COURT REPORT: 9.18.26

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1:03A rapper learns his fate, an alleged murder for higher plot involving a boy band star takes a bizarre turn, and a familiar name from the Karen Reed case pleases the fifth. Plus, new charges, new court dates, and plenty of courtroom drama. West is a 13-series podcast where we explore the trials, investigations, and true crime stories that everyone is talking about. I'm your host, Brandy Churchwell, and this is Court Report, your weekly roundup of the biggest courtroom headlines, breaking stories, and the legal developments shaping the nation's most talked about cases. Alright y'all, let's start this week with a major verdict in a case that we introduced on last week's Court Report. Framing-winning rapper Little Dirk, whose real name is Dirk Banks, has been found not guilty on all five counts in his federal murder for higher trial. Just as a quick refresher, prosecutors accused Dirk of orchestrating a revenge plot against

2:04fellow rapper, Kwondo Rondo, following the 2020 killing of Dirk's close friend, rapper King Vaughn. Prosecutor said that that plot ultimately led to an August 2022 ambush in Los Angeles. Kwondo Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Savae Robinson, also known as Little Pab, was killed. And Dirk denied having anything to do with the plot, and his defense argued that the government's cooperating witnesses were just trying to shift blame onto him to help themselves. And after three days of deliberations, the jury sided with the defense. On Friday, September 11, Dirk was acquitted on every charge against him, including the murder for higher, the conspiracy and stalking charges, all of it. Now, how'd he been convicted? He could have faced life in federal prison. His two co-definites, Deandre Wilson and David Lindsay, received a different result. They were also acquitted of the murder for higher charges, but both of them were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking with a dangerous weapon, and stalking resulting

3:09in death. But despite the complete acquittal, Little Dirk did not walk out of that courtroom a free man. He remains in federal custody because this trial was only one part of his legal battle. Dirk is still facing a separate federal trial on racketeering, murder, and firearms charges that were severed from this case. So that trial is currently scheduled to begin on October 5th. So we'll keep an eye on that one. All right, our next verdict comes out of Louisiana. And y'all, this is a case that we've never talked about before, but the story behind it is almost unbelievable. So it begins in July of 2024, as Hurricane Barrow was bringing severe weather into southwest Louisiana. Now, on Monday, July 8th, someone made a horrifying discovery behind the Louisiana Welcome Center in Vinton just across the Texas, Louisiana, state line. Floating in the water was the body of a little boy. Now, he had no obvious signs of trauma, and initially investigators didn't even know

4:11who he was. Eventually, they identified him as four-year-old legend, Dairy Jack. And almost immediately, investigators learned something kind of even more alarming. Legend had a little brother. His name was King Trail, and he was only one year old. But nobody knew where he was. Investigators learned that legend had recently been staying with relatives on his father's side of the family. But on July 6th, his mother, Alia Jack, left with both legend and King Trail in a white key assault. Family members were apparently concerned, like pretty much immediately, and legends and later testified that she saw Alia put the children into the car and speed away. She was concerned enough that she actually texted Alia, telling her, hey, the police were looking for you and accusing her of trying to kill the children. Investigators began using cell phone records, license plate readers, and surveillance footage

5:11to reconstruct Alia's movements through Louisiana and Texas, and eventually into Mississippi. But at that point, they had already found one child dead, and somewhere along that route was still a missing one-year-old baby. Then on the morning of July 9th, a truck driver named Reginald Watson was traveling along Interstate 10 when he noticed something on the side of the highway. So at first he thought, like it looked like maybe a discarded dog or something, and then he saw it move. Y'all, it was King Trail. The one-year-old had been left near the Interstate, only a few miles from where his brother's body had been discovered. So Watson immediately calls 911, and he stayed beside the little boy. He later testified that little King Trail had reached out and held onto his finger while they waited for help. Body camera footage shown to the jury captured the condition that this baby was in. He was covered in insect bites, some of which had become open sores.

6:13He was in bad shape, but somehow, after being left outside near the Interstate, he was still alive. The sheriff would later call him the miracle baby. So Alia Jack was tracked to Mississippi and arrested that same day, and she was eventually extradited back to Louisiana. Y'all, when she was extradited, she made statements that would become a major part of evidence against her. So as deputies were walking Alia into the correctional center, a reporter from KPLC asked her what it happened to her children, and her response was captured on video. Alia, what happened to your children that day? Why did you leave your baby on the Interstate? I'm not sure. I was under the influence of drugs. Did you kill your son? Yeah. Yeah.

