Neighbors can be a source of friendship and community comfort. But what happens when a neighbor stops watching out for you, and starts watching you. The sinister minds of these women begin to turn sour and they begin to torment their neighbors. -Loathe Thy Neighbor, Deadly Women (S5, E2)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Air Force service member Nathan Paet was shot and killed after opening his garage door as he was leaving for work on December 1st, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nathan and Michelle Paet were both from Guam, were high school sweethearts, and had four beautiful children together. Nathan was an assistant NCOIC for the Strike Aircraft Maintenance Supply section of the 757th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The couple were struggling financially after they bought a new home in Las Vegas so Nathan volunteered for a six-month deployment to Iraq and Michelle got a part-time job. Upon Nathan’s return to Nevada, he treated his family to an extra special Christmas. And Nathan’s brother Eric Paet paid him a special visit. Eric said the last time he saw his brother, he could sense something wasn’t right. Eric observed that Nathan and Michelle didn’t appear to be getting along and the couple were struggling to pay the bills. As Eric and his wife were leaving, they sensed Nathan wanted to tell them something, but he didn’t.
On December 1, 2010, Michelle called 911 to get help for Nathan who had been shot in the neck and couldn’t talk but was still alive. Unfortunately, despite the doctor’s best efforts, Nathan died at the hospital. Police wasted no time hunting for Nathan’s killer because this wasn’t something they were used to in the Mountain’s Edge suburb. A witness observed a man speed away in a black Cadillac on the day in question. When Michelle Paet was interviewed, she admitted to knowing someone who owned a black Cadillac and his name was Michael Rodriguez. Rodriguez had a police record but nothing violent. When Rodriguez was questioned, he admitted to having a casual affair with Michelle but nothing sexual. His alibi at the time of the murder was that he was sleeping with a woman he met at a Wal-Mart. He even offered up a video of the encounter. Police went to the motel he claimed he was at and they indeed found him on the security camera footage. In the meantime, Michael’s alibi, the woman he claimed to be with, saw the media coverage and decided to go to the police.
Michael’s alibi told police that Jessica Austin asked her to be an alibi for Corry Hawkins and Michael Rodriguez. She was supposed to say she was with them all day. The alibi claimed when the pair got back from murdering Nathan Paet, Jessica burned their clothes in the fire place. The police also learned that Michael worked with Michelle Paet. While the Nellis AFB community was honoring Nathan, the Las Vegas Police Department were turning up the heat on Michelle. She finally admitted to having a sexual relationship with Michael Rodriguez. And at this point, detectives suspected that Michelle was involved with Nathan’s murder. Michelle admitted that Nathan suspected her of having an affair and she was afraid Nathan would leave her. She didn’t want to leave the marriage empty handed. Michelle and Michael started discussing ways to kill her husband so they could cash out on the life insurance proceeds. The day of the murder, Michelle texted Michael as Nathan was running out the door. She set up the ambush that lead to Nathan’s death. Hours after he was dead, Michelle texted Michael a smiley face.
Michelle Paet was arrested on suspicion of murder. The district attorney theorized Michael Rodriguez and Corry Hawkins lied in wait for Nathan to leave for work. The plan was to kidnap Nathan at gunpoint, drive him out to the desert, kill him and leave him. As soon as Nathan opened up the garage door, he was confronted and refused to cooperate so Rodriguez shot him and fled the scene. Nathan immediately went inside his home thinking he was running away from danger but instead he was running right into it. On December 7, 2010, Michael Rodriguez was arrested for the murder of Nathan Paet. Rodriguez was found guilty of first degree murder, Corry Hawkins pleaded guilty to first degree murder, and Jessica Austin was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Michelle Paet was the cold, calculating and cunning planner. She wanted to take the $650,000, go to Guam with her children, and live like a queen. To avoid the death penalty, Michelle Paet pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Michelle Paet sobbed in court as she pleaded guilty to plotting her husband’s death with her ex-lover, Michael Rodriguez, who was also found guilty last week of gunning down Nathan Paet. -PNC News
Michelle Paet had pleaded guilty to murdering her husband to avoid the death penalty. -PNC News
Corry Hawkins, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the slaying of Nellis airman Nathan Paet, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. -Las Vegas Review-Journal
Oxygen:
