Boston Confidential Beantown's True Crime Podcast

Send a text REPOST-We are on vacation this week, then back at it, here is a well received pod from last year(ish) Barry M. The tragic case of Amy Lord, a true urban boogeyman story. Amy was abducted from the safety of her own home by an urban madman, Edwin Alemany. Mr Alemany had over 50 entries on his criminal record by age 28. He was a tragedy waiting to happen. Amy Lord was not the first victim...

Send a text Phoebe Prince was the poster child for bullying in America in 2010, new laws were passed and significant attention was drawn to this severe societal issue. She committed suicide just after a round of hellacious bullying. Phoebe was severely bullied, however new information from Slate reporter Emily Bazelon, has revealed that things may not have been as they appeared in 2010. Phoebe was...

Send a text In July 1973 Susan Petz and her boyfriend Daniel Porter wanted to beat the heat in Boston and explore the expansive Adirondack Mountains in New York. Susan was due to finish her journalism degree at Boston University in the fall. Daniel and some partners started a growing political polling company and had connections to the Kennedy campaign in Boston. The couple somehow stumbled upon R...

Send a text In order to believe Sean Ellis is innocent, you'd have to believe, the Boston Police Forensic Unit, took Letia Walker's fingerprints at the courthouse and then proceeded to place a print on the gun that killed Det Mulligan. Did the technology to conduct this conspiracy exist in 1993? Does it even exist now? Letia Walker, Sean Ellis's girlfriend, went on to testify that S...

Send a text The HBO film Trial 4, is a virtual hagiography for Sean Ellis. The HBO-Netflix documentary is so slanted in favor of Sean Ellis it is difficult to digest. In order to believe Sean Ellis is innocent, you'd have to believe that his uncle, best friend, and girlfriend were (are) lying. To our knowledge none of these witnesses, that tied Ellis directly to the brutal 1993, homicide reca...

Send a text Hello all, we are on vacation this week, please review Bella's story, its a replay from earlier in the year. We'll be back at it next week! One of New England's most heart wrenching homicides. Bella's mother already had two children taken by child services due to severe abuse and neglect, how did the Commonwealth conclude that she was fit to care for another baby? B...

Send a text In 1972 the Croteau family had a traditionally large Catholic family, the five sons were alter boys.  Father Richard Lavigne was the parish priest. Dan threatened to reveal that Lavigne was suppling him with alcohol and molesting him. Shortly thereafter, Dan was found floating in the Chicopee River in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Father Lavigne was an immediate suspect, Dan's brot...

Send a text Rod Matthews  told two friends he wanted to kill a person with a bat or knife. He showed them a list, he whittled it down and decided that 14yr old Shaun Ouillette, would not be missed. Rod fulfilled his evil fantasy, with ruthless efficiency. He has been denied parole twice, but is the third time the charm? Statistically yes, would you like Mr. Matthews sitting next to you and yours o...

Send a text In 1991 Thomas Shay Jr. was living with his dad in Roslindale, Massachusetts. A strange device fell from his car in the driveway. The Boston Police Bomb squad arrived. During investigation-transport the bomb ignited. Officer Jeremiah Hurley was killed and Officer Frank Foley was blinded in one eye. The investigation revealed Thomas Shay Jr. wanted to kill his father. There was a nearly...

Send a text Jack and Gerri Magee, appeared ready to retire from a lucrative career in luxury real estate development. The business transition from father to son, appeared to be going smoothly. No readily apparent family jealousy.  An impeccable business reputation and a solid financial history leave few avenues of investigation in this case. The couple's SUV was stolen and set a blaze in Bost...

Send a text Gary Lee Sampson seemed straight out of central casting for a stereotypical drifter. Gary may have been the world's worst criminal. He escaped prison, as a juvenile, but that was likely his primary criminal achievement. Gary Lee Sampson stained everyone he encountered, alcohol simply turned him into a fiend. He robbed several banks in the Carolina's, with the police on his tr...

Send a text The movie "A Few Good Men" was based on real life events. David Cox was a motivated Marine Scout Sniper on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He did participate in a code red that inspired the movie, however in reality no one died as a result of the hazing. The police believe that David may have known his killer. His body was found in a nature reserve on the Charles River. It was a twenty...