7:13That's wild, right? And Alia's attorneys later tried to keep that exchange away from the jury, but the judge ruled that the recording could be used at trial. And even before testimony began, this was an unusual trial to start with, because during jury selection, Alia's own attorneys asked the judge for permission to withdraw from the case, saying that Alia would not follow their advice. One of the issues, for example, was Alia's decision to appear before the potential jurors wearing her jail uniform, despite her attorneys warning her against it, but the judge denied the request withdrawal. So Alia ultimately went to trial on charges of second-degree murder in legend's death, and cruelty to a juvenile for what happened to King Trail. But there was a significant challenge for prosecutors. No one could actually say exactly what happened to legend. The medical examiner determined that this apparent cause of death was drowning and classified his death as a homicide.

8:14There was no apparent blunt force trauma and no underlying medical condition that explained his death. But under cross-examination, the medical examiner also acknowledged that information provided by investigators, including the fact that legend had been taken and abandoned, contributed to his decision to classify the death as a homicide. And prosecutors themselves acknowledged that they did not have direct evidence showing precisely how legend died. So despite Alia's confession on live TV, this became largely a circumstantial case. Prosecutors used Alia's movements, her cell phone and location evidence, surveillance footage, and importantly, her own words in that little interview. And in addition to that exchange with the reporter, jurors also heard a recorded jail call in which prosecutors said that Alia told her mother that she had hurt her children before anybody else could hurt them. The defense argued that, as disturbing as Alia's actions may have been, the evidence

9:15did not establish second-degree murder. Her attorney argued that prosecutors were asking the jury to fill in gaps and draw conclusions about a death that nobody actually witnessed. But prosecutors did not necessarily have to prove that Alia specifically intended to kill legend. Under Louisiana law, second-degree murder can also apply when someone dies during the commission of certain felonies, including cruelty to juveniles. And that became central to the state's case. Prosecutors argued that intentionally abandoning legend constituted cruelty to a juvenile, and that legend died as a result. In other words, under the theory presented to this jury, the state did not have to prove that Alia left legend they are specifically intending for him to die. Prosecutors were also given lesser options, including manslaughter and negligent homicide. But they rejected the lecces, and after three hours of deliberations on Monday, September 14, the jury found 28-year-old Alia Jack guilty as charged of second-degree murder and

10:21cruelty to a juvenile. And because this was a second-degree murder conviction in Louisiana, the punishment for that count is mandatory. If in prison at hard labor, without the possibility of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. And yes, you heard that correctly. Louisiana law actually uses the words at hard labor. Now, I looked it up under the Louisiana statute, and apparently at hard labor is their statutory terminology for a prison sentence served in custody of the state correction system. It doesn't necessarily mean that the judge is sentencing her to perform a particular form of forced physical labor every day. It's just a formal, sentencing classification that Louisiana still uses throughout its criminal code. So Alia Jack is scheduled to be formally sentenced on November 5. We'll be right back.

11:28Our next case is a new one, and there's a reason that it has been getting so much attention, particularly in the aftermath of the Lindsay Clancy trial. But before we get to that connection, let me tell you what actually happened. On September 1, 2026, in Frankfurt, Illinois, about 35 miles southwest of Chicago, 40-year-old Corey Walsh was home with two of her four children. Her husband was out of town, and then two of the couples' school-aged children were at school. At home with Corey were her two-year-old son, Barrett, who is family-called Bar, and an eight-month-old baby. That afternoon, the two older children came home from school, and almost immediately they realized that something was very wrong. According to prosecutors, the children went to a teenage neighbor for help. Barrett and his neighbor entered the Walsh home and eventually made a horrifying discovery in the basement. Two-year-old Barrett was hanging from a device attached to a rafter, with a ligature

12:30mark around his neck and his feet off of the ground. The neighbor pulled Barrett down and immediately began CPR while 9-1-1 was called, but Barrett had no pulse. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. According to prosecutors, preliminary autopsy findings indicated that Barrett died from asphyxia caused by a ligature compression of the neck. The coroner has said the final calls and manner of death remained pending the completion of the investigation, including autopsy and toxicology findings. But Barrett wasn't the only one inside that house. The neighbor went upstairs looking for Corey, and she found her inside an upstairs bathroom fully clothed and lying in a bathtub filled with bloody water. According to prosecutors, Corey had injuries to her wrists and thighs. The neighbor took a knife away from her and attempted to stop the bleeding until first responders arrived. Now, Corey's eight-month-old baby was also still inside the home.

