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Cabernet & True Crime, Cleveland, OH (2024)

02/10/2024

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠
Paris, Tennessee November, 2005

April’s ex-boyfriend asked her if she would take him and a friend out for a joyride. Brandon, her ex, was in the passenger seat of the car, and the friend, Virgil, was in the back. It was after dark. At some point during the ride, Virgil grabbed Brandon by the neck and pulled him into the back seat. April slammed on the brakes when Virgil started to strangle Brandon. She attempted to fight Virgil herself, but during the struggle was pulled by her hair out of the car, and lead to a cemetery that they had stopped by. (The area this occurred in was relatively remote.) While Virgil began to attack April, Brandon said, “Do whatever you want to her, just leave me out of it.” Brandon was then locked in the back of the trunk.
April was commanded to get naked and was r***d and beat several times throughout the night. During her torture, Brandon had managed to escape from the trunk, but neither April or Virgil knew he was gone.
At some point, Virgil laid April down in front of the car and tried to run her over, several times. He was attempting to kill her but was unsuccessful. She was also stabbed with a screwdriver and played dead.
As Virgil tried to wipe his prints off the car, he thought of a better idea. He put April in the car, drove to his home to grab gas cans, and headed to a secluded field.
He then put April in the trunk, poured gasoline on her, lit a match and shut the lid.
He then poured gasoline on the rest of the car.
April stayed in the car, on fire, for as long as she could stand. She could hear a car pull up, and then drive away. She pulled the emergency cord and released herself. She was still on fire, but luckily the property owner had noticed the flames and was there to help when she escaped.
April had third degree burns over 50% of her body. She spent 116 days in the hospital recovering and to have her right hand, as well as all the fingers on her left hand amputated.
She does not know why Virgil attacked her.

02/03/2024

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠

⁠July, 1999 Alexandria, VA ⠀

Ebony, a sixteen year old, was returning home from a late night rollers skate. It was about 1:45-2 AM. She was walking the short distance from the bus stop to her family’s apartment. She was approached by a drunk man who followed about a car length behind her. She took evasive measures, speeding up, crossing the street, but she still couldn’t lose the man. When she was right across the street from her complex, she told the man to leave her alone; and she was grabbed from behind by another attacker. They dragged her down a stairwell and r***d her. When the duo let their guard down, Ebony saw her chance and escaped. She grabbed her keys and bolted, running as fast as she could toward home. When she got to her apartment, the police were called. ⠀
Walter Salvador Tejada Lemus was arrested in Florida after bragging about the attack. He received 40 years in prison and will be deported after his release. His accomplice fled to El Salvador after the attack and has not been found.⠀

01/27/2024

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠
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Windlake, WI January 2004⠀

Teri and her ex husband, David, share custody of their daughters.
The couple had split because of DV.
Teri went to David's house to pick up the girls. He said they were hiding and she had to find them. They were locked in a bedroom.
Teri enters to try and find them, and David hits her in the head with a baseball bat; over 20 times.
He had tried to choke her to death, then bound her hands with tape. David then loaded her into an outdoor garbage can, feet first, and packed it with snow. The trash bin was placed in the back of his truck and covered with a tarp.⠀
Teri had her phone in her jacket pocket and called 911. She was muffled but was able to give an address. She called 911 again an hour later, but the operator thought it was a prank.
Teri had been trying to stick her hand out from the tarp and flag down drivers. David sees her and pulls the truck over. While he’s outside the truck, her cellphone rings. He takes the phone away.⠀
After hours of driving, they arrive at a storage unit facility in Wheeling, Illinois. David put the trash can into the storage unit, covered it in 2X4s and left; dropping his daughters off at a babysitter.⠀
Teri sat in that trash can for 27 hours before she was found. After her 911 calls, police searched David’s home and found out about the storage facility. ⠀
Teri was reunited with her daughters, who were unharmed. She had a miscarriage from the attack, and lost all of her toes, which were removed due to frostbite.⠀
David Larsen was convicted for kidnapping and attempted murder; he was sentenced to life in prison.

