220: Bryan Kohberger News, Hannah Kobayashi Twin Flames, Bus Driver Holds Little Girl Captive for Years and Wedding Night Murder

Today’s episode dives into everything happening this week in true crime. From new cases to updates on existing ones and more. Twin Flames Deep Dive:https://audioboom.com/posts/8454369-twin-flames-a-dangerous-deadly-obsession Mint Mobile:Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://www.mintmobile.com/aeShop the Merch:www.annieelise.com Follow the podcast on TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@serialouslypodcast Follow the podcast on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/serialouslypod/ Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/annieelise All Social Media Links:https://www.flowcode.com/page/annieelise_ SERIALously FB Page:https://www.facebook.com/SERIALouslyAnnieElise/ About Me:https://annieelise.com/ For Business Inquiries:[email protected] Sources:WCNCGood Morning AmericaWGN NewsCBS NewsPeopleNBC NewsAudio Sources:WCNCGood Morning AmericaWGN News

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Annie Elise?

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• 0:44Annie Elise?

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• 1:07Speaker 01

  Time for a quick break to talk about McDonald's. Start your morning with the $6 McGriddles Extra Value Meal, featuring your choice of a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddles, or bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddles, plus crispy hash browns and a small premium roast coffee. Sweet, savory, crispy, and caffeinated, it's everything your morning ordered, all for just $6. Promotion pricing may be lower than meal pricing at participating McDonald's.

• 1:32Annie Elise?

  Hey, true crime besties. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serial Sleep.

• 1:55Annie Elise?

  Hello, hello, hello. Welcome back to an all-new episode of Serial Sleep with me, Annie Elise, Headline Highlights Edition. Now, I hope you guys all had a fantastic Thanksgiving, if you do celebrate that. I know it's like a Week after the fact, but I just wanna say, I hope you guys all had a really nice, long weekend, that you had a nice holiday, that you were able to eat a lot, celebrate a lot, drink a lot, if that's your thing. I know it is mine. Um, and anyway, I just hope you guys all had, you know, time to recharge and reset. I can't believe this year is almost over. Like, how is it already December? I just, I can't even believe it. And we did, ended up doing a huge Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale, not only on our existing merch, but we like,

• 2:37Annie Elise?

  brought back all these OG Vault styles. And you guys literally cleared it out. Like, we have, I think, like, a couple pieces left, which we're gonna shut it all down at the end of this week, guys. So if you didn't grab it and you still want to, there's like, a fraction of time left. You can do it at AnnieElise.com, go to the shop tab. But you guys really cleared it out here. But that's good, because all the safety kits make for good gifts. We sold out of those three or four times now, and we have a few left. And we probably won't do a reorder, and those make great gifts or stocking stuffers. So, I'm glad you guys were able to get your hands on whatever it is you wanted. Now, let's talk about what today's episode is going to entail, because not only do we have

• 3:18Annie Elise?

  quite a few new cases to talk about, but we've got updates in the Hannah Kowajashi case, Brian Kohberger, the girl who was charged with drunk driving the golf car, or I'm sorry, drunk driving and hitting the newlywed couple on the golf cart and killing her. And again, like I said, new cases, we have really got a lot to go over. So let me start with this case that is coming out of Columbia, okay? Because this truly does feel like a Lifetime movie, like with a happy ending, though. So a teenager escaped after being held captive by a school bus driver for 12 years. This means that she was only seven years old when

• 3:59Annie Elise?

  she was initially taken. This school bus driver allegedly kidnapped her, then sexually assaulted her, and then brainwashed her into thinking that everything that was happening was just completely normal. Because again, she was a seven-year-old, impressionable little kid, which, how sick and demented can you be? I mean, seven years old, it is so heinous as a freaking child. This guy is just sick beyond belief. So this happened in Colombia and this guy's name, it's a mouthful. So just go with me on this. It's Carlos Humbardo Grisellas Igueta. We're gonna just call him Carlos. So authorities say that Carlos kidnapped this seven-year-old young little girl back in 2012. Then he brought her to a home in Medina's city center. He literally

• 4:42Annie Elise?

  just snatched her up and decided he was going to claim her as his own. And for over a decade, he was sexually assaulting this child. He changed her name, he took her out of school, and he kept her completely out of sight. He would secretly move her in between different locations, all while continuing to sexually abuse her, manipulate her, brainwash her, and he allegedly even raped her on camera, which makes me sick to my stomach. So when this girl turned 16 years old, she ended up working up the courage to confront Carlos about how he had, you know, been quote unquote raising her, not even about everything else that was going on, but just about like how he was raising her and what he was doing to her, but not about like