13:33That child was found alive and physically unharmed. Corey was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. And according to prosecutors, it was there that she began making a series of extraordinary statements. They say that Corey admitted that she had harmed Barrett and that she did it because she believed that her two-year-old son was the devil and the anti-Christ. Prosecutors also say that Corey made statements about killing her other children, although all three of her surviving children were alive and physically unharmed. And then there was her husband. He had been out of town that day, but according to prosecutors, Corey said that she intended to harm him when he came home, specifically saying that she planned to poison him with a drink. And when investigators search the house, prosecutors say that they found a drink and open bottles of prescription medication sitting on the counter. Now Corey Walsh was ultimately charged with three counts of first-degree murder and connection with Barrett's death.

14:35And just to clarify that, because three murder charges for one death can sound a little confusing, there's only one victim in those charges. Prosecutors have charged Corey under three different legal theories of first-degree murder, alleging different mental states for the same death. But then investigators began talking to the people who knew Corey. That is where this case took another turn. Witnesses told investigators that in the period leading up to Barrett's death, Corey had become extremely interested in another murder trial happening hundreds of miles away in Massachusetts, the Lindsay Clancy trial. According to prosecutors, Corey had become, quote unquote, very invested in the Clancy case and had been actively discussing it in a group text with friends. In fact, she was reportedly texting about the Lindsay Clancy trial until approximately 12.30 that afternoon, less than four hours before Barrett was found. And remember where we were on September 1st? At that point, Lindsay Clancy's jury was still deliberating.

15:38There had been no mistrial yet, and people around the country were waiting to find out whether jurors would find Lindsay criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children. According to Corey's friends, something about her messages that day seemed different. They reportedly described some of the text as kind of confusing and like out of character, and at one point, Corey apparently became convinced that Lindsay's husband, Patrick Clancy, had actually killed the Clancy children. And she told her friends that she was really freaking out, and less than four hours after those final messages about the Clancy case, Barrett was found dead. Now that timing has obviously led to enormous speculation about whether Corey Walsh was somehow attempting to copy what happened in the Clancy case. But I want to be very careful here because there is currently no evidence establishing that Lindsay Clancy's case caused Corey to kill Barrett or that this was a planned copycat crime.

16:41And Corey's attorneys had been very forceful about that distinction. Her attorney, Andrea Lyon, has called the copycat suggestion baseless and cruel, and said that the two cases are not correlated. Instead, the defense says that what happened inside that house was the result of a severe psychotic episode. And they point to Corey's behavior immediately afterward as evidence of just how disconnected from reality they believe she was. The her attorneys told the court that first responders described Corey as incoherent. At different points, she was reportedly yelling out the names of different fruits and singing follow the yellow brick road. The defense also says that people close to Corey described her as a loving mother with no previous history of abusing her children. Her attorneys argued that she needed inpatient psychiatric treatment rather than jail. And they asked the judge to release her into a secure psychiatric facility. And if Andrea Lyon's name sounds familiar, there's a reason.

17:43She was part of Casey Anthony's defense team during Casey Anthony's 2011 murder trial in Florida. And Lyon is now representing Corey Walsh. Now Corey's attention hearing on September 8th, prosecutors opposed the request to place her in a psychiatric facility. They argued that whatever her mental state may have been, Corey represented a danger, pointing not only to Barrett's death, but also to her alleged statements about harming her surviving children and poisoning her husband. The judge agreed with prosecutors and ordered Corey Walsh to remain in custody while the case moves forward. And there is something particularly heartbreaking about the timing of that specific hearing, is while Corey was appearing in court fighting over whether she would remain in jail, her husband and her mother were not there because they were attending two-year-old Barrett's funeral. Now, her attorneys told the court that they both actually continued to support Corey. And remarkably, that includes her husband, the same man that prosecutors say that Corey