01/20/2024

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠

February 2, 2001 Winterstown, Pennsylvania
Norina is an elementary school principal. During the school day, she had noticed an elderly man trying to get into the school. While Norina watched the man struggle, another man snuck in behind him. ⠀
She followed the trespasser, who stopped to stand in the hallway looking into a classroom. Norina, sensing something off, approached the man to confront him. He pulled a machete out of his pants. He attacked her, and she backpedaled to her office. She was able to put the school on lockdown and sounded the alarm. ⠀
He entered a kindergarten classroom and began hitting the children with the BACK of the machete. A teacher, trying to stop him, had her hand sliced. Children and teachers were in a panic.⠀
Norina attempted to get everyone she could wrangled to the nurse's office, where the attacker tried to get in. Terri- although injured and bleeding from her previous attack, was able to wrestle him into submission and take his weapon. ⠀
Police arrived and arrested the man, William Michael Stankewicz, who was a former teacher in Tennessee. He drove from Tennessee to Pennsylvania, and tried to buy a gun on the way, but failed the background check. He was upset about his divorce and sexual assault allegations against him. He injured 11 students, two teachers, and Norina— who lost over 50% of her blood in that school. She had to have reconstructive hand surgery. ⠀
Stankewicz was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon on school grounds. He is sentenced to 264 years in prison.

01/13/2024

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠

April, 2000 Houston, Texas. ⠀

Jennifer lived in an a very secure apartment complex. She went to bed like any normal night.
She was awakened by someone on top of her. He had a knife. She tried to fight him off, and in the struggle he cut her right above her right eye. She bled heavily from the wound. ⠀
Jennifer’s screams were so loud during the attack that 20 people heard her cries for help. None of them called 911. ⠀
Her attacker knew her name, but she didn’t know his voice. He cut her throat and dragged her into the bathroom, and when he returned to the bedroom to get the knife, she slammed the door behind him and barricaded herself in the bathroom. She used toilet paper to try and stop the bleeding from her neck.⠀
It went quiet, and she tried to get out of the bathroom, but her hands were too slippery with her own blood. Eventually, she freed herself. Her power had been cut, but she used her cellphone to call the police.⠀
She locked her apartment and stayed on the line with Richard, the 911 operator.
When she heard a knock at the door, Richard told her it couldn’t be the police and not to open the door.⠀
When police actually arrived, they found the security guard from the apartment at Jennifer’s apartment. He said he had been injured by her attacker, too.⠀
In the apartment, police found underwear, a security guard hat, a belt, and a glove. The security guard from the apartment, Bryan Wayne Gibson, was covered in Jennifer’s blood. He was convicted of aggravated burglary with intent to commit sexual assault and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jennifer and Richard are still friends.⠀

01/07/2024

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞⁠

The cold case of Anna Jean Kane's murder, which dates back over 35 years, has finally been solved. In August 2022, authorities used breakthrough DNA genetic genealogy technology to identify Scott Grim as the killer. Despite his death in 2018, Grim was identified as a suspect through DNA evidence found on Kane's clothing and an anonymous letter sent to a local newspaper after the crime, which contained intimate details of the murder. The identification brings closure to Kane's family and ends one of Pennsylvania's longest unsolved cases.

01/06/2024

I want to bring back the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠
It is Oct 2004, in Chico, California. Cari (last name withheld) was home alone with her young son. She got into the shower, leaving her son to watch TV in the living room. When she got out of the shower, she saw a stranger’s reflection in her foggy bathroom mirror. ⠀
Cari hoped that if she ignored the man, he would leave. But he stayed there. Watching her through the crack of the door.⠀
She was able to throw on a bathing suit and jeans that she had in the bathroom. Then he came at her with a 6-8 inch steak knife.⠀
After some fight, he grabbed both of her wrists and got her into the master closet. In the process, she bit him as hard as she could on his shoulder.⠀
They fought more, and Cari was r***d and assaulted. Her attacker lost his knife, and tried to cut her throat with a piece of broken glass. (It has come from a picture frame that was broken during the fight). ⠀
Cari decided that she needed to leave her son alone in the home in the home in order to save them both. After her attacker disappeared, she climbed out of her bathroom window. She fell on her head and fractured her spine.⠀
Naked, in pain, and bleeding, Cari was outside the home, and approached a woman who was parked in a car across the street. The woman called 911 and Cari, and her son, survived the ordeal. Her son was unharmed. ⠀
Cari had 11 stab wounds in her neck and chest and suffered from lacerations in the struggle. ⠀
Due to the bite mark in his shoulder, Richard Massie, Cari’s attacker, was convicted and is now serving two life sentences. He was found hiding in a drain pipe.⠀

12/31/2023

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞⁠
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Nancy Marie Bennallack's murder had remained unsolved for over 52 years. She was brutally stabbed in her Sacramento apartment in October 1970, leaving her loved ones and fiancé without answers. In August 2022, authorities used advanced technology and DNA genealogy techniques to identify Richard John Davis as Nancy's killer. Davis, who died in 1997 from alcoholism, was finally named as the perpetrator, bringing closure to the cold case after over four decades.
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12/30/2023

