True Crime Episodes

Over 25 years ago, just a few days after the turn of the millennium and the Y2K madness, Marvin Dearing was arrested, interrogated, and ultimately convicted of murder. But did he do it? New DNA evidence suggests not, but the judge is unwilling to revisit the case. Mr. Dearing, a member of PenPals.Buzz, now in his early 50s, has spent over a quarter-century (and more than half of his life) locked up in Ohio. He hopes that someone, somewhere -- maybe even Kim Kardashian -- will take another look a...

It was Easter, 2020. PenPals.Buzz member Colby Brookman was driving home from dinner at his mother-in-law's house, where he had been drinking. His wife, J'lynne Stothers, was a passenger in the front seat. In the back were Colby and J'lynne's two infant daughters, Ariana and Ava, along with his 32-year-old brother-in-law, Matthew, who was autistic.Unaware he had made a wrong turn, Colby was trying to find a local radio station on the dial as he drove his 2004 GMC Sierra, too fast, down Grand A...

Jimmy Tench, convicted of murdering his mother, Mary Tench, and sentenced to Death Row in Ohio, recently appeared on Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks (Season 2, Episode 4: He Murdered My Mother). Now, Jimmy (or James Tench, as he's listed in the Ohio DOC) speaks to us from a telephone in his prison cell. During the interview, he goes into more depth about how he was portrayed on Evil Lives Here and mentions several topics which weren't discussed on the TV show, such as his negative experiences with his attorneys, what positive things he has gained from his time on Death Row, and what it was like growing up with what he says was an abusive, alcoholic father.Even though there were 1,000 pieces of evidence used against him at the trial, including Mary Tench's blood on the shoes found in his bedroom, and a video of him buying duct tape just before the murder, Jimmy proclaims his innocence, and suggests that he knows who the real killer was. We ask him what he'd like to say to the ki…

In 2011, Will Leverett stabbed 54-year-old Melissa Millan as she jogged alone at night on a trail in Simsbury, Connecticut. The case went unsolved for over four years. Overcome with guilt and shame, Will confessed his crime, first to a good female friend of his, and then to some members of his church. Soon after, they walked with him to the police station, providing moral support as he confessed to the crime. Will, now a member of PenPals.Buzz, hopes to meet an understanding and open-minded pen pal who would be willing to write him letters and emails. He loves animals, the outdoors, and hopes to travel one day, after completing his 35-year sentence. Later in the episode, we chat with Tennessee inmate Luis Paz. Luis, who has written blogs for PenPals.Buzz, explains why giving real support to an inmate has nothing to do with money. He also talks about ways to make genuine connections with your pen pal. Spoiler alert -- it doesn't involve love letters or romance. He reminds us a…

Angie Dodge was raped and murdered by Brian Dripps in 1996. The location of the murder? Her bedroom in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The cause of death? Stabbing (and near decapitation). But Brian Dripps wasn't arrested until 2019 -- 23 years after the crime occurred. Another man, Chris Tapp (completely unrelated to the crime) was wrongfully convicted and served 20 years in prison until he was finally exonerated due to advances in DNA testing. Dripps has been interviewed by Dateline, 48 hours, and 20/20, but claims that due to editing, he was never able to tell his true story. Until now, that is. Join PenPals.Buzz founder Big Steve as he interviews Brian Dripps about the Angie Dodge murder and his feelings during the 20+ years that the wrong man (Tapp) was incarcerated for the crime. Was Dripps afraid, each and every day of his "freedom," that the truth would finally come out? Did he panic every time he saw a police car between 1996 and 2019? How did his kids feel when they found out that their…

Clifford Williams Jr. and his nephew, Nathan Myers, were released from prison in 2019 after 43 years of being wrongfully convicted of murder. Already suffering from early onset dementia, Williams wasn't really able to celebrate his release, nor to enjoy his freedom before his death earlier this year. He was given close to 2 million dollars, but no amount of money could possibly be worth time spent on death row, and an entire lifetime in prison. Now, 48 years after Williams' wrongful conviction in 1976, his son, Clifford Walker, is reliving in his father's footsteps. Walker is more than halfway through a 35-year sentence for murder, a crime he contends he didn't commit. We've reviewed the evidence, and we believe he's telling the truth. Cliff Walker was attempting to buy some marijuana in a parking lot. He was unarmed and got into a car to finalize the deal. But the two men in the car had other plans. They noticed his big wad of cash and attempted to rob him. As he wrestled the gun awa…