18:48had intended to poison. So Corey's next court appearance is scheduled for September 24th. And mental illness is already emerging as the central issue in her defense. But the Lindsay Cleansie connection is something very different. We know that Corey was following that trial and we know that she was discussing it with friends until just hours before her son died. And we know that some of those friends thought that her messages that day were unusual. What we don't yet know is what role, if any, the Lindsay Cleansie case actually played in what happened inside the wash home that afternoon. So this is one that we will be following very closely. There's still a lot we need to learn. Our next case is one that sounds like something out of a movie. It involves a social media influencer, a former boy band singer, a bitter custody dispute, and alleged murder for higher plot on the dark web, and eventually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman.

19:48At the center of it are 25-year-old Gabriela Gabi Gonzalez and Jack Avery. So Avery rose to fame as a member of the boy band called Why Don't We? And he and Gabi had a daughter together. Their daughter is now seven years old. But after their relationship ended, the two became involved in what prosecutors describe as a contentious custody dispute. According to prosecutors, between 2020 and 2021, that custody battle allegedly escalated into something much more sinister. They say that Gabi began talking about wanting Jack Avery dead. Court documents alleged that during the custody proceedings, Gabi was portraying Avery as unfit and dangerous as a father. Her own father, Florida attorney Francisco Gonzalez, allegedly became heavily involved in this dispute. Investigators say that Francisco hired a private investigator to follow Avery and look for anything that could potentially be used against him in the custody battle.

20:52But investigators say that that effort eventually went far beyond just surveillance. So according to court documents, witnesses told investigators that Gabi repeatedly talked about wanting Avery dead and discussed hiring someone to kill him. And prosecutors alleged that she eventually turned to the man that she was dating at the time. Kai Cordray for help. Now according to the allegations, Gabi and Kai discussed using the dark web and Bitcoin to find someone willing to kill Jack Avery. And they even discussed making Avery's death appear to be an accident. Then prosecutors say that Gabi's father provided the money. In April of 2021, Francisco Gonzalez allegedly sent Kai Cordray $10,000 as upfront money to locate, hire, and pay someone to kill Avery. Two months later, prosecutors say the alleged hitman demanded additional money. So Francisco allegedly sent another $4,000.

21:55So altogether, prosecutors say that Gabi's father provided $14,000 toward the alleged plot to kill the father of his granddaughter. And several days after receiving that second payment, prosecutors say that Kai requested that Avery be killed within the next couple of days. But Jack Avery was never killed. And eventually, law enforcement entered the picture. In September of 2021, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman began communicating with Kai about the alleged murder for hire plot. They later say that Kai identified Jack Avery as the target and discussed payment and how he would receive proof that Avery was dead. And then in a subsequent conversation, prosecutors say that Kai actually told the undercover officer that it was Gabi who wanted Avery killed and that her father, Francisco, could pay the expenses. But despite all of this allegedly happening back in 2021, criminal charges would not come for years.

22:56The investigation was initially handled by the FBI and was eventually turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. And then in May of this year, roughly five years after prosecutors say that this alleged plot began, charges were finally filed. Now Gabi Gonzalez, her father Francisco Gonzalez and her former boyfriend, Kai Cordray, were each charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation of murder. And Jack Avery was never physically harmed. After the charges were announced, Avery publicly thanked law enforcement and said that his focus remained on being the best father that he could be. He also said that he now has sole custody of their daughter. And that brings us to this week. On Monday, September 14, all three defendants appeared together in a Los Angeles courtroom. So Gabi Gonzalez pleaded not guilty. For Francisco Gonzalez pleaded not guilty and Kai Cordray pleaded not guilty. All three are currently out of custody on bond.