• 5:23Annie Elise?

  the kidnapping and everything else. Because even with the years of abuse and attempted brainwashing, she knew that what was going on was not normal. But get this, when she confronted him, he locked her in a house, just literally keeping her in solitary confinement away from everyone and anything. Now thankfully, she ultimately ended up escaping from this locked house in February. She got out, she ran, and she reported Carlos and his sick ass. She told the police how he had abused her, how he kidnapped her, how he forced her to live with him, changed her name. I mean, just everything. So finally, Carlos was arrested last week, and he is facing charges of kidnapping, sexual abuse with a minor under 14 years of age, sexual acts with a minor

• 6:08Annie Elise?

  under 14 years of age, and child pornography. So far, though, prosecutors are saying he is denying all of the charges, which, let me just pause. I mean, how sick can you get? First off, this guy was a school bus driver. That is a complete and utter abuse of power. It's just a sick abuse of power. He's trusted with kids. He's literally- How they get to and from school for safety. Parents look at a school bus driver and automatically have this trust in them, knowing they're gonna watch over their kids, get them to school safely. Like, it's just so haunting and horrible. And this girl was only seven years old. I just, I can't wrap my head around it.

• 6:49Annie Elise?

  She was completely robbed of her childhood, she was robbed of her life, and she deserves the utmost justice. Which, we can all agree, there's nothing that can fix what this monster has put her through, but hopefully, there is justice that will be had. Now, this case is very recent, so the investigation is ongoing. There hasn't been any information released about the girl's family, where she is now, exactly how she escaped, but I really do hope that she's safe and that her family has been reunited with her, just trying to find some possible way, if any, to heal from all of this. It's every parent's worst nightmare, it's every child's worst nightmare, it just truly, it's what nightmares are made of. It makes me sick, sorry, I'm like rubbing my temples right now, just because it's like, oh my god, it's literally my worst nightmare.

• 7:34Annie Elise?

  So, let's shift gears. We're coming off Thanksgiving break, right? So, I feel like we need to talk about this next story, because we all can agree, whether you celebrate it or just know about it, because I know a lot of you guys are in the UK, and you don't celebrate it, but Thanksgiving is supposed to be just a really nice, relaxing time to be with family, to be relaxed, to be thankful. But for one family in Florida, it was actually anything but that. And it ended with the death of their grandfather. Now, I mean, this story in itself is just crazy, because apparently, the fight that resulted in this death was all started over an argument about loud music. Can you believe that? So, the incident is still under investigation, but here's what we do know about what happened. On Thanksgiving Day, 71-year-old Hurleyon McLean started the holiday like most people would.

• 8:19Annie Elise?

  You know, getting ready to cook, eat some food, maybe having a couple of drinks, celebrating with friends and family, putting on the football game or the parade. However, it certainly didn't end that way. At around 3:30 PM on Thanksgiving afternoon, police got a call of shots fired, and they reported immediately to a Lauderdale Lakes apartment complex. When they got there, they found him there. There with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead as soon as they arrived at the scene. His family members ended up saying that he was shot in the head by their own neighbor. And that it was all because of an argument that one of them was playing music too loud. Which I mean, this is just baffling to me because someone got shot and lost their life because of an argument.

• 9:01Annie Elise?

  A seemingly so simple argument about the volume of music. It is just beyond crazy. His wife, Rose, said that they had been spending time with their family and friends. That it started out like any other Thanksgiving. They were just in their apartment. They had friends and family over. They were eating, they were listening to music, just having a great time. Then their downstairs neighbor came to their apartment and complained that their music was too loud. He came to the door, rang the doorbell, and then apparently like left a message. I don't know how that's possible, if it's like an audio message or what exactly how that works because it's too tech savvy for me. But then Rose says that her husband went down to talk to him. But then all of a sudden, Rose heard a gunshot. So she ran down to see her husband and see what was going on.

• 9:43Annie Elise?

  And she found he was shot in the head and the neighbor was just standing there with a gun. So she asked him, "Why did you shoot my husband?" And the neighbor allegedly replied, saying that if Rose didn't shut her mouth, he would shoot her too. When the police got there, they said that the neighbor was cooperative with them and claimed that he shot him out of self-defense. Which, I mean, this guy was 71 years old and I haven't read anything about him also having a gun. So I'm kind of confused where the self-defense part comes in. I just don't understand, I like, I just don't understand how this escalated so fast. Now, a lot of information on the shooting itself hasn't been released yet. The name of the neighbor wasn't released and it hasn't been said what charges he is facing or if he is facing any charges.

