True Crime Recaps

Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
  • 4.7 (299)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.

  1. 1D AGO

    A Morning Coffee Invite Turned Into One of Florida’s Most Disturbing Cases

    Cynthia Campbell was a successful attorney with a busy Monday ahead of her. But that morning never happened.On July 27, 1998, police responded to strange activity outside Cynthia’s Pensacola home. After officers left, Cynthia accepted a coffee invitation from her neighbor, Norman Grim. She was never seen alive again.Hours later, Cynthia was reported missing. Evidence began to surface quickly, including items linked back to her neighbor and sightings that raised immediate concern. Within days, Norman Grim was arrested, and the full scope of what happened started to come into focus.Years later, after appeals were exhausted, Florida carried out Norman Grim’s execution.What began as a routine morning and a simple act of trust ended in one of the state’s most disturbing murder cases.#TrueCrimeRecaps #TrueCrime #NormanGrim #CynthiaCampbell #CrimeTimeline #Justice #TrueCrimeCommunity

    11 min

  2. 3D AGO

    New Jeffrey Epstein Files Released and They Are Worse Than Anyone Expected

    The latest Jeffrey Epstein document release was expected to bring answers. Instead, it raised even more disturbing questions.Thousands of new records were made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including photos, messages, and written materials from Epstein’s estate. Many appear with no explanation, while more than 500 pages are completely blacked out. Some of the images and texts are unsettling on their own and offer a troubling glimpse into the world Epstein built behind closed doors.The release also brings renewed focus on Epstein’s powerful connections and the ongoing legal fight involving Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now trying to overturn her conviction. Despite years of investigations and public scrutiny, key details remain hidden.If you are new to this case, we recommend starting with our earlier video that explains how the Epstein investigation began and why it became so far-reaching.So what do these files really reveal, and what is still being kept from the public?#TrueCrimeRecaps #JeffreyEpstein #EpsteinFiles #BreakingNews #TrueCrime

    10 min

  3. 5D AGO

    Rob Reiner Spent Years Trying to Save His Son. Then the Unthinkable Happened

    Rob Reiner spent decades trying to help his son survive addiction, relapse, and mental health struggles. Friends say his goal was simple. Just keep him alive.On December 14, police were called to Rob Reiner’s Brentwood home. Inside, Rob and his wife Michele were found dead. Within hours, their 32-year-old son Nick Reiner was arrested and charged.What followed was a disturbing timeline that included a holiday party, unexplained gaps in time, hotel stays, surveillance footage, and a rapid arrest. Police have not yet revealed what evidence led them to Nick or how they pieced the case together so quickly.Nick Reiner now faces two counts of first degree murder. He has not entered a plea, and investigators say this case is still unfolding.What happened during the missing hours, and what evidence will ultimately decide this case?#TrueCrimeRecaps #RobReiner #NickReiner #BreakingNews #TrueCrimeJoin

    9 min

  4. 12/27/2025

    How the Killing of Lisa Steinberg Changed Child Protection Laws Forever

    In November 1987, first responders arrived at a Greenwich Village townhouse to find six-year-old Lisa Steinberg unconscious and severely injured. Her adoptive father, a prominent New York defense attorney, claimed she had choked. But doctors quickly determined Lisa had suffered months of abuse, with injuries far too severe to be accidental. As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a disturbing reality inside the home. Lisa had never been legally adopted, leaving her invisible to the child welfare system. Her adoptive mother, Hedda Nussbaum, was also found to be a victim of extreme domestic abuse, with broken bones and untreated injuries that shocked authorities. Warning signs had surfaced for years through neighbors, teachers, and officials, yet no one intervened in time. Lisa was declared brain-dead three days later and removed from life support. The televised trial that followed captivated the nation and ended with a manslaughter conviction that many believed was far too lenient. But the impact of Lisa’s death went far beyond the courtroom. Her case led New York to reform private adoption practices, expand mandatory reporting laws, and restructure how child welfare cases are handled. Lisa Steinberg’s life was tragically short, but the reforms that followed ensured her story permanently changed how vulnerable children are protected.

    11 min

  5. 12/25/2025

    They Called It Random Recreational Violence. Phoenix Called It Terror.