23:58And there was also one unusual little side issue that came up during the hearing on Monday, because Francisco Gonzalez is currently on house arrest and wearing a GPS monitor. So his attorney was asking the judge to modify those conditions so that he could attend church on Sundays. And prosecutors didn't necessarily object to him attending church, but they wanted the court to establish a specific time when the service ended so that authorities could make sure that he went directly back home. Think about the whole Barry Morphew thing, right? Now the judge decided that that wasn't necessary because Francisco is already being monitored by GPS and he will now be allowed to attend church on Sundays. Now all three defendants are scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on November 18th. And if convicted is charged, prosecutors say that each of them faces 25 years to life in state prison. Now it's important to emphasize that these are allegations. All three defendants have pleaded not guilty. And Gabby's attorney has already pushed back against the prosecution's version of events,

24:59arguing that the evidence will ultimately show a very different picture of Gabby and her role in this case. But prosecutors say that what began as just a custody dispute eventually escalated into this surveillance and these conversations about killing Jack Avery and $14,000 changing hands and this alleged attempt to find a killer through the dark web. And ultimately an undercover operation involving law enforcement. And now five years after that alleged plot began, all three defendants are finally headed toward a preliminary hearing. We'll be right back. Last week I told you about the very serious charges now facing Croix KJ Beerman Jr., the 15 year old son of Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak and former NFL Falcons player

26:02Croix Beerman. And this week KJ was back in court for a bond hearing and prosecutors revealed another part of his history that had not previously been public. So just as a quick reminder, KJ was arrested in August and indicted earlier this month on seven felony charges stemming from an alleged incident involving a 15 year old girl on April 23rd. KJ was 14 years old at the time of the alleged incident. He's 15 now. The seven charges include aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, false imprisonment, and three counts of sexual battery against a child under 16. KJ's attorney Jason Sheffield has strongly denied the allegations and says KJ is innocent. But during Friday's bond hearing, prosecutors revealed something that had not previously been publicly known. They told the judge that KJ had already been under court supervision since October of 2025 in connection with a separate juvenile sexual battery matter involving a younger relative.

27:09And prosecutors made additional allegations about that prior matter. They told the court that investigators had recovered multiple videos from KJ's cell phone that they say showed sexual activity involving a relative who was under the age of 12. Deputy District Attorney Caitlin McGillicuddy said that there were multiple encounters on video on KJ's phone and that KJ used predatory and derogatory language toward the alleged victim in those videos. Now I do want to be careful here because KJ's attorney strongly disputes the way that prosecutors have characterized that earlier juvenile case. Sheffield said that the prosecution's description grossly misrepresent both the facts and how that case was ultimately resolved. According to Sheffield, the prior matter arose from what he described as inappropriate and crude behavior involving two middle school age children. He said it did not result in an education for statutory rape, sexual intercourse, or any

28:14comparable offense. So we have two very different characterizations of that prior juvenile case. But the video aspect of this is incredibly concerning. And because it involved minors and originated in juvenile court, there is still a lot about it that we just don't know. Now prosecutors brought this up on Friday at the hearing because they argued that it was relevant to whether KJ could safely be released while these new charges are pending. The defense asked the judge to set the bond at $65,000 and propose that KJ be released to live with his mother, Kim. Others asked for a substantially higher bond of $190,000. The judge would even hire. She set KJ's bond at $200,000. But the dollar amount may not even be the most significant part of this order because the conditions attached to KJ's release are extremely restrictive. KJ must live at his mother's home and remain on electronic monitoring. He has to attend school virtually.

29:16He cannot use a cell phone or social media and he cannot have any direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim, her family or her associates. He is essentially on house arrest and can leave only for approved medical and court appearances. And then there is this condition. KJ cannot have contact with anyone aged 16 or younger. Now remember, KJ himself is only 15. That restriction includes his own younger siblings. Under the bond order, anyone under 16, including KJ siblings, cannot live in or even visit the home while KJ is there. Meanwhile, his defense is fighting another major issue, whether this case should be in adult court at all. Now, KJ's attorneys have filed a motion asking that the case be transferred to juvenile court, emphasizing that he was only 14 at the time of the alleged incident and arguing that he is still an adolescent whose development is ongoing.

30:18And I mentioned last week that whether or not this motion succeeds will have an enormous consequence because his attorney has said that if KJ remains in adult court and is convicted on these charges, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison. KJ has not yet entered a plea. His formal arrangement is scheduled for October 14th and his attorney says that KJ intends to plead not guilty to all seven charges. So at this bond hearing, KJ did get the bond he was asking for, but with extraordinarily strict conditions. And in the process, the hearing revealed an entirely new and previously private part of his juvenile history that prosecutors say is relevant to the case against him. And his defense says it's been seriously mischaracterized. So we'll have to keep following this one as we get closer to October and see what happens. And here's another trial that just got underway in Florida. And this one has a pretty bizarre set of facts.