• 10:28Annie Elise?

  But the whole thing is currently under investigation by the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Rose said that her husband was a beloved husband. He was a father of two and a grandfather. He worked as, coincidentally, a bus driver for a company. And I'm just saying that because of the last story. But she told the authorities that the two of them were always together, that they were a team, that he was just such an amazing guy. Using him is of course going to be very, very difficult for her. And I still just can't believe that this man was shot over a music argument. All with his family just there celebrating with him on Thanksgiving of all days. Like, how does something escalate like that? It is so senseless. I don't know.

• 11:07Annie Elise?

  Now, speaking of shootings, I want to talk about a man who was shot after wielding a chainsaw at an assisted living home. Like, what is seriously wrong with people? What is going on in people's brains? I swear, I am so concerned for our country, our world, everything. Now, I don't know, something in the Thanksgiving break put something crazy in the air. I mean, I know these crazy crimes are always happening, but like, this is just next level. Because this past Sunday, a man was seen shirtless wielding a chainsaw outside of an assisted living home. I mean, quite a shocking and creepy sight to see on an early Sunday morning, on any morning, right? So at around 8:45 in the morning, police got a call to the River Glen of St. Charles residence in Illinois.

• 11:52Annie Elise?

  The call said that there was a man outside who was holding a chainsaw trying to cut down one of the trees. This man's name hasn't been released yet, but somehow he managed to get inside the lobby of this assisted living home. And then he started threatening the residents inside. Which, this guy was literally trying to use a freaking chainsaw on people. And we're talking about elderly people, right? Assisted living home. What kind of crazy do you have to be to go prey on people, period? But elderly people who likely cannot even defend themselves. So much so that they are in assisted living. They need assistance. So the police arrived quickly, thank God, and immediately saw the guy threatening people in the lobby.

• 12:33Annie Elise?

  They tried to de-escalate the situation and they even tried tasing him, but he would just not stop. And now, he wasn't just trying to hurt the residents, he was also trying to attack the police officers as well. One of the police officers was forced to then shoot this man, and they tried to perform first aid. But the man was pronounced dead after he was taken to the hospital. Police also said that all of the residents and officers had been treated for minor injuries. The incident is currently Under investigation and they said that the reason they haven't released his name or any other information about him is because they are waiting until they can find any family members that they can notify, which I gotta just say, I think this guy had to obviously be going through something or just had insane mental health problems.

• 13:17Annie Elise?

  Because I just don't understand what would possess someone to enter an assisted living facility and just start waving around a chainsaw. And he was intending to seriously hurt or kill someone, which is just absolutely insane. So, thank God the police got there quickly. But also, how did this guy even get into the lobby? I mean, I would imagine that all assisted living homes have some form of security or some sort of door alarm, something in place? So I just wonder how he was even able to get in. But this is what a man who works at the home said about the building's security.

• 13:49Speaker 02

  I'm supposed to do a job for one of the residents and I called the resident and it took her about an hour to even get in and get cleared and they brought her in through a maintenance garage entry.

• 14:03Annie Elise?

  So this guy said it took this lady about an hour to get clearance and was even brought through another entrance. So again, how on earth did this chainsaw guy get into the lobby? He probably was threatening people with the chainsaw or maybe, I don't know, just straight up cutting his way through? Who knows? It's just crazy. But thank God he wasn't able to seriously hurt or kill anyone. And hopefully all of the questions get answered with the investigation and they can track down this guy's family. But ugh, it makes me sick. Now let's talk about Brian Kohberger for a minute because there have been some developments, to say the least. Now Brian Kohberger, if you don't know already, is the man charged with killing the four students in Idaho. He is charged with breaking into their house, stabbing them to death. This was in November of

• 14:48Annie Elise?

