is not yet clear how many potential
victims may be involved.
Upright is scheduled to return to court on March 31 as the case moves forward.
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.
Whether you love true crime or comedy, celebrity interviews or news, you call the shots on
what's in your podcast queue.
And guess what?
Now you can call them on your auto insurance, too, with the name of your price tool from
Progressive.
It works just the way it sounds.
You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance and they'll show you
coverage options that fit your budget.
Get your quote today at Progressive.com to join the over 28 million drivers who trust
Progressive.
Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates, price and coverage match limited
by state law.
Your little one grew three inches overnight, adorable, also expensive.
Sell their pint-sized pieces on D-Pop and list them in minutes with no selling fees.
Because somewhere, a dad refuses to pay full price for the clothes his kid will outgrow
tomorrow.
And he's ready to buy your son's entire wardrobe right now.
Consider your future growth bird budget secured.
Start selling on D-Pop, where taste recognizes taste.
Name a processing fees and boosting fees still apply.
See website for details.
High listeners, it's Vanessa Richardson.
I wanted to take a brief moment to tell you about another show from Crime House that I
know you'll love.
America's most infamous crimes, hosted by Katie Ring.
Each week, Katie takes on a notorious crime, whether unfolding now or etched into American
history, revealing not just what happened, but how it forever changed our society.
Real killers who terrorized cities, unsolved mysteries that keep detectives up at night,
and investigations that changed the way we think about justice.
Each case unfolds across multiple episodes, released every Tuesday through Thursday.
From the first sign that something was wrong, to the moment the truth came out, or didn't.
These are the stories behind the headlines.
Listen to and follow America's most infamous crimes, Tuesday through Thursday, on Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Before you go, let me tell you what else is happening at Crime House today.
On the final hours, we examined the mysterious death of Chuck Morgan, an Arizona escrow agent,
who told his family he was in danger.
In the days before his death, he claimed that powerful forces were watching him.
He spoke in fragmented warnings.
He carried a $2 bill covered in cryptic markings.
When he was later found dead in the desert, the official ruling did little to quiet speculation.
There's a particular kind of case that unsettles people in a different way.
It's not simply about violence, it's about perception, it's about someone insisting
they're being followed, monitored, or targeted, and then something happens.
Sometimes those fears are rooted in mental distress, sometimes they intersect with real
threats.
Sometimes, the line between paranoia and danger is impossible to draw cleanly.
When a person expresses fear of being watched and their life ends abruptly, the unanswered
question lingers, were they imagining the threat?
Or were they right?
Here are five cases where the victim claimed they were being watched or targeted before
their deaths.
Cases where perception became part of the mystery.
Number one, Ray Rivera, the note behind the computer.
In May 2006, Baltimore writer Ray Rivera disappeared after receiving a late-night phone call.
His car was later found parked near a historic hotel.
Days afterward, his body was discovered in a conference room below a hole in the hotel's
roof.
The official ruling classified the death as a probable suicide, but the circumstances
raised persistent questions.
Rivera had reportedly expressed fear prior to his disappearance.
According to those close to him, he believed someone might be following him.
He had installed a home alarm system and reacted strongly to certain phone calls.
After his death, investigators discovered a long cryptic note taped behind his computer.
The document referenced secret societies, films, and cryptic language that some interpreted
as code.
To some observers, the note suggested paranoia or delusional thinking.
To others, it implied involvement in something larger, the ambiguity of the writing fueled
ongoing speculation.
What made the case endure was not simply the unusual scene.
It was the combination of expressed fear and unexplained physical evidence.
The sense that Rivera believed something was happening to him made the mystery feel intentional
rather than accidental.
Number two, Karen Silkwood, the whistleblower who said she was in danger.
Karen Silkwood worked at a plutonium processing plant in Oklahoma in the 1970s.
She raised concerns about safety violations and radioactive contamination.
According to colleagues and friends, she believed she was being monitored because of her complaints.
In November 1974, Silkwood died in a single car crash while reportedly on her way to meet
a journalist with documents related to her allegations.
The official conclusion was that she fell asleep at the wheel.
However, questions arose almost immediately.
Some of the documents she had allegedly been carrying were never found.
Supporters argued that she'd been targeted because of her whistleblowing.
There's no definitive proof that Silkwood was murdered.
However, the fact that she had voiced concerns about being followed or threatened created
a narrative that extended beyond the accident report.
