True Crime Arizona

Another wild week in court with an unexpected ending. True Crime correspondent Briana Whitney and True Crime Arizona photographer Shane Egan have been in the courtroom together and break down the big testimony from week 2. This is where we get into eye-opening text messages and emails, and locations of what and where everyone went while Charles Vallow was dead on the floor. Then…the unexpected: both sides rest at the same time. We bring you everything you need to know before closing arguments and verdict watch. 

Spirits, zombies, text messages, and gunshots. True crime correspondent Briana Whitney and Arizona’s Family reporter Zach Prelutsky break down and analyze all the biggest testimony from the first week of Lori Vallow Daybell’s murder conspiracy trial for the death of her husband, Charles Vallow. Listen to memorable moments from witnesses on the stand so far as this unprecedented trial unfolds.

For the first time, the public has access to nearly all of the once classified files in the John F. Kennedy assassination, after President Trump order they all be released. With an expected nearly 80,000 pages, experts and researchers on the case have given insight into some of the biggest revelations they’ve learned as they sift through the new information. A case expert and member of the declassification task force take us through the new details: what the CIA knew about shooter Lee Harvey Oswald before the assassination, who lied under oath to the government, and what information appears to still be missing.

A mother's discovery on her son's phone launched an investigation ​that discovered a terror plot against the Pride Parade in Phoenix. Guest hosts Morgan Loew and Cody Lillich delve into the intricate details of this case, how 17-year-old Marvin Jalo's radicalization led him to plan an attack, and how investigators worked tirelessly to prevent a potential disaster. This episode explores the complexities of online radicalization, the legal proceedings, and the efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect public safety. 

In 1965, Charles Schmid became infamously known around the nation as “The Pied Piper of Tucson” after being arrested for the murders of three vanished girls. Their remains were found, and his trial skyrocketed into national news headlines, magazine, and even Playboy. But one young girl watched this unfold in front of her eyes as she slept next to the Pied Piper, her husband. Diane Schmid was married to Charles, and for the first time in 60 years, the widow reveals everything she saw during that time. Was he her one true love? Or does she see him as a monster?

All four of Gabby Petito’s parents—both biological and step—sat down with True Crime Arizona ahead of the Netflix docuseries release on the case. They share who last saw and talked to Gabby of the four of them, what was happening with Gabby right before the "Van Life" trip, and aspects they’re revealing in the new docuseries that nobody has known about the case before. They also share more about the advocacy work of the Gabby Petito Foundation, and why a specific missing persons cause brought them to Arizona.

It was an unexpected role reversal! Briana sits down with Mark McClune, the sports director and anchor at 3TV and CBS 5. Why? Because Mark was almost chosen to serve on the jury for a conspiracy to commit murder trial with the death penalty on the table. The case itself is wild: A secret lover, coded text messages, parents at the wrong place at the wrong time, and the targeted victim transitioning from a woman to a man. Mark reveals what the jury selection process was like and what extreme questions he had to answer that nearly got him a seat on the jury, as Briana begins covering the months-long high-profile trial.

For the first time, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office has a new cold case unit that’s starting their work with 5 unsolved cases. Who killed these people, and why? We dive into details of each case, where it stands now, and explore the new evidence that’s come to light. The unit also vows to work on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases, and explores how AI could be a way forward with case investigations.