  2022. And this was a psychotic massacre killing. I am talking like with a knife, yes, but like I did the deep dive on this case and know it backwards and forwards, but the amount of blood and I would like this was truly barbaric. And that is why it has polarized so many people because everybody wants to see justice for these four kids. And as a reminder, the students were Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogan, and Kaylee Gonzalez. So Brian is facing four counts of first degree murder and one count of felony burglary. But there are a lot of people out there, despite him being charged and awaiting trial, who think that he's innocent. The whole reason they caught up to him was that he allegedly left his knife sheath

• 15:32Annie Elise?

  behind. It was under the body of Maddie. And there was familial DNA match, all these different things. But a lot of people are saying that there is room for reasonable doubt, that he's been framed, that it was the officers, all these different theories where another piece of, you know, the public believes he is truly the guy, but he hasn't gone to trial yet. In any event, whoever it was, this is an absolutely heinous crime, which I don't think it'll ever be forgotten because it's so devastating. Four innocent kids were murdered in their safe college town, and it still gives me the chills knowing all of the details. But anyway, the updates on the trial. So Brian's lawyers have actually been challenging a lot of the evidence in this case, and they're trying to get them thrown out entirely.

• 16:17Annie Elise?

  They're saying that the evidence wasn't properly collected by the police initially. The evidence includes Brian's DNA and the search warrants for his car, also for his cellphone records, which, I mean, these are pretty big pieces of evidence, right? It's kind of the whole case against him, so like literally all of the key pieces of evidence for the prosecutors, and they want it thrown out, and that's not all they want thrown out. Brian's defense team is also saying that the day that Brian was arrested at his parents' house, the police broke down the door and held his family at gunpoint. They said that Brian made statements to the police relating to the murder while his hands were zip tied and without his rights ever being read to him first. So since he wasn't read his rights before he said anything, they believe that those statements should not be allowed as evidence.

• 17:00Annie Elise?

  Which, in my opinion, I don't know what to make of this. If they didn't read him his rights, that is obviously a big, big no-no. I also get the defense strategy of wanting to throw out the DNA, his car records, his phone records, because those are the things that allegedly put him at the scene of the crime and not for nothing circling back the following morning to see his handiwork, in my opinion, if it was him. But those are the things that tie him to this case, so it's no surprise that they want those things excluded, right? But... That doesn't surprise me as much as the rights being read to him. And if they didn't do that, that is a very big problem. But I also know when they did go into his parents' home, wasn't it that he was, I can't recall exactly the time of day,

• 17:40Annie Elise?

  like the exact hour, but he was like at the table going through, I don't want to say evidence, but articles, zip locking them, he was wearing latex gloves while he was doing this. I think it was the middle of the night, but I can't remember if it was 3 a.m. I can't, I'd have to go back to get the exact hour. But doing something that, in my opinion, an innocent person doesn't really do. But I don't know, that's just what I think. Now, Brian's lawyers haven't just been trying to get evidence thrown out. They also have been trying to get his trial moved out of Moscow, Idaho, because they feel like Brian isn't going to have the chance at getting a fair jury. They say the case has gotten way too much media attention and that the murder completely rocked this small community. So, nobody would be impartial to Brian's case. And I do think that that is pretty fair.

• 18:22Annie Elise?

  I think that if they want a strong trial, you know, less of a chance of an appeal, all of those things, that it probably would be best to move it out of Moscow. However, I think that by doing that, then the community who has been rocked by this, it's not as easily accessible to them to watch as these young kids get their justice. So, I see both sides of the argument. But regardless of where you sit on what you think, if it should be moved or not, the defense did get their way on that because Brian's trial was officially moved and he got transported to a jail in Boise, which is about 300 miles away from Moscow, Idaho. Now, in another piece of news regarding the case, just this week, Brian's legal team is asking the court to seal a memo because it could, quote,

• 19:07Annie Elise?

  "threaten or endanger people's lives or safety." Now, according to Newsweek, Ann Taylor, Kohberger's attorney, filed a motion to seal the defense's amended memo and exhibits in support of a Frank's hearing just this week. Now, the purpose of a Frank's hearing is to determine whether an affidavit used to obtain a search warrant contains truthful information. She said that she made the motion because the documents contain facts or statements that might threaten or endanger the life or safety of individuals. She also said that the motion would help preserve Brian Kohberger's right to a fair trial and that disclosing the information would cause quote "an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy." Prosecutors said that they had no objection to this motion, though, according to the

• 19:52Annie Elise?

  document. Now, what this memo contains, I have no idea. If you have any guesses or any insight, please let me know. But I wonder what could be in it that would threaten the safety of others and put people in danger. I don't know, we are all glued to this case, right? And I definitely will want to be attending this trial next August and give live coverage from there. But this is one of those cases that like, it just rocks you and it sticks with you. It's like a Peterson, a Watts, a John Benet, all of these things. It's just like, ugh, the brutality of it all, right? Now, we're gonna take a quick break, then I'm gonna come back. We're gonna talk about the Hannah Kobayashi updates because she has been spotted alive in Mexico.

