True Crime Arizona

In the wake of infamous FLDS prophet Warren Jeffs locked up in prison, a new leader emerged: Samuel Bateman. Bateman started his own offshoot of the polygamous religion, taking in multiple wives and child brides as young as 9 years old. An FLDS survivor and advocates tried to sound the alarm to the FBI for years, but it wouldn’t be until a bizarre traffic stop in Flagstaff that Bateman would be caught. From there this story exploded: sex trafficking schemes, naked “sacred ordinances,” kidnapping, and an FBI raid. After years and multiple plea deals, Samuel Bateman learned his prison fate in a Phoenix federal courtroom in December 2024. And for the first time, the once child victims spoke directly to him before the judge had the last word.

The Teen Killer Trial

In February 2019, a 14-year-old stabbed his aunt to death during a family reunion in Arizona. He was charged as an adult with first degree murder, and confessed to the crime. But in an unprecedented trial where mental health was not admissible, one family was split on either side of the courtroom as this unraveled in front of a jury, with an unexpected outcome. Emotional testimony and words came from all sides, including the young defendant himself.

Mental health resources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help

https://www.maricopa.gov/5065/Resources

https://www.nami.org/support-education/nami-helpline/

In 1979, a young woman from Ohio was found shot dead near the Hoover Dam. With a renewed search to find her killer, True Crime Arizona dives into the bizarre clues and evidence surrounding a powder blue Bronco, as detectives try to find new leads on the murder of the “Yellow Pages” heiress, who was set to inherit $40 million at the time of her death.

On July 31st 2024, Elizabeth Byrd’s longtime best friend knew something was wrong when Liz didn’t show up for their workout class. After calling police for a welfare check when loved ones found out three young kids were left alone, officers found Liz Byrd dead in her bedroom. Her husband, John Byrd, was a detective for the Maricopa County Attorney’s office, and specialized in justice for domestic violence victims. He was nowhere to be found, and once police caught up to him, he confessed to killing his wife. Liz’ brother and best friend detail what happened that day before and after the murder, what they’ve learned since, and how they’re helping care for the Byrd’s kids who lost so much in this tragedy. 

The True Crime Arizona team heads out to the Arizona desert where Ginger and Christina’s remains were found, and the detectives in the case reveal whether they believe there are more victims of John Flowers and where they may be located. The victims’ families share personal final thoughts about John Flowers getting out of prison in a short number of years, and Flowers himself messages back and forth with Briana from inside his prison cell – telling a story in his own words. 

After detectives positively identify the other Jane Doe victim, detectives sit face to face with an incarcerated John Flowers in Reno, Nevada, where he puts on quite the performance when questioned. We learn about how each murder case unfolds in the court system, and it’s not how anyone wanted. Detectives reveal their biggest fears with this case.

When Ginger Rios’ remains are discovered in the Arizona desert, so are the remains of another unidentified girl. For years nobody knew who the Jane Doe was. Around 2008, when Myspace comes about, a Phoenix woman can’t find her long lost friend on the new social media network. She grows concerned and reports her missing to police. That ended up opening a controversial investigation, but ultimately led to the identity of the Jane Doe, and what police believe happened to her at the hands of the spy shop owner, John Flowers.

Detectives find the remains of Ginger Rios in the Arizona desert and make another horrific discovery while there: Another girl was dead and buried in the same area. While police try to figure out who the Jane Doe victim is, spy shop owner John Flowers goes on the run but is eventually caught and arrested for murder. For the first time, we hear Flowers’ side of the story as to what happened to Ginger Rios, and a new witness comes out of the woodwork with concerning information about possible other victims. 

A new teenage employee of the Vegas spy shop is asked to do bizarre tasks while the owner, John Flowers, heads to his Phoenix, AZ spy shop. Meanwhile, we learn about his obnoxious antics in Phoenix, and his wife makes a shocking and unexpected confession to officials.

In April 1997, a young woman named Ginger Rios visits the Spycraft store in Las Vegas while her husband waits outside. When she seemingly vanishes after going inside, a frantic search by family and police begins with an odd response from the spy store owner, John Flowers. Police uncover a slew of odd happenings surrounding her disappearance, as we learn what Ginger’s childhood was like up to the last day before she went missing.

Jim Larkin and Michael Lacey made millions, publishing cutting-edge journalism in alternative weekly newspapers across the country. Larkin and Lacey were considered champions of the First Amendment, and their brand of journalism won thousands of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. But the duo also created Backpage.com, a website that was known for its adult section, and according to federal prosecutors – prostitution. In this episode, Morgan Loew interviews Stephen Lemons, an investigative reporter who worked for Lacey and Larkin for two decades. Lemons details Lacey and Larkins’ rise from college paper publishers, to newspaper moguls, to Backpage, to Larkins’ death by suicide, and Lacey’s conviction in federal court.

The four-part television series "Stolen Innocence" explores the manipulation and abuse of the FLDS cult that led to the new self-proclaimed prophet Samuel Bateman’s reign and downfall as he awaits sentencing for sexually abusing and kidnapping child brides. True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney and former AZ Family reporter Mike Watkiss discuss in detail Samuel Bateman’s rise to power, the roots of the FLDS and its corruption, the bizarre encounter Mike Watkiss had with Bateman, and where the FLDS community stands now. 

As the 4th of July turned to the early morning hours of the 5th, Phoenix Police got a call to the ritzy Renaissance hotel in downtown Phoenix after a security guard found a woman dead in a hotel room. But it turns out that wasn’t the only call they got to the hotel during that time—a man was also walking around naked in the lobby telling staff he was concerned about demons upstairs. Eventually this would all come together and Phoenix Police would charge that man with the murder of 28-year-old Desiree Serpas, a mother to two young kids. But his defense attorney casts suspicion on two other people who allegedly were in the hotel room at the time. 