Her expressed fear became inseparable from her death.
It shaped public interpretation and contributed to decades of speculation about corporate
misconduct and institutional retaliation.
Number three, Danny Casillaro, the journalist and the octopus.
In August 1991, journalist Danny Casillaro was found dead in a West Virginia hotel bath tub.
His death was ruled a suicide.
However, Casillaro had been investigating what he described as a sprawling conspiracy involving
intelligence agencies, software theft and organized crime.
He referred to it as the octopus.
In the months before his death, Casillaro reportedly told friends he believed he was being followed
and that his investigation had put him in danger.
He expressed concern about the people he was writing about and claimed he was close to
exposing something significant.
After his death, some of his notes were missing.
Those who doubted the suicide ruling pointed to the absence of certain materials as suspicious.
Others argued that Casillaro may have been overwhelmed by the complexity of his theories.
The case sits at the intersection of investigative journalism and possible paranoia.
The key element that sustained speculation is the record of his own statements.
Because he articulated fear before his death, the official explanation has never fully
silenced alternate interpretations.
Number four, Philip Taylor Kramer, the musician who feared surveillance.
Philip Taylor Kramer, a former bassist for the band Iron Butterfly and later a computer
engineer, disappeared in 1995.
Prior to his disappearance, he reportedly made statements suggesting he believed he was
being monitored or targeted.
Months later, his remains were discovered in his vehicle at the bottom of a ravine in
California.
In the period before he vanished, Kramer had spoken about complex theories involving
advanced technology and claimed he possessed significant knowledge that others might
want to suppress.
Friends described his behavior as increasingly erratic.
The case reflects a pattern seen in several high-profile mysterious deaths, expressed fears
of surveillance or targeting blur the boundary between mental health crisis and external threat.
Kramer's statements suggested he believed powerful entities were after him.
His death became fertile ground for speculation beyond the official findings.
Number five, Frank Olson, the scientist who fell from a window.
In 1953, Frank Olson, a U.S. Army biochemist, fell from a hotel window in New York City.
His death was initially ruled a suicide.
Olson had been involved in secret government research programs during the Cold War, shortly
before his death, he'd reportedly expressed distress and concern about his work.
Decades later, the U.S. government acknowledged that Olson had been unknowingly dozed with
LSD as part of an experiment prior to his fall.
The acknowledgement fueled suspicion that his death might not have been voluntary.
In 1975, a presidential commission investigated the circumstances, and the Olson family later
received a settlement.
Although definitive proof of homicide has never been established, the case remains controversial.
Olson's own distress and statements about his unease with classified activities complicated
the narrative.
When the government later admitted to secret experimentation, it validated at least
part of the broader mistrust surrounding the case.
The ambiguity persists because the line between documented secrecy and speculative conspiracy
remains difficult to define.
Why fear becomes part of the evidence?
When a victim claims they're being watched or targeted, those statements take on new weight
after death.
If the death appears self-inflicted, observers question whether the fear contributed to psychological
decline.
If the death appears suspicious, those earlier warnings can be interpreted as foreshadowing.
Human psychology struggles with ambiguity.
A person expressing fear may be experiencing stress, paranoia, or genuine threat.
Without conclusive evidence, outsiders often interpret the fear in the direction that best
fits the physical evidence or their own assumptions.
In cases where the surrounding facts are incomplete, the victim's own words become central.
They are replayed, analyzed, debated.
The presence of expressed fear transforms a death from a static event into an open question.
Chuck Morgan's final days were marked by claims that he was being watched and that his
life was in danger.
His death in the Arizona desert, accompanied by cryptic notes and unexplained details,
ensured that those statements would not be forgotten.
For the full examination of his final hours, including the $2 bill covered in markings
and the unanswered questions that followed, listen to today's episode of The Final
Hours, because sometimes the most unsettling mysteries are not defined by what investigators
find.
They are defined by what someone said before everything went silent.
You've been listening to Crime House 24-7 bringing you breaking crime news.
I'm Vanessa Richardson.
We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories.
Stay safe and thanks for listening.
Thanks for listening to today's episode.
Not sure what to listen to next?
Check out America's most infamous crimes hosted by Katie Ring.
From serial killers to unsolved mysteries and game-changing investigations, each week
Katie takes on a notorious criminal case in American history.
Come to and follow America's most infamous crimes now wherever you listen to podcasts.
Crime House 24/7