• 20:35Annie Elise?

  But there are a lot of theories that are underneath the surface of this, so we are gonna go into that. We're gonna also talk about a couple new cases. We've got a lot to talk about, but let's just take a quick break. I'm gonna grab some water, I'm gonna blow my nose because I'm sick, and I'll be back. Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that new customers who bundle and save with Progressive save hundreds. Because switching your home and auto insurance is way better than cutting down on the things you love, like those iced lattes that help you get ready to face the day. So switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep sipping away. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers not available in all

• 21:18Annie Elise?

  states. Okay, so now we're gonna talk about a case where, I believe we've touched on this before, but let me tell you the update, because this man has now been sentenced to life in prison after killing his girlfriend in a gasoline attack. So this next case is about a man, who, you heard that right, killed his girlfriend by pouring gasoline on her and then lighting her on fire. This couple was having an argument, and this man proceeded to pour gas on her lap. Then take his lighter and then light his girlfriend on fire, which it's just so obscene, right? I mean, what on earth possesses somebody to do that? Especially to your significant other. Forty-five-year-old Lee Pateman was dating Ellen Marshall in 2021,

• 22:02Annie Elise?

  and the two of them were from the UK. One could assume that their relationship was, well, let's just say, far from healthy. The couple argued all the time, and not just regular arguments. It was reported that Lee had fully threatened to kill Ellen multiple times in the past. I mean, this guy clearly has anger issues and was just all around a violent person. So one day in April, the two of them got into an argument. And I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand some arguments between couples can get completely out of hand, but I have no words for what this guy did next. Because Lee picked up a can of gasoline, poured it all over Ellen's lap, then took his lighter and lit her on fire. I mean, the audacity. How does someone get into a fight and then to think to themselves,

• 22:47Annie Elise?

  "You know what? F this bitch, I'm gonna light her on fire." It is so deranged and sick. So Ellen was immediately rushed to the hospital, and she had up to 90% burns all over the top half of her body. At the hospital, doctors saved her, and she was able to survive the ordeal, but she did so at a massive cost. I mean, this woman was freaking lit on fire, so she now has to spend the rest of her life in hospitals and care homes, and it's just horrible. So when this attack happened, Lee was charged with causing grievous bodily harm, which he pleaded guilty to, I mean, obviously. He was sentenced to 17 years and 10 months in prison, which he has been serving. However, that all changed this year, because unfortunately, Ellen passed away.

• 23:32Annie Elise?

  She eventually succumbed to the injuries that were caused by this attack. And it was revealed that she died because of pneumonia, which was a result of the burns that she had suffered from. So after Ellen passed away, the charges against Lee were upgraded to murder, and he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to the minimum term, and his new sentence is 23 years and 145 days before he can ever be considered for parole. This is Including the time that he has already served. Now about Ellen. Ellen was also a mother of four. So her family has literally had to watch her suffer for two whole years. Her daughter Paige said in court, quote, "The physical, mental, and emotional pain that my mother had to go through is almost impossible to put into words."

• 24:17Annie Elise?

  She also said that her mom would never get to hold her first grandchild. That is just so incredibly heartbreaking. And the whole attack and murder is just so barbaric. I mean, it's disgusting. I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that this man fully set someone on fire and it was his girlfriend. It makes you wonder how she even came across a creep like that in the first place. I mean, that is like absolute scum of the earth type material. She also then had to suffer for two years in and out of hospitals before finally succumbing to her injuries. So my heart just goes out to her family and I hope that with his sentencing and him facing the consequences, it can bring a sense of peace to her family because I just cannot imagine the emotional and physical trauma for Ellen along with her family. It is horrific.

• 25:01Annie Elise?

  Now, another case that we had previously talked about, uh, gosh, when was it? Maybe even a year ago now. Um, was it a year ago? I maybe it was, but I believe we talked about it on a headlines highlights episode. It wasn't, maybe it was a full episode. I can't remember, but a woman that was accused of a DUI crash that killed a bride on her wedding day was just sentenced to 25 years in prison this last Monday afternoon. And this case is incredibly heartbreaking and just another instance of someone who lost their life way too soon. And another clearly huge illustration that you should never drink and drive. If you weren't familiar with the case, it was April 28th, 2023. And Jamie Kamroski decided to get behind the wheel of a rental car.

• 25:43Annie Elise?