On July 1st, 2024, 25-year-old Doris Aguilar went missing in Phoenix after leaving for the store. A week later, her car was found abandoned in a mall parking lot. Her family expressed concern about a man who was possibly stalking her outside the gym, but there seemed to be no movement in the case until they hired a private investigator in mid-July. He was able to uncover new information that led to the discovery Doris Aguilar was actually the woman found shot to death inside a car on July 7th. But alongside her also found dead? The man her family says was the stalker: 51-year-old Juan Cuellar. His cause of death: suicide. Her cause of death: homicide. Now, we’ve learned new crucial timelines and disturbing details as Phoenix Police continues to investigate what went so wrong. 

On June 30th, 2024, Kelly Paduchowski was reported missing by the Flagstaff Police Department after her family said she never came back from a run and swim while training for a race. Her car was found at a local trailhead, but cell phone data put her at another trail hours prior. What then unfolded was an arrest of someone close to Kelly, damning evidence inside her home, a homicide investigation, an all-out search for the mother for days, an unexpected plea deal, and the discovery of Kelly’s remains.

On July 29, 1994, 21-year-old Angela Maher was killed in a crash while going to pick up her friend from Old Town Scottsdale as the designated driver. The woman who hit and killed her, 31-year-old Gloria Schulze, was charged with manslaughter and endangerment after admitting she had been drinking and smoking weed. But after her first court appearance, Schulze vanished and was never seen again. Now, 30 years later, the fugitive was unexpectedly found and questions about where she fled and how she lived since are finally answered, officially closing the case.

In March 2020, as the world was shutting down at the beginning of the pandemic, Sandee Hines disappeared from her Mesa, Arizona home. But she didn’t just vanish alone. Her husband, Jason Hines, was also gone. Hines was a convicted criminal and became a fugitive on the run for sex crimes against children. The last known surveillance video of Sandee Hines’ car, shows Jason getting out of it. But ever since, no one has heard from them. Now, Sandee’s mother gives insight into what happened in the days leading up to their disappearance, as she fears her daughter is dead. 

For nearly two months, the Idaho man known as the “Doomsday Prophet,” Chad Daybell, faced witness after witness as he stood on trial for the murder of his wife Tammy Daybell, and the murders of Lori Vallow’s two young kids Tylee Ryan, and JJ Vallow. The killings were all tied to radical religious beliefs that a Second Coming was approaching, and people were “light and dark” spirits. Come with us as we dive into some of the most important, powerful, and emotional testimony during the trial, and the moments after the the verdict and sentencing decision on the death penalty were announced.

The newly released incident report and 911 calls from the day 22-year-old Mercedes Vega’s body was found in a burning car reveals new details about what was seen on the freeway that day in April 2023. We learn who made the 911 call, what he saw from the road, and what kind of car she was found in – a car that was not hers. Mercedes Vega was shot, hit, and eventually burned alive after going missing from her Tempe apartment complex. Mercedes’s case remains unsolved. Her parents discuss the new details we learned from the report, their frustration with investigation, and share their emotions as they prepare to spread her ashes in Hawaii.  

On June 4 2022, 19-year-old Rachel Hansen woke up to a stranger in her Gilbert, AZ apartment. The suspect shot her, then left, and Rachel later died at the hospital. The teen had been working for years as a horse trainer and had just moved into that apartment after living on a ranch. Nearly two years later, her murder remains unsolved, but her parents feel two odd circumstances in the days leading up to her death weren’t properly investigated. 

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer from Bullhead City, AZ, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for an involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins was the cinematographer on the movie ‘Rust’ starring Alec Baldwin, when in 2021, a prop gun the actor was rehearsing with on set had a real bullet inside instead of a fake one. When Baldwin fired it during the scene, the bullet struck Hutchins and killed her. We hear what was said at the sentencing hearing during victim impact statements, and why the judge delivered scathing remarks in the courtroom. Alec Baldwin will be facing the same charge in a trial this summer, so does the armorer’s conviction and sentence help or hurt the A-list actor? A criminal defense attorney weighs in.

The high school basketball coach and man famously known for his “Mr. ORNG” character at Phoenix Suns game has now been arrested for soliciting sexual videos and pictures from teen boys. According to police, 37-year-old Patrick Battillo asked male students at the school he coached at to send explicit videos of themselves via Snapchat, in exchange for money. Another teacher at the high school as arrested for hindering the investigation after telling Battillo the police were at school so he could leave before they could question him. True Crime Arizona host Briana Whitney describes the disturbing messages and details we learned about in court documents, the shock from the community, and how “Mr. ORNG” used to portray himself in the media. Reporter Michael Raimondi phones in from the school grounds as students and parents learn about what happened.

Queen Creek Police released 42 minutes of 911 calls from the Halloween party where 16-year-old Preston Lord was fatally beaten on October 28, 2023, including the desperate call when people on scene were trying to save his life before police arrived. They also released more than 1,100 pages of the police report. True Crime Correspondent Briana Whitney, chief investigative reporter Morgan Loew, and senior producers Mac Colson and Cody Lillich discuss and analyze the new and notable information, including who allegedly hit and stomped on Preston Lord, which suspects incriminated themselves on Snapchat and through text, who bragged about the horrible actions, what witnesses told police they saw, and the actions one family took to try and cover up their son’s involvement. Seven suspects face first degree murder.