HeyJaredTRUE CRIME with Bratterstein
As someone who has been personally effected by homicide, I approach every True Crime case I cover with the goal of balancing facts with empathy—giving victims a voice while exploring the larger cultural and societal implications of the cases.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 38
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 3, 2026
Latest episodes
He Asked for One Last Hug… Then Tried to Kill Her (opens the original)
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As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Melissa Dohme Hill with me today. On January 24, 2012, 20-year-old Melissa Dohme agreed to meet her ex-boyfriend, Robert Lee Burton Jr., outside her home in Clearwater, Florida. They had broken up, and a no-contact order was in place after an earlier domestic battery incident. Burton had repeatedly called and texted her that night, asking for one last hug. When she embraced him, he pulled out a knife and stabbed her 32 times. Two witnesses int
An Evil Witch of a Woman : The Diane Downs Case (opens the original)
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As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Cheryl, Christie, and Stephen with me today. On the night of May 19, 1983, Diane Downs drove her three children, Christie, 8, Cheryl, 7, and Danny, 3, to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. All three had been shot at close range in the family car. Cheryl died from her injuries, while Christie and Danny survived with severe, life-altering wounds; Downs had a comparatively minor gunshot wound to her forearm. Downs initially clai
They Killed His Grandparents for $20,000... Then Tried to Burn the Evidence (opens the original)
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As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Shirley and Charles Severance with me today. In May 2014, Charles and Shirley Severance, both 70, were killed in their Sterling, Colorado, home by their grandson, Brendan Johnson, 19, and his girlfriend, Cassandra Rieb, 18. Prosecutors said the couple planned the murders because Johnson expected to inherit the house and about $20,000. Johnson and Rieb strangled the couple. Charles’s body was left in the home, while Shirley’s remains were burne
He Had His Whole Life Ahead of Him… Then His Best Friend Killed Him (opens the original)
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As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Aaron Davis with me today. In November 2022, 21-year-old Aaron William Davis, a recent Brigham Young University–Idaho graduate, stopped in Rome, Georgia, to spend time with his longtime friend Brandon Christopher Risner while travelling to visit his girlfriend in Alabama. The two men had known each other since high school. After a night out, Davis stayed at Risner’s home but never continued his trip. Davis’s family reported him missing after h
Kenia Monge and the "Good Samaritan" (opens the original)
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As always, thank you for hanging out and remembering Kenia Monge with me today. In the early hours of April 1, 2011, 19-year-old Kenia Monge disappeared after leaving the 24K Lounge in downtown Denver, Colorado. She had left her purse, phone, and keys inside the club. Travis Forbes, 31, later portrayed himself to police as a “good Samaritan,” claiming he had found Monge intoxicated and offered her a safe ride home in his white van. That account was a lie intended to distance himself from her dis
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