Send a text The phrase "if I can't have you, no one will" was a common utterance at the Melo household. Luis Melo stalked his wife, he needed to know where she was at ALL times, until she went missing in 2000. Then, he refused to help look for his wife. Luis Melo NEVER looked for Debra, after she was reported missing, maybe he already knew where she was? Luis Melo told police his wi...

Send a text Conrad Roy, was a young man in crisis. He had previously attempted suicide, but appeared to be making progress with counseling and medication. He then crossed paths with Michelle Carter, she was suffering from her own mental health struggles. Conrad committed suicide in 2014, a routine examination of his cell phone, revealed dozens of dark and suicidal text messages between the couple....

Send a text Jennifer Fay, a beautiful 16yr old disappeared from hardscrabble Brockton, Massachusetts in November 1989. She attended a series of parties in her neighborhood, she never returned. The police lost precious time treating the case as a runaway. The Fay's were told the police were coming to the house with a trained police dog and an evidence collection team. They NEVER came. Jennifer...

Send a text Dr. Richard Sharpe could be described as many things, genius, arrogant, anti-social, successful, cruel. Richard was raised in a highly abusive household. He stereotypically continued the abuse, hitting and tormenting his wife and children. The fact that Richard graduated from medical school, while constantly abusing his family, highlights his complicated genius. Karen Sharpe was Richar...

Send a text Louise Woodard was wholly unqualified to care for an infant and a toddler. The eighteen year old nanny was in over her head caring for two active children. She was reprimanded for coming home late and not being able to get up with the children she was supervising, Louise resented this correction and the situation was about to come to a head. On the fateful day in 1997, Matthew Eappen w...

Send a text A group of high school sophomores all hung around together. Matthew Borges age 15, thought his girlfriend was cheating on him, she wasn't. But  that did not stop Matthew in enlisting other members of the crew to rob the victim. The plan was Matthew would take his friend Lee Paulino to the nearby river to smoke and talk through their damaged friendship. Instead Matthew stabbed Lee...

Send a text Woburn Massachusetts, Police officer Jack Maguire answered a radio call for an armed robbery at Kohl's the day after Christmas 2010.  Jack was forced to engage an armed robber. He heroically did what was necessary, however Jack was struck four times in the chest and succumbed to his wounds a short time later. The career felon was removed from the earth as a result of his idiotic c...

Send a text Deanna Cremin was 17yrs old and had an entire life in front of her. 1995 was a year of firsts for the beautiful Somerville, Massachusetts teen.  She got her driver's license and a job at a local market.  She also had a boyfriend. On the night of March 30, 1995 she was walked halfway home by her boyfriend. Her body was found by school children the next day, 475 feet from where her...

Send a text In the second half of our series on the Falmouth Fox, we cover the disappearance another young man, Paul Alwardt. He was set to testify against Melvin Reine. The cops put the kid on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, he never got off the boat. Paul was never seen again. We also cover the attempted murder of Falmouth police officer, John Busby. Officer Busby was shot in the face with...

Send a text This may be the strangest story you've never heard of.  Melvin Reine was suspected in three homicides on scenic Cape Cod. He was also the local arsonist. He served 18 months in Walpole State Prison for a string of arsons in the late 60's. He vowed to never go back. The police were terrified of this guy, maybe because he lit the police chief's cruiser on fire and laughed...

Send a text Jeremiah age 5, went missing in September 2013, his mother NEVER reported him missing. One of his siblings did, she told school authorities that all of her siblings were being abused at home, the abuse was so horrific one child had lost a portion of a finger. This brave girl also told officials that she hadn't seen her brother Jeremiah, in weeks. The mother and live in boyfriend w...

Send a text The McDonough family was sweltering in the summer heat, the air conditioner was broken. Sleeping was difficult, that turned out to be a fortuitous break. They awoke in the early morning hours, to muffled sounds of a struggle. The parents get to their daughter's room and see a 255 lbs beast wearing all black straddling their 15year old daughter, holding a fifteen inch hunting knife...

Send a text One of the prime suspects in this case is believed to have made a fraudulent phone call, stating he discovered a body on the highway. A short time later the local criminal walked into the police station asking if it was Theresa's body on the highway. The police had barely arrived at the scene, how would he have that information? The dispatcher stated that the caller sounded just l...