I want to bring back the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠

It was a dark night in June of 2000 when Linda LeBrane was driving down a rural Idaho road. She was by herself, it was 2:30 AM, and she was headed to a family cabin to enjoy some time away from her family on an annual trip. ⠀
As she was driving, she passed a car that had four people inside, three men and one woman. As she passed them, they stuck branches/long sticks out of their car and started hitting Linda’s car. Eventually, due to their reckless driving, she was pushed off the road. She had no cellphone.⠀
The group was high on methamphetamine.⠀
She was pushed out of the driver’s seat of her car and into the passenger’s. She was stabbed at random and had her throat cut before they arrived to a beet field in the middle of nowhere. ⠀
They wanted money. They stole her wedding ring and her wallet. They beat her in the head with a baseball bat and stabbed her multiple times. ⠀
At this point, she pretended to be dead.⠀
Once the group drove away, she got up and tried to get into her car, but the group returned. They attacked her again and this time, set her car on fire. Linda rolled away from the burning car and waited to die.⠀
Amazingly, a couple of teenagers saw her car burning and called 911. She screamed for them to help her, and they saved her life. ⠀
She had suffered 22 stab wounds, punctured lungs, a fractured skull, and had her throat cut.⠀

12/26/2023

I feel like we see this happen a lot and it really doesn't make any sense? Are you trying to get caught?

12/24/2023

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞⁠
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In 2022, new information emerged regarding the 2009 "Baby Theresa" case. Baby Theresa was an unidentified newborn found dead and discarded in a garbage bag in Theresa, Wisconsin. DNA evidence led authorities to identify the biological parents as Karin Luttinen and her unnamed boyfriend. Forensic investigation determined that Baby Theresa died either during or shortly after birth and was not the victim of murder. Karin Luttinen pleaded guilty to concealing the death of a child and received a three-year probation sentence.
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12/23/2023

I want to bring back the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠

On November 22, 2000, Michelle Renee and her seven year old daughter were playing video games. Suddenly, three masked and armed men broke into the home and held Michelle, her daughter, and a roommate at gun point. They kept them there for 14 hours, until the local branch of the Bank of America—where Michelle was an assistant Vice President—opened for the day. ⠀
The assailants strapped a bomb (which was later found to be fake) to Michelle and her daughter’s chests, and sent Michelle into the bank. She removed 360k from the vault, and found her daughter unharmed. ⠀
Ironically, during the attack, Michelle thought she recognized the voice of her attacker, thinking she had helped him the previous day. She was right. Christopher Butler and his accomplices were arrested and sentenced to three live terms. ⠀
Michelle wrote a book about her experience, it’s available on Amazon!⁠

12/18/2023

We love a good 'always sunny' and true crime crossover. This episode is amazing!
Original post by: on Twitter!

12/17/2023

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞
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In 1956, Lloyd Duane Bogle and Patricia Kalitzke were found murdered near Great Falls, Montana. The case remained unsolved for over 60 years until June 2021 when investigators used DNA evidence and forensic genealogy to identify Kenneth Gould as the killer. He had died in 2007. The surviving family members of Gould cooperated with investigators, providing DNA samples to confirm his involvement, finally bringing closure to the long-standing cold case.

12/16/2023

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠
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December 11, 2001, Reading, PA

When Leonilda Feliciano met Luis Melendez in 1990, she was a new single mother. They started as friends, and it blossomed into a romantic relationship.
Over the years, though, Luis began using drugs and becoming aggressive, causing Leonilda to take out a temporary restraining order against him.⠀
On Thanksgiving, 2001, she ended the relationship until Luis was able to get the help he needed.⠀
On 12/11/01, he called, asking if he could come over to Leonilda’s home to shower and sleep, she agreed.⠀
When he arrived, he was high. He confronted her and she got mad, telling him to leave. He pulled a gun on her.⠀
She kicked the gun out of his hand, and a tussle began. Leonilda lost. ⠀
Luis threatened to hurt Leonilda’s 11 year old son, Alex, who was in the next room. He grabbed the gun and led her to her car. After some drive, he switched seats with Leonilda, leaving her in the passenger's seat. She tried to jump out, and he shoots her in the head.⠀
Luckily for her, it only grazes her, but smashes the window and causes Luis to slow down. She jumped out and ran to a nearby tractor trailer, hiding in the cab, but Luis had fired two shots at her during her run, hitting her once in the right leg.⠀
Before she is even aware, Luis is in the cab with her— he shoots her once in the chest. Stunned, she watched as he placed the gun against her back and fired two more shots and leaves her for dead.⠀

Leonilda was able to flag down a passerby, who saves her life.⠀
Luis Melendez was sentenced to 35-70 years for attempted murder. ⠀⁠

12/11/2023

It's nothing personal, just general statistics!