    In 2005, Phoenix, Arizona was gripped by fear as two shooters roamed the city at night, firing at anyone they came across. Cyclists, pedestrians, people sitting in cars, even animals were targeted. There was no pattern, no warning, and no way to predict who would be next. The killers gave their spree a chilling name. Random Recreational Violence. As weeks turned into months, panic spread across neighborhoods. Police chased thousands of tips with little progress. The shooters seemed to vanish into the night after every attack, leaving investigators scrambling and residents afraid to leave their homes after dark. The case finally cracked when one of the men made a drunken confession at a dive bar. That slip led police to Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman, two men who treated murder like a game. Recorded conversations revealed casual planning, dark jokes about their victims, and complaints about not getting enough recognition for their crimes. At trial, the full scale of the horror became clear. Dieteman admitted to his role in the attacks and multiple murders. Hausner was convicted of six killings and sentenced to death. Phoenix’s year of terror finally ended, but not before dozens of lives were shattered forever. This is the story of how randomness itself became the weapon.

    18 min

  6. 12/23/2025

    Bodies in the Backyard: The Family of Killers No One Saw Coming

    In 1981, police in California uncovered a horrifying crime. The body of 23-year-old Barbara Levoy was found buried in the backyard of long-haul truck driver Ward Francis Weaver Jr. She had been kidnapped and murdered after Weaver offered roadside help. At the time, investigators believed it was an isolated crime. They were wrong. Two decades later, history repeated itself in Oregon City. In 2002, twelve-year-old Ashley Pond vanished on her walk to school. Two months later, her best friend Miranda Gaddis disappeared the same way. As the community searched desperately, one neighbor seemed eager to help. Ward Weaver III gave interviews, welcomed media into his home, and spoke calmly to reporters while standing on a concrete slab in his backyard. That slab covered Ashley Pond’s grave. When police finally searched the property, they found her body sealed in a barrel beneath the concrete. Miranda’s remains were buried nearby. Weaver III was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Years later, the pattern grew even darker when Weaver III’s son, Francis Weaver, was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. DNA testing later revealed Francis was not biologically related to Ward at all, leaving investigators and the public with one chilling question. Was this evil inherited, learned, or something far more complicated?

    11 min

  7. 12/20/2025

    Trinity Poague Killed 18-Month-Old Romeo ‘J.D.’ Angeles While His Father Was Out Getting Pizza

    Trinity Poague appeared to be the perfect college student. A beauty pageant winner, nursing major, and leadership scholar with a bright future ahead of her. But behind the polished image, people close to her noticed growing tension when she was left alone with her boyfriend’s 18-month-old son, Romeo “J.D.” Angeles. On the morning J.D. died, everything seemed normal. Trinity, Julian Angeles, and the toddler spent the morning together, talking about lunch and playing. When Julian stepped out to pick up pizza, he expected to return to the same routine. Instead, minutes later, he found his son unresponsive and Trinity screaming for help. Doctors quickly determined J.D.’s injuries were not accidental. He had a fractured skull, severe internal trauma, and signs of violent force. Investigators concluded the injuries occurred while Trinity was alone with him. At trial, prosecutors laid out evidence that left the jury with little doubt. Trinity Poague was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The case left a community reeling and raised painful questions about trust, resentment, and what can happen behind closed doors. What do you think drove this tragedy?

    7 min

  8. 12/18/2025

    Abandoned at Christmas: The Real Life Home Alone Case That Shocked America

    Four days before Christmas in 1992, two sisters, nine-year-old Nicole Schoo and four-year-old Diana, knocked on a neighbor’s door in Chicago. They were freezing, frightened, and completely alone. Their parents had boarded a plane to Acapulco for a nine-day vacation, leaving the girls behind with frozen meals, written instructions, and no adult supervision. As days passed, the situation inside the house spiraled. A blaring fire alarm and an overflowing bathtub finally forced the children to call 911. What police found shocked the nation. There was no babysitter, no emergency contact, and no way for the girls to reach their parents. Investigators soon learned this was not a mistake. The children had been intentionally left alone. When David and Sharon Schoo returned from their tropical trip, police arrested them at the airport. As the case unfolded, allegations of prior neglect and abuse emerged, raising serious questions about how the family had gone unnoticed for so long. The fallout changed the law. Public outrage led Illinois to pass the Home Alone Bill, clearly defining when children can legally be left unsupervised. Nicole and Diana were removed from their parents’ custody, later adopted, and have remained out of the public eye ever since. This is the real life Home Alone case that ended with a law meant to protect children nationwide.

    12 min
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About

All the crime in half the time!® Because you've got a lot of mysteries to solve. Subscribe so you never miss a recap with Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend. Watch video episodes three times a week @truecrimerecaps on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.

Information

  • Creator
    Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    276
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Amy Townsend, Chris Nathan
  • Show Website
    True Crime Recaps

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