  Jamie, however, had been drinking heavily that night and she ended up rear ending a golf cart in this little kid-like community town. In the golf cart were newlyweds Samantha Miller and Eric Hutchinson and two family members also in the golf cart. They had just been married literally hours before this crash. They were actually just leaving their wedding reception when this crash happened. Eric suffered a brain injury and numerous broken Bones. Other family members in the car also had injuries. But Samantha unfortunately died from the impact of the crash. And in a truly harrowing detail. When she died and when this crash happened, she was literally still in her wedding dress. Thinking her entire life was ahead of her. She's a newlywed. She finally had her dream wedding.

• 26:27Annie Elise?

  Her reception. She was leaving with her husband. And then she was killed. Can you imagine? Like, it's so heartbreaking. And since Eric had also suffered a major injury, he had no memory of what happened. So he had to wake up in the hospital and realize that his new wife, the love of his life, was dead.

• 26:45Speaker 03

  She's a type that walks in a room and you notice. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Um, that night going from an all time high to an all time low. It's pretty rough to try to comprehend. I do remember the last thing I remember her saying was she wanted the night to never end.

• 27:09Annie Elise?

  Now, I know that that was incredibly difficult to hear because he's literally on the verge of tears the entire time. Her last words to him was that she never wanted the night to end because she was just on cloud nine. It's literally just devastating. Now, it came out that Jamie was driving 65 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone, which that's just insane. I mean, 65 in a 25, then ramming into a golf cart. It's tragic. And this newlywed couple, along with their family, now has to pay the ultimate price. The tox report also said that Jamie's blood alcohol content was a point two six one. More than three times the legal limit. When the police asked her if she had been drinking, she said that she hadn't, that she had only had two drinks.

• 27:54Annie Elise?

  She told them that she was just driving home when something just hit her. But police later revealed that Jamie was actually driving in the opposite direction of her home. So she was arrested. She was taken down to the station. And they said that she refused to take a field sobriety test or even a breathalyzer test. The whole time she just kept asking them why she was even being arrested. And it seemed like she was just so drunk that she truly had no idea. idea what was going on, which is so scary to think about like drinking and driving is bad enough, but then to be so intoxicated that you clearly don't even know why you're going to jail, that is very, very scary. So Jamie pleaded guilty to all the charges and she even told the court that she was guilty while she was breaking down in tears.

• 28:35Annie Elise?

  She also waived the right to a trial by jury. She said that she was ashamed and she was incredibly sorry for what she did. She said, quote, "I wish I could go back and undo this terrible tragedy, but I can't. I will live the rest of my life with intense regret for what happened that night." So on Monday, she was sentenced to 25 years for felony DUI resulting in death, also 15 years for causing great bodily injury or death, and 10 years for reckless homicide. All of the sentences are being run at the same time. Now, the trial was certainly a huge amount of emotional trauma for Samantha's family. Her father, Brad, said that he was disgusted that she appeared to never even take responsibility, saying she could apologize, but he wasn't going to listen to a word of it. And he addressed

• 29:19Annie Elise?

  Jamie in court, and it's truly a heart wrenching listen, but I want you to hear his words.

• 29:24Speaker 04

  For the past 20, 20 plus years, I was there for when she needed me. When I was two years old, I got hit by a car, left on the side road for dead. I survived. Everybody says they think the person was drunk because I hit and run. They never found the person. So every day I woke up for 57 years and hated this person, hated every day. I'd wake up

• 30:04Speaker 04

  and hate somebody I didn't even know. Six, six months before Sam was taken, I sat there, I was like, I gotta get this weight off my shoulder. I said to Sam, I'm gonna forgive this person. I don't know who it is. I did. The next day I talked to Sam. It was like a thousand pound weight was taking off my shoulders. Felt like I could fly.

• 30:38Speaker 04

  Six months later,

• 30:43Speaker 04

  that hatred is back on with vengeance.

• 30:49Speaker 04

  I've never felt this much weight.

• 30:55Speaker 04

  This person,

• 30:59Speaker 04

  he took such a beautiful person away. She was loved by so many.

• 31:07Speaker 04

  I didn't realize how many people over the past year and a half

• 31:14Speaker 04

  have heard from people that

• 31:17Speaker 04

  actually hate you.

• 31:21Speaker 04

  And they love Sam, they never met Sam, don't even know Sam.

• 31:28Speaker 04

  For the rest of my life, I'm gonna hate you.