31:2044-year-old Shannon Ryan, a self-described witch and practitioner of the occult, is on trial in Fort Lauderdale for the alleged murder of 21-year-old Laila Cavett, a mother who disappeared in 2020. Ryan has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. And there's one major complication in this case. Laila's body has never been found. The case began when Laila's two-year-old son was found wandering alone in an apartment complex in Florida. Once his picture was released, his family identified him and told investigators that Laila had traveled to Florida from Alabama with her son in a newly acquired pickup truck. Well, investigators eventually located that pickup truck. And according to prosecutors, they found Shannon Ryan cleaning it out. Ryan told police that he had last seen Laila at a racetrack gas station, where he claimed that she got into a black vehicle with two unknown men. But investigators say that surveillance video contradicted that story, and actually showed

32:20that Ryan was the last known person to see Laila while she was alive. And this is where the evidence gets really strange, because prosecutors told jurors that around the time that Laila was last seen alive, Ryan allegedly searched Google for whether alcohol and bleach could make chloroform. They say that he then purchased items, including duct tape, cleaners, and carpet deodorizer. And not only that, but after police talked to him, prosecutors say that he basically high-tailed it out of town and left Florida for Texas. So the FBI eventually gets involved and they kind of narrow their search for Laila's remains to a Broward County landfill. But after 51 days of searching, they were unable to find anything. Now the absence of a body is now central to the defense, because Ryan's attorney told jurors that investigators misunderstood and stereotyped her client and argued that prosecutors have first to prove the fundamental part of their case that Laila is actually dead.

33:24So this is essentially a nobody murder prosecution, which is notoriously difficult, and it's built largely on circumstantial evidence, with a defendant who publicly identifies as a practitioner of witchcraft in the occult. So this trial just started this week and I will be keeping an eye on this one as it unfolds. Next up, we have a familiar name from the Karen Reed case making headlines again this week. I swear y'all, I cannot seem to get away from Massachusetts or Florida. So we're going back to Massachusetts. After Massachusetts State Police Trooper, Michael Proctor was back inside a dead-em-court room on Monday, but this time it had nothing to do with Karen Reed. Proctor was there because he was also the lead investigator in another murder case, the prosecution of Miles King. Now King is charged with first degree murder and weapons offenses in connection with the July 2021 shooting death of 25-year-old Marquis Simmons in Milton, Massachusetts.

34:25Now King has pleaded not guilty, and now his defense attorney, Rosemary Scopecho, is trying to get the entire case dismissed because of Michael Proctor. As most of you probably remember, Proctor was the lead investigator in the Karen Reed case, and during Karen's first trial, jurors learned about the crude and misogynistic text messages that he had sent about Karen while investigating her. But since then, even more material from Proctor's personal cell phone has become public. And according to court filings, those records span more than a decade and include very racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, and misogynistic messages. It's bad y'all. And that is particularly relevant in the Miles King case because King is black. His defense attorneys argue that Proctor's racial bias potentially influenced the decisions that he made while serving as the lead investigator in King's murder case.

35:25And the prosecutors disagree. The Commonwealth has acknowledged that the messages demonstrate bias, but they argue that the defense has not shown that the King investigation was actually motivated by race or that he cannot receive a fair trial. Now prosecutors also point out that there was evidence implicating King before Proctor ever became involved in the investigation. According to the Commonwealth, before he died, Marquis Simmons identified his shooter by a nickname that Milton Police associated with Miles King. Prosecutors also say that cell phone records and surveillance video connect King to the crime. So that is the fight currently playing out in court. And on Monday, the defense expected to question Michael Proctor himself. Now Rosemary planned to put him on the stand and question him about his messages, his racial views and the decisions that he made while investigating Miles King. Except that never happened. Proctor showed up to court with his own attorney. And after a private conference with the judge, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against

36:29self-incrimination. Now the judge ruled that Proctor had a valid basis to assert the Fifth Amendment and would be permitted to refuse to testify. And here's what's interesting. We don't know why. Whatever potential criminal exposure Proctor identified was discussed privately between Proctor, his attorney and the judge. Even Miles King's defense was not told what it was. Rosemary said afterward that Proctor's attorney had previously indicated that he would testify. So the decision to invoke the Fifth called her by surprise. But because the judge determined that the privilege was valid, Proctor will not be forced to answer her questions. So in other words, whatever he told the judge that he didn't want to testify to, the judge determined that there was a legitimate risk that something that Proctor could be asked and his truthful answer could potentially expose him to criminal charges, which is why