12/10/2023

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞⁠
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Robert Durst, a wealthy heir in New York, has faced numerous criminal accusations and convictions. In 2001, he was arrested for his neighbor's murder in Galveston, Texas, but was ultimately acquitted by claiming self-defense. The case was reignited in 2015 when he became a key suspect in the disappearance of his first wife, Kathie McCormack Durst. The documentary series, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst," shed light on these alleged crimes. Following the airing of the final episode, Durst was arrested for the murder of his friend Susan Berman, who supposedly had knowledge of his first wife's disappearance. In September 2020, Durst was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder of Susan Berman in 2000. Although he was also charged with the murder of his first wife, it never went to trial. Unfortunately, as reported by The Guardian, Durst passed away in a California hospital in January 2022 while serving his life sentence.
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12/09/2023

Welcome to the series! These tales provide lessons of hope, survival tactics, and simply showcase prime examples of sheer bad-assery. ⁠
⁠
August 2004, Jacksonville, NC

Denise McClain and her aunt worked at a discount retail store. At about 2 pm, two men entered the store.

As Denise was grabbing a bag to complete the sale for the two men, she was unable to stand upright again. Her head was being held down by an assailant and she was being stabbed repeatedly in the head and neck.

The man, Sean Curtis, forced her from the register and made her lock the front door to the store, so no one else could enter.
Both men, Curtis and his accomplice, Timothy Lehman, were high on crack co***ne.
In total, Denise was stabbed 27 times. Her assistant manager, John, had his head bashed in with a hammer. Denise saw him laying on the ground while the men lead her to the office to open the store’s safe.
Because the men had already messed with it, Denise was unable to get the safe open. They threatened to kill her. She lied and said they had kept money in the back room- hoping she could sprint to freedom once they lead her down to it. Unfortunately, she was caught shortly after she started running.
In the scuffle, she was able to grab the knife and stab Curtis one time in the hand. In return, he grabbed the knife and slashed her throat.
Denise played dead; it was her last option. And unbelievably, it worked—the men left the store.

She was able to run 150 feet to the next store over and also unbelievably, there was an off duty paramedic inside, who kept Denise alive.

Sean Curtis received 40 years with no chance of parole for attempted murder. His accomplice, Timothy Lehman, received a 27-36 year sentence

12/07/2023

In honor of the holiday season, I've decided to give us all the gift of memories ✨🎄 Welcome to C&TC's TWELVE DAYS OF CONTENT!

For the next twelve days, Jana will be counting down and reviewing all of her most favorite content from the last four years, all while preparing for BIG things coming in 2024! 🎉

DAY ONE:
YouTube Video - "What's Up in Antarctica?"
https://youtu.be/OUquC7h9oGg?si=2MogLm2VEooxQNBF

This was one of my first dives into some conspiracy theories, and I had a lot of fun with it. I chose this video for the list for several reasons:

1) I had a blast researching the topic
2) My editing skills really start to come together here (LOL)
3) Even going back and re-watching it, I'm still pretty proud of this video. There's obviously room for improvement, but I think it's a pretty solid, good time, even if it isn't necessarily 'TRUE CRIME' related.

What do you guys think??

12/04/2023

Always expect the unexpected.
Original post by: on Twitter.

12/03/2023

Cabernet & True Crime presents the Solved Series. The purpose of these posts is to maintain hope for those touched by unsolved crimes. Each weekend, we will discuss cases that, despite the odds, end up closed. With the right leads and information, anything is possible. Never forget that. Never lose hope. 💞⁠
⁠
In September 1998, a woman was r***d and killed in the small community of Laurel, Montana, followed by the murder of 18-year-old Miranda Fenner two months later. For nearly 20 years, the case remained unsolved despite countless interviews and leads. In 2016, a local petty criminal named Zachary O'Neill confessed to both crimes from a psychiatric ward, but his story did not align with the evidence or details known to the police. However, in March 2017, O'Neill reappeared, providing more accurate details of the crimes. DNA testing confirmed his involvement in the r**e and attempted murder of the first victim, whom he had believed to be dead. Moreover, O'Neill was present at Miranda's video store on the day of her murder, and his family confirmed he had been there moments before the attack. O'Neill later admitted to robbing the store and stabbing Miranda out of fear of being recognized. Motivated by a sense of guilt after his own brother's death, O'Neill confessed to bring closure to Miranda's family. In August 2019, O'Neill pleaded guilty to both murders and was sentenced to two life sentences.
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