• 31:33Speaker 04

  And when I arrive in hell, and you come there, I'll open the door for you.

• 31:41Speaker 04

  You have ruined so many people's lives.

• 31:46Speaker 04

  And I hope you understand what you did, because you've taken no responsibility for what you've done. You can apologize all you want later. I will not listen to a word.

• 32:00Speaker 04

  It's not worth it.

• 32:15Speaker 04

  Everybody calls Sam the female version of me.

• 32:22Speaker 04

  Because we say what we mean, and we mean what we say, and she always did. She was a beautiful soul.

• 32:31Speaker 04

  Thank you, Your Honor. You're welcome, sir.

• 32:34Annie Elise?

  Other family members, including Eric, gave victim impact statements in court. And it was just an absolute tragic court hearing all around. Samantha had so much life ahead of her and literally the newest chapter after getting married to Eric was just starting and it just ended in like the snap of your fingers. And I mean, just listening to the family speak about Samantha and Eric now having to move forward without the love of his life, it has me feeling just so incredibly heartbroken for them because it's such a tragedy. And the fact that it all happened, they were leaving their wedding reception. I mean, I know I keep saying that, but like, oh, it is just, it's so, so sad. Now, I want to talk to you guys about the Hannah Kobayashi case because I probably will

• 33:20Annie Elise?

  end up doing somewhat of a deep dive on this because as I started going through the tangled web that is the internet and Reddit and all these things, I will say there are a lot of theories that haven't been proven credible, but like a lot of things that do feel very credible regarding twin flames, cults, spiritual awakenings, which we saw in some of her text messages. So there's been an update this week. Let me start there and then we'll kind of get into everything else. So Hannah was the 30-year-old Hawaiian woman who appeared to vanish from LA in early November. This was after failing to board a flight to New York where she was traveling there from Maui and she was traveling there with her ex. Her ex got on the connecting flight, went to New York, and she missed her connection intentionally.

• 34:03Annie Elise?

  So police began investigating it and the case drew national attention very quickly. Her loved ones were also saying that she had sent all sorts of strange text messages before they lost all contact with her. There are messages of someone taking all of her money, identity theft, the like spiritual awakenings, all sorts of things where her family was speaking out like, we're terrified, we're afraid, all of these things. Then after like, I believe it was two weeks of her missing in a very tragic turn, her father, Ryan, died by suicide in LA while he was looking for her. Just so completely distraught and grief-stricken that he jumped from one of the parking structures. near LAX where she went missing from and took his own life. And when I did the update on this case last time, I remember saying,

• 34:47Annie Elise?

  the absolute best case scenario is still the worst case scenario because the best case scenario would be that she would be found alive and well, and that she'd be able to be reunited with her family, but that she would learn that her father was so heartbroken over her disappearance and not being able to find her that he took his own life. And now, I guess I was wrong because it does get worse than that. Because it's not like she was being held captive and was rescued. It seems like she intentionally left. So now imagine the fact that she's dealing with the fact that her father took his own life because she went missing, all while she did it on her own accord, you know? So on Monday, December 2nd, LA Police said that they had determined,

• 35:27Annie Elise?

  based on surveillance footage, that Hannah decided to cross the border into Mexico on November 12th. This was one day after her family said that her phone had last pinged at the LAX airport. So they made a statement and did a full press conference where they said, "We urge Hannah to contact her family, to contact law enforcement or personnel at the US Embassy so that they can let them know that she is safe." They also said that she has a right to her privacy and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern that her loved ones feel for her. So a simple message could really reassure those people who care about her. They say that she was alone with her luggage and that she appeared unharmed when she went into Mexico. And they said that there was no evidence that she was being trafficked or that she's the victim of foul play.

• 36:11Annie Elise?

  The investigation also determined that Hannah had in the past expressed the desire to step away from "modern connectivity." That's a direct quote. Now, her family, in their own statement, said that they are committed to doing everything possible to bring her home safely. And they also have cautioned against what they're calling speculative conclusions. They said, "Spreading awareness and sharing verified information about her case is crucial, and we deeply appreciate your continued support in these efforts, but speculation is not helpful." Now, a lot of people are, of course, upset because there was a GoFundMe account, which raised almost $50,000. So people are saying all of that money should go to law enforcement who used Time and resources to look for her. Some people are saying that maybe her family was toxic,

• 36:55Annie Elise?