A happy military family kept walls up that were soon to be knocked down. Did Michelle’s husband bring his fate upon himself, or was she behind the whole thing? -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Those involved with the case give their input on the verdict and Michelle’s future. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Michelle Fleck details all the ways Michelle Paet plotted to “get rid” of her late husband, Nathan. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Michelle’s sister, Melissa, speaks fondly of Michelle. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
An Air Force sergeant is gunned down in his garage revealing an elaborate conspiracy with an unlikely mastermind. -Michelle Paet, Snapped
Investigation Discovery:
US Air Force sergeant Nathan Paet and his family appear to live a blissfully normal life – as these never-before-aired home videos attest. But blind greed would bring about the destruction of this loving family. -Watch Your Back, American Monster (S3, E6)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Preview: This cougar uses her feminine wiles to get the attention of young men, breaks them down and leaves their remains. -Master Manipulators, Deadly Women (S4,E6)
Podcast:
14 :: Sheila LaBarre Part 1 :: w\ Kate from Ignorance Was Bliss
15 :: Sheila LaBarre Part 2 :: w\ Kate from Ignorance Was Bliss
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Full Episode: The couple spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach, and then they simply vanished. Their clothes and personal items were still in the rented condo, their car was parked outside, and there were no signs of forced entry or foul play. A week later, police would get an unexpected lead from a robbery in progress, and the evidence they found helped them to solve a crime of unparalleled violence and brutality. -Dirty Little Seacret, Forensic Files (S13, E47)
Editor’s Note: Full episodes of Forensic Files are available on a variety of media platforms. FilmRise Channel and Forensic Files Channel both feature full episodes of Forensic Files on YouTube. You can also find full episodes of Forensic Files on both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. On Netflix, the seasons are grouped as collection 1-9. On Amazon Prime Video, you can find Season 1-10 here; Season 11; Season 12; Season 13; Season 14; Season 15; Season 16; Season 17; Season 18; Season 19; Season 20; and Season 21. Start bingeing and see for yourself why Forensic Files is such a hit!
In 2004, Minden, Louisiana high school student Kimethia Coleman was the all American girl and everyone loved her. According to those who knew her, Kim was smart, personable, popular and dedicated to her studies. When Kim graduated, she decided she wanted to share her good fortune and become a social worker. For the next four years, Kim studied hard at college and got a job giving back to her community for the betterment of other people’s lives. Friends confirmed this is the way Kim was raised. She was altruistic and appeared much more interested in helping other people than earning a big paycheck. Across town, twenty-eight year old Brian Spinks was giving back to his community and his country. Brian enlisted in the Air Force after high school and was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. After two tours of duty overseas and almost a decade of service, Brian earned the love and respect of his fellow comrades.
In 2008, Brian Spinks’ life took a turn when he met Kim Coleman at one of many get togethers at his place in Shreveport, Louisiana. Kim was an unexpected guest and he was immediately attracted to this very pretty girl. Their relationship started out very strong and they appeared to be the perfect couple. Brian was really into her and even told one of his friends he wanted Kim to meet his family. Kim definitely thought she found Mr. Right and wanted to keep Brian as close as she could. As it turns out, Kim wanted to be with Brian 24/7 but quickly learned he didn’t feel the same way. Brian was your typical 20 something year old in the military who liked to go out with his friends and have fun. Kim was not used to being rejected. She was used to everybody always wanting her so suspicion quickly began to grow in Kim’s mind. Kim’s jealousy became a problem and it stalled the relationship just as it was getting off the ground.
Unprovoked, Kim went through Brian’s phone looking for evidence he was with other women. She was looking for trouble where there wasn’t any because she had a fatal attraction. Kim’s idea of loving Brian was completely possessing Brian. Kim had a lot going for her but she didn’t have control of her emotions. According to Profiler Candice DeLong, the story of Kim Coleman is a story of jealousy, a jealousy that destroyed everything in its path. Brian Spinks thought he was taking a break from Kim Coleman but the distance only created more problems. The more he pushed back, the more jealous she became. Kim was a very angry person when she realized Brian didn’t want to be with her anymore. On January 16, 2010, Kim tracked Brian down in a club and confronted him. Her jealousy bubbled over and she started a fight with another female she thought was interested in Brian. Kim was so out of control on this night, people had to hold her back.
