Coffee Crime with Doncha

Dominika Donchinka

Hey guys, I’m Doncha, and welcome to Coffee Crime with Doncha—the podcast where we dive into chilling true crime stories and unsolved mysteries. Join our community and let’s uncover dark secrets, from brutal murders to bizarre disappearances, in every single episode.

  1. 3d ago

    #47 | The Murder of Holly Staker & The Wrongful Conviction (USA)

    Support channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://paypal.me/dominikadonchinka⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/donchinka⁠ On the evening of August 17, 1992, 11-year-old Holly Staker was babysitting two young children in an apartment in Waukegan, Illinois. When the mother returned home, the back door was kicked in and Holly was found brutally murdered inside the bedroom. Shortly after, local police focused their investigation on 19-year-old Juan Rivera. Despite having a verified electronic monitoring alibi and zero physical evidence connecting him to the scene, Rivera was interrogated for days during an acute mental breakdown until he signed a forced confession. For nearly twenty years, Juan Rivera was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life three separate times—even after DNA testing in 2004 completely ruled him out as the source of semen found at the crime scene. In 2011, Rivera's conviction was finally overturned for good, leading to one of the largest wrongful conviction settlements in US history. However, the real killer whose DNA was left at the crime scene and later linked to a 2000 Chicago home invasion remains uncharged in Holly's murder. In this episode of Coffee Crime with Doncha, we walk through Holly's life, the night of August 17, 1992, the shocking interrogation tactics used against Juan Rivera, the long legal battle for DNA testing, and the ongoing search for true justice. If you have any official information regarding the murder of Holly Staker, please contact: Waukegan Police Department: +1 (847) 599-2608 Lake County State's Attorney Office: +1 (847) 377-3000 Remember: Every story matters, and every victim deserves justice. Tags/Keywords: true crime, Coffee Crime with Doncha, Holly Staker, Juan Rivera, Waukegan, Illinois, Lake County, wrongful conviction, DNA exoneration, cold case, unsolved murder.

    #47 | The Murder of Holly Staker & The Wrongful Conviction (USA)
  2. 3d ago

    #46 | The Unsolved Murder of Mandy LeMaire (Alaska)

    Support channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://paypal.me/dominikadonchinka⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/donchinka⁠ On the morning of August 22, 1991, 15-year-old Mandy LeMaire vanished while walking along the Richardson Highway near Tazlina, Alaska. Mandy had left her home around 9:00 AM to walk roughly two miles to a nearby store. She never arrived, and her missing person status quickly prompted a community-wide search. Twelve days later, on September 3, 1991, searchers found Mandy's body hidden in a wooded area near the Tazlina River. She had been shot twice and sexually assaulted. Suspicion soon turned toward a local resident, Charles Smith, who was eventually convicted of her murder in 1995. However, after decades of appeals and modern DNA testing, the forensic evidence collected from the crime scene completely excluded Charles Smith. In 2018, Smith's conviction was vacated, and he was released from prison, leaving the murder of Mandy LeMaire officially unsolved. In this episode of Coffee Crime with Doncha, we break down Mandy's life, the timeline of August 22, 1991, the initial investigation, the wrongful conviction, the 2018 DNA exoneration, and the main remaining theories. If you have any official information regarding the murder of Mandy LeMaire, please contact: Alaska State Troopers Cold Case Unit: +1 (907) 269-5511 Alaska Crime Stoppers: +1 (907) 561-STOP Remember: Every story matters, and every victim deserves justice. Tags/Keywords: true crime, Coffee Crime with Doncha, Mandy LeMaire, Tazlina, Alaska, cold case, unsolved murder, Charles Smith, Alaska State Troopers, DNA exoneration.

    #46 | The Unsolved Murder of Mandy LeMaire (Alaska)
  3. 4d ago

    #45 | The Unsolved Murder of Ebby Steppach (USA)

    Support channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://paypal.me/dominikadonchinka⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/donchinka⁠ On Friday, October 23, 2015, 18-year-old Ebby Steppach attended a party in Little Rock, Arkansas. The following evening, she texted her stepfather stating she had been sexually assaulted at the party and asked if he would accompany her to the police department. Although he agreed, Ebby never followed up. On Sunday afternoon, October 25, Ebby made a disoriented phone call to her brother, believing she was standing outside his house when she was not. Shortly after, her car was discovered abandoned at Tommy G. Hinson Park (Chalamont Park) in Little Rock, with her keys, phone, and belongings inside, but Ebby had vanished. For two and a half years, searches yielded no answers. Then, in May 2018, during a re-examination of the park, search teams discovered Ebby's remains inside an underground drainage pipe—just feet from where her car had been parked in 2015. In this episode of Coffee Crime with Doncha, we break down Ebby's life, the timeline of October 2015, the initial investigative blunders, the 2018 discovery, and the ongoing homicide investigation. If you have any official information regarding the murder of Ebby Steppach, please contact: Little Rock Police Department: +1 (501) 371-4660 Arkansas Crime Stoppers: +1 (501) 371-4636 Remember: Every story matters, and every victim deserves justice. Tags/Keywords: true crime, Coffee Crime with Doncha, Ebby Steppach, Little Rock, Arkansas, Chalamont Park, cold case, unsolved murder, Hinson Park, Laurie Jernigan.

    #45 | The Unsolved Murder of Ebby Steppach (USA)
  4. 6d ago

    #43 | Pregnant and Missing – The Unsolved Murder of Fiona Pender (Ireland)

    Support channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://paypal.me/dominikadonchinka⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/donchinka⁠ On Friday, August 23, 1996, 25-year-old hairdresser and model Fiona Pender vanished from her home in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. At the time of her disappearance, Fiona was seven months pregnant with her first child, expecting a baby boy or girl just weeks away. Her partner, John Thompson, reported seeing her in bed at their Church Street flat early that morning before leaving for work on his family farm. But when her mother Josephine checked on the flat that weekend, she found Fiona's shopping bags containing newborn baby clothes and supplies untouched on the floor. Fiona was gone without a trace. Despite nearly three decades of extensive Garda search operations across the Slieve Bloom Mountains, multiple arrests, and international leads, Fiona's body and her unborn child have never been found, and no one has ever been convicted. In this episode of Coffee Crime with Doncha, we look closely at Fiona's life, her family, the tragic loss of her brother Mark, the exact timeline of August 1996, the pristine crime scene, and the ongoing fight for answers. If you have any official information regarding the disappearance or murder of Fiona Pender, please contact: Garda Confidential Line: +353 1800 666 111 Tullamore Garda Station: +353 57 932 7600 National Cold Case Unit (Garda Síochána): Contact your local Garda station or report online. Remember: Every story matters, and every victim deserves justice. Tags/Keywords: true crime, Coffee Crime with Doncha, Fiona Pender, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland, Garda, cold case, unsolved murder, Slieve Bloom Mountains, John Thompson, Josephine Pender.

    #43 | Pregnant and Missing – The Unsolved Murder of Fiona Pender (Ireland)

About

Hey guys, I’m Doncha, and welcome to Coffee Crime with Doncha—the podcast where we dive into chilling true crime stories and unsolved mysteries. Join our community and let’s uncover dark secrets, from brutal murders to bizarre disappearances, in every single episode.

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