True Crime Arizona
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...
info_outline The Murders in Room 18True Crime Arizona
True Crime Arizona takes on a haunted tale for Halloween in Globe, Arizona, exploring the unsolved murders in Room 18 inside a former brothel above a saloon that is still in business today. The team gets access to where the mysterious crimes happened, learns about the paranormal spirits that the owner, bartender, and patrons see regularly upstairs and at the bar. The owner also tells us who she believed killed the victims and why, based on history preserved in the saloon and archived newspaper articles.
info_outline SPYKILLER FINALE: The Killer’s WordsTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline SPYKILLER PART 5: Faking InsanityTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline SPYKILLER PART 4: Identifying Jane DoeTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline SPYKILLER PART 3: Bodies in the DesertTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline SPYKILLER PART 2: A Bizarre ConfessionTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline SPYKILLER PART 1: The Spy Shop DisappearanceTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outline Backpage: The Tragic Story of the Founders of the Phoenix New TimesTrue Crime Arizona
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...
info_outline Stolen Innocence: Child Brides of the New FLDS Cult ProphetTrue Crime Arizona
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.
info_outlineExactly two months after 16-year-old Preston Lord was beaten to death at a Halloween party in Queen Creek, Arizona, police announced they are recommending charges against seven juveniles and adults involved in his death. It is now up to the Maricopa County Attorney to decide who and what to prosecute. This comes as other investigations into teen violence in the East Valley have been reopened with possible ties to a gang police have recognized as the "Gilbert Goons." Host Briana Whitney and Arizona Family reporters Morgan Loew, Emma Lockhart, and Casey Torres discuss what is likely to happen next, the possible evidence in the case, and historical parallels to prior gang violence in the East Valley.