37:32he's allowed to invoke the Fifth and refuse to testify. Now that doesn't mean that the murder charge against Miles King is automatically dismissed. The defense still has to convince the judge that Proctor's conduct and alleged bias affected the investigation enough to justify throwing out the case. Now outside the courthouse after that hearing, Rosemary talked to reporters about the decision taking her by surprise and what it might mean for their case. What does it mean for your case now? It doesn't mean, I mean, he is who he is. He's a racist and that's not going to change whether it takes the standard or doesn't take the scan. What it does is it doesn't give us the opportunity to ask him questions about each and every email that he sends, each and every photo that he sends, each and every voice that he left. And we wanted to be able to get that in the record because we think it's important for the judge to understand and for the public to hear and see. And that just didn't happen because Proctor took the test. Prosecutors maintain that the evidence against King exists independently of Proctor. The hearing on King's motion to dismiss is scheduled to continue on September 22nd when

38:36the defense plans to call other witnesses. But Michael Proctor himself, as Judge Peter Crout put it in court, Proctor is off the table. We'll be right back. And there's one more trial I want to put back on your radar. And that is the trial of Dr. Thomas Kuzowski. Now, I've mentioned this case before on court report, but now that I've been following the actual trial, I've decided that there's absolutely no way that I can adequately cover this one in a quick court report update because y'all, this case is wild. Kuzowski is the Florida plastic surgeon accused of murdering attorney Stephen Cossie, whose body has never been found. And if that wasn't unusual enough, Kuzowski is representing himself at trial. But trust me when I tell you, that barely scratches the surface of what is actually happening

39:41inside this courtroom. The evidence and the surveillance and the things that prosecutors say investigators found, and some of the moments, especially that have happened during this trial, are unlike almost anything that I've covered before. So I have officially added this one to the 13th juror's schedule. This week we're getting into the Jared Britekin case and the trial of Mario Fernandez, Saldana. And then Dr. Thomas Kuzowski is getting an entire episode of his own. Now, I'm deliberately not telling you much more than that right now because this is one that I want to tell from the beginning. But if you haven't been watching this trial, don't worry because you will definitely want to hear this one. And before we get into juror notes, I do want to give you a very quick, Lindsay Clancy update. Now I'm not going to rehash the mistrial or everything that we've learned from the jurors since then because obviously we have covered this case extensively, including an entire series on it and a bonus episode this week looking at Lindsay's case alongside Andrea

40:45Yates. But there are a few new developments that you need to know. First, Kevin Reddington is now asking Judge Sullivan to essentially end this case without a second trial. The defense has renewed its request for a required finding of not guilty based on lack of criminal responsibility, arguing that everything presented during the first trial, the Commonwealth simply does not have sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Lindsay was criminally responsible when she killed her children. So if Judge Sullivan grants that motion, there would be no second trial. And the defense is also preparing a separate double jeopardy argument challenging whether Lindsay can legally be tried again at all. Another prominent Boston defense attorney, Martin Weinberg, who was also involved in Karen Redd's double jeopardy litigation has now joined Lindsay's legal team specifically to work on that issue. Now I remember watching him when he was doing the arguments for Karen Redd's case and

41:47he is a fantastic attorney. You very quick on his feet thinking, you know, I don't know if you've ever watched a pellet issues happening in real time, they will interrupt and they'll ask questions and you have to be very quick on your feet and answer and he's really good at that. So I'll be interested to see how those arguments go. Now meanwhile, there has been an enormous amount of attention focused on the loan holdout juror. The records obtained by news organizations show that he had previously been charged in connection with a 2021 domestic violence allegation. He pleaded not guilty and that criminal charge was ultimately dismissed. Well, NBC 10 Boston also reported that there was an active restraining order involving the juror while he was serving on Lindsay's jury. And that has raised an obvious question about jury selection. But if anything, did he disclose on his juror questionnaire? And right now we don't know. Those questionnaires are sealed and simply having previously been arrested, charged or involved