Kim was always picking fights and arguments with other people and Brian was disappointed and sick of it. He asked his friends to take him home. It was the last straw for Brian and after a heavy night of drinking, he called Kim to end things permanently. She didn’t answer so Brian left a message on her voicemail telling her how embarrassed he was and that it was over. Kim didn’t get the message because she was on her way over to Brian’s place. When she arrived, Brian answered the door, told her the relationship was over, and asked her to leave. Kim had never felt that type of rejection before. She felt like she had been dumped and that never happened to Kim Coleman. Kim pushed her way in, retrieved a knife from Brian’s kitchen, and started stabbing him from behind. There was nothing Brian could do. Kim kept stabbing until she broke the knife she was using. She stopped and retrieved another knife from the kitchen. Kim Coleman stabbed Brian over sixty times.
Profiler DeLong cautioned that some would think Kim was completely out of control but she wanted to remind us that Kim was very much in control. She wanted to destroy Brian because he wanted to leave her. She was a women scorned in that moment and committed an unimaginable crime against someone who sacrificed and fought for our country. After Kim was done stabbing Brian, she needed to cover her tracks. She called the police and told them somebody stabbed her boyfriend. Kim probably thought Brian was dead when she called 911 but he wasn’t. The 911 dispatcher said Brian could be heard in the background asking for help and pleading for his life. Kim pretended to be concerned while he lay there helpless with the person who did this to him. The 911 operator then heard the most chilling sounds when Kim ended his life. The 911 dispatcher could hear a gurgle and then Brian went silent. Kim created a story about an intruder and stabbed herself a couple of times to make it look good.
Kim said someone followed her home and attacked both of them in the apartment, however the pattern of injuries didn’t fit the story. According to a medical examiner, if she had been trying to fend off an attacker, she would have cuts on the outside of her arms or on her hands as she was trying to push the knife away. And when the police discovered Brian’s voicemail, it was clear there had been a fight. Police knew they were looking at their killer and Kim finally admitted she killed Brian but claimed it was in self-defense. But Kim’s claims of self-defense didn’t add up either. Kim was charged with second degree murder. In court, Kim feigned mental illness but the jury saw right through it and knew Kim killed Brian in cold blood. In 2012, Kim Coleman was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Profiler DeLong ended the program reminding us that unlike most killers, there was nothing in Kim’s background that foreshadowed the brutal murder of her boyfriend or the complete demise of her own life.
Preview: Kim Coleman had a lot going for her – except control of her own emotions. Her idea of loving Brian was completely possessing him. Love would never survive her suspicious mind. -Suspicious Minds, Deadly Women (S10, E8)
A social worker can’t keep the lid on her possessive nature, a friendship is destroyed by jealous delusions, and young love leads to a violent end.These Deadly Women just can’t walk out… and their love won’t survive their Suspicious Minds. -Suspicious Minds, Deadly Women (S10, E8)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $3.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict. Download the ID Go app or purchase ID True Crime Files & binge away.
Army veteran Steven Russell, Jr. was convicted of the capital murder of his girlfriend Joy Owen on January 27, 2012. Russell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say Russell killed Joy because she tried to leave him. In the middle of the night on November 3, 2009, Russell cocked his gun and fired it four times at Owen with no apparent provocation. The North Little Rock Police Department found Joy Owen’s body around 4:30 a.m. In the course of the homicide investigation, police learned that Russell had received 5-years probation in Clark County, Arkansas for the second-degree domestic battery of another girlfriend in 2008. According to reports, the U.S. Army said Russell was a mechanic stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and he enlisted in the Army in 2001; the year he left the Army was not available.
Steven Russell’s defense team admitted he killed Owen but blamed the shooting on post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by his war service in Iraq in 2003. The attorneys appealed the decision claiming he “had the dubious task of recovering bodies and equipment after they had come in contact with improvised explosive devices.” But the state Supreme Court disagreed with the defense saying the judge was confronted with conflicting forensic evaluations. While two mental health professionals “found that Russell lacked capacity as a result of mental disease or defect to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law or to appreciate the criminality of his conduct, the court also had before it (another doctor’s) opinion to the contrary.” The Supreme Court upheld a Pulaski County jury’s 2012 conviction of capital murder.
“You would have to believe [Owen] did something that reminded him of his Iraqi war experience … and I can’t make that jump. To me, it was too convenient, and there was too much purposeful action.” –Dr. Brad Diner, psychologist
Pensacola, Florida resident Samira Watkins’ body was discovered stuffed inside a duffel bag floating along the west bank of the Bayou Grande on November 3, 2009. Samira, 25, was 2-months’-pregnant and the mother of one child; she was reported missing by her family on October 29, 2009. After an investigation, Navy sailor Zachary Littleton, 26, was arrested for homicide at the Pensacola Naval Air Station on November 23, 2009 and held without bond. A search of Zachary Littleton’s computer showed that he planned Samira Watkins’ murder.