  maybe narcissistic, that that was the only way she could get away from them. But then there's a lot of speculation that this was driven by Twin Flames. And if you guys don't know anything about Twin Flames, I did a full episode on this last year, and I'll link it in the show notes, but let me give you like, the gist of it. Twin Flames, in my opinion, is a cult. Okay, it's like, an organization. Twin Flames is a term, but I'm talking about a specific organization, where these two gurus are basically say, we're gonna find you, your soulmate, the love of your life, you just have to, you know, give us all your money and follow all of our stupid rules. And again, the deep dive is there if you want it. But there was also a documentary called Escaping Twin Flames, where they go into detail about this. So,

• 37:37Annie Elise?

  some different internet sleuths have been looking and noticed that apparently Hannah followed a lot of Twin Flames social media accounts on her personal pages. We also know that she had sent some very interesting text messages around her disappearance, about the spiritual awakening, about how she thought she was in love and somebody took advantage of her and all those things. So, in the different Twin Flames organizations, they can get you to do some pretty outrageous things. Things that to, you know, a person who has free will and is still thinking clearly, may not think is even possible. So much so, that they have convinced some of their members to change their genders, saying that their true twin flame and soulmate

• 38:21Annie Elise?

  is the same gender as them, so they need to change their gender, or vice versa. Like, that is how extreme it gets. It's a very scary and very dangerous. But there's a lot of things that just don't add up here, right? I mean, she had a flight with her ex-boyfriend. He goes on the full connecting to New York. Her dad commits suicide after two weeks. I mean, now she's entering Mexico, appearing to be unharmed. What's really going on? Maybe it's just a mental health issue. She did seem to go through some sort of religious delusion at some point, you know, displaying those symptoms that her family grew concerned by, but I don't know, it worries me. Now, look, I don't know what the truth here is. It could very well be a mental health break, maybe something else, or maybe there is some sort of brainwashing or manipulation at play. She clearly did seem underdressed in

• 39:05Annie Elise?

  those text messages, talking about how she had like a deep hack, her identity stolen, taken advantage of all of these things, and then just left from LA and walked into Mexico over the Tijuana border, which it's not difficult to get down there from LA, from where I am in Orange County. It's what, probably like two, two and a half hours, maybe, maybe three to get down there, past Chula Vista and walk into the TJ border. So from LA, add another hour onto that, maybe another 90 minutes. It's definitely not impossible. You can either take a bus, you could literally take an Uber if you had money, you could hitch a ride with somebody, and then you'd quite literally just walk over the border. But she walked over the border so early after missing, right? Like, literally the next day. So she's been in Mexico

• 39:47Annie Elise?

  now for over two weeks. What's she doing in Mexico, I guess is my question. And like, why'd she go there out of all places unless she truly did need to get out of the country? Is there someone else pulling the strings? Why wouldn't she have gotten on that connecting flight? You can imagine why this has gained so much attention and why the conspiracy theorists are like going wild with this, right? I'm sure we'll have more information in the coming days. I don't know. I probably will do a deep dive on this, though. So if you're not subscribed to the podcast yet, take a second, make sure you are so that you don't miss that deep dive, because I probably won't wait to put it out in the normal release calendar. I'll probably just upload it right away and put it out. But let me know what you guys think. It is a very interesting case, very wild, and my heart breaks for that family because her poor dad,

• 40:32Annie Elise?

  and now her, regardless whatever she's struggling from and what the root is, it's just so, so sad. Gosh, sorry, guys.

• 40:42Annie Elise?

  I'm like rubbing my eyes right now. Sorry. It's just, ugh, this stuff wears on me. Um, okay. That's what I've got today for headline highlights. So I will be back on the mic with you first thing Monday morning with, uh, guys, when I tell you this case on Monday is psychotic, it is psychotic. It is. I wasn't even going to talk about it because like I was waiting to get all this information from Canada, which is such a pain in the butt to get information from, but I finally got it. And I was like, I need to talk about this case right away. It's billionaires, billionaires, money, murder, scheming, tens of millions of dollar loans. Like it is so psychotic. So that's coming on Monday. So you don't want to miss that either. But thank you guys for tuning into today. Sorry. I kind of went off the handle a little bit a few times there, but sometimes my thoughts just get the better

• 41:26Annie Elise?

  of me. Right? Is it the better of me or the best of me? I don't know. Words are hard. All right, guys. Thank you so much for tuning in and until the next one, be nice. Don't kill people. Watch your back. Don't join any cults. Just get a divorce. Don't cheat. All the things. All right. Thanks, guys. Until the next one. Bye.

• 42:17Speaker 05

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