42:53in a restraining order proceeding does not automatically mean that someone was ineligible to serve on this jury. The potentially significant issue would be whether he was asked about any of his record or any of this stuff during jury selection and failed to disclose something that he was legally required to disclose. But at this point, there has been no finding that he did that. And because of the intense attention surrounding the jurors, including threats and people attempting to identify them online, Judge Sullivan has now ordered the jury list to remain impounded indefinitely. So despite everything that has happened since the mistrial, the biggest question remains unanswered. Will Lindsay actually be tried again? And the district attorney has still not publicly announced whether the Commonwealth intends to retry her and the defense is now actively trying to prevent that from happening. The next major date is September 29th when Lindsay returns to court and Judge Sullivan is expected to take up the defense's motion.

43:54And obviously, I'll be following that hearing very closely. And finally, let's wrap things up with a few quick juror notes, starting with Adam Montgomery, because we officially have a date for his second murder trial. Now, as you remember, Montgomery was convicted in 2024 of murdering his precious five-year-old daughter, Harmony Montgomery. But this summer, the New Hampshire Supreme Court overturned that murder conviction. The court ruled that the murder charge should have been tried separately from an earlier assault charge involving Harmony, because combining the two could have unfairly influenced the jury's decision on the murder charge. Now, Montgomery's other convictions, including assault, falsifying physical evidence, witness tampering, and abusive corpse, were not overturned. And prosecutors immediately made it clear that they intended to try him again for Harmony's murder. Well, this week we finally got a date. Adam Montgomery's retrial is now scheduled to begin with jury selection on October 27th

44:54of 2027. So we still have more than a year before that second trial begins. And tragically, at this point, Harmony's body has still never been found. Next an update in the case against Nick Reiner, who is accused of murdering his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner, inside their Brentwood home last December. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hottman announced this week that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Nick. The DA said that the decision came after a review of the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case and conversations with the Reiner family, including Nick's surviving siblings, Jake and Romy. Now, Nick has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first degree murder with special circumstances. So with the death penalty officially off the table, if he is convicted as charged, the maximum sentence he now faces is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

45:56Nick also appeared in court this week and waved his right to a speedy trial as his defense continues preparing the case. And there is another issue playing out behind the scenes here. Jake and Romy Reiner are asking the court to keep the grand jury transcripts sealed because of the disturbing evidence that they reportedly contain and the additional trauma that making those details public could cause the family. So Nick's next court appearance in the criminal case is currently scheduled for October 7th. And finally, another update on Barry Morphew. He just keeps coming back, doesn't he? Last week I told you that Barry's bond in the murder case involving his wife, Suzanne, was increased from $3 million to an extraordinary $10 million cash only bond following this alleged hit and run and what the judge viewed as violations of his release conditions. Well Barry was back in court virtually this week, but this appearance was actually for

46:59separate charges, stemming from that alleged crash in Denver. So he is now charged with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident, driving without a driver's license and failing to provide proof of insurance. So Tuesday was originally supposed to be a plea hearing, but Barry has now been appointed a new attorney in that case. So the hearing was pushed back to October 30th. In the meantime, he remains behind bars because he has not posted that $10 million cash only bond in the murder case. So Barry Morphew now has two separate legal matters moving forward at the same time. Just a green murder involving Suzanne and this new set of charges stemming from the alleged hit and run. So that's your court report for this week. I'll be back next week with the latest developments. Until then, keep asking questions, keep looking at the evidence and decide for yourself what

47:59you believe. My name is Brandy Churchill, creator and host of the 13-Joura podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the show on your favorite podcast platform and leave a rating or review. For additional episodes, case updates and more information about the podcast, visit our website at 13jourapodcast.com. The evidence has been presented, the arguments have been made, and now comes the same question faced by every juror. What do you believe? Thank you for listening. Do you know the difference between a HELOC and an HEI? Um, spelling? Well, they are spelled differently, but no. But both are ways to access your home's equity. They're very different. You see, a HELOC comes with monthly payments. Boo! While a splitter-o-ageee-i doesn't, it's essentially a smarter way to access your home's value. You get cash up front, and then you can repurchase your option when you cash settle, refinance or sell. Hooray! Are you gonna cheer through this whole explanation?

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