Prosecutors allege Littleton could no longer juggle his affairs with other women: Samira was pregnant with his child and would not have an abortion; his wife, who was also in the Navy, was about to move to Pensacola to live with him; and, if the Navy found out about Samira’s pregnancy, it could end his military career. Adultery is a crime in the military and punishable by the Uniform Code of Military Justice. In June 2011, Zachary Littleton was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Littleton’s attorney said the evidence in the case was circumstantial and maintained his innocence.
According to prosecutors, the crime happened like this:
After breaking it off with Samira Watkins, Zachary Littleton made several phone calls to Samira.
He lured her to his home under the guise of working things out and discussing the pregnancy.
When she arrived, he strangled her until she was unconscious.
He put tape on her mouth and then stuffed her inside of duffel bag.
After that, he drove to the Bayou Grande and dumped her body from the bridge.
He later dumped her car in another area, before calling a taxi to pick him up at the Waffle House.
Investigation Discovery:
ID Go: A young mom falls for a married military man after a chance meeting at his naval base. -The Girl with the Gold Earring, Forbidden: Dying for Love (S2,E8)
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. Download the ID Go app and binge away. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
Paramedics respond to a horrific crime scene – a woman is found tied to a bed with slashes across her body. Next to her on the floor, a man with three gunshot wounds. Detectives spend the next several years unraveling this bizarre mystery. -Last Man Standing, Solved (S2,E10)
Navy Petty Officer Elise Makdessi worked as an Air Traffic Controller at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Elise was married to Eddie Makdessi for five years and they lived off base in Virginia Beach. Elise unknowingly helped plan, organize, and carry out her own murder and it is unclear if she was a willing participant in the original plot with Eddie to scam the government out of money or if she was controlled by Eddie. Eddie Makdessi murdered Elise Makdessi and Navy Petty Officer Quincy Brown on May 14, 1996 as part of an elaborate scam. The whole thing was a set up. Elise thought she was part of an arrangement where she would invite Quincy Brown to the house, have sex with him, then accuse him of rape. She also manufactured evidence to make it look like she was documenting sexual abuse in an effort to sue the Navy and make millions. She had journals and created what looked like a rehearsed video outlining what four Navy men, including Quincy Brown, did to her on the job.
Editor’s note: With a cable subscription, you can download the free ID Go app and watch all of the Investigation Discovery programming at your convenience. And for those who do not have cable, you can watch “unlocked” episodes on the ID Go app including the latest premieres. Download the ID Go app and binge away. For those who prefer commercial free programming during your binge session, Prime Video has an ID channel: ‘True Crime Files by Investigation Discovery” available for $2.99 a month. It’s a compilation of older seasons but totally worth the cost if you are a true crime addict.
Psychopathic killers lurk in society, mostly acting alone. Sometimes fate brings them into contact with another person who shares their power to kill. Apart they are dangerous, together they form teams that commit murders beyond our comprehension. -Lethal Lovers, Deadly Women (S3,E9)
Forensic Files:
Full Episode: The couple spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach, and then they simply vanished. Their clothes and personal items were still in the rented condo, their car was parked outside, and there were no signs of forced entry or foul play. A week later, police would get an unexpected lead from a robbery in progress, and the evidence they found helped them to solve a crime of unparalleled violence and brutality. -Dirty Little Seacret, Forensic Files (S13, E46)
Investigation Discovery:
In 2002, Erika and BJ Sifrit’s vacation in Ocean City, MD ended with them in the back of a squad car arrested for armed robbery. When two dismembered bodies were later unearthed, the connection between the two crimes would reveal a grisly murder. -Ocean City, Sins and Secrets (S2,E8)
A seemingly perfect young couple is concealing a sinful life of crime and sexual depravity. Then later, a threesome of lovers ends in a bizarre homicide and cover-up. -Killers on the Run, Deadly Sins (S3,E9)
Oxygen:
A young woman’s scrapbook offers insight into a shocking crime. -Erika Sifrit, Snapped (S8,E11)
A vacationing couple’s disappearance exposes the horrific crimes of a murderous husband and wife. -Erika and BJ Sifrit, Killer Couples (S11,E2)
Podcast:
Once Upon A Crime – Episode 112: Listener Suggestions: Erika and Benjamin Sifrit – Killer Couple (December 22, 2018)
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 