Campus Crime Chronicles

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Campus Crime Scale).

In October of 2017, Texas Tech University police officer Floyd East Jr. reported to the dorm room of 19-year-old sophomore Hollis Daniels III for what was supposed to be a routine wellness check.

But what began as a wellness check on a college student would soon spiral into an unthinkable tragedy.

By the end of the night, Officer East was lying on the floor of the Texas Tech Police Department, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the head — a wound inflicted at the ha...

This episode is rated a 5 (on the Campus Crime Scale).

In August 2025, a University of Kentucky student and cheerleader gave birth to a baby inside her bedroom at the off-campus home she shared with several other students.

But she told no one. Instead, she kept the entire thing a secret — even from the roommates living just feet away.

Later that same day, police arrived at the home, and the young woman was detained and questioned about what had happened inside her bedroom. And within days, she was under arrest and facing charges of ab...

You might remember my 100th episode of Campus Crime Chronicles, where I covered the tragic death of Tim Piazza, a fraternity pledge at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania.

Tim died in 2017 after a horrifying night of hazing and excessive alcohol consumption. And in that episode, I dug deep into his case — including the long and deeply disturbing history of alcohol-fueled hazing within Penn State’s Greek Life community, as well as the sweeping changes the university implemented in the aftermath of Tim’s death.

But apparently, some members of Penn State’s Greek Life com...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Campus Crime Scale).

On the afternoon of Monday, May 1, 2017, dispatchers with the University of Texas Police Department were flooded with frantic 911 calls. Every caller reported the same horrifying scene: a man armed with a large hunting knife was walking through campus, stabbing students seemingly at random. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Campus Crime Scale).

When 19-year-old college sophomore Christa Sallani failed to show up for her evening shift at a convenience store in Sheridan, Wyoming, her friends and family immediately knew something was wrong. Christa was responsible and dependable. Being a no-call, no-show simply wasn’t like her.

What followed was a missing-person investigation, a mysterious phone call, and two primary suspects — until police finally uncovered the truth about what happened to Christa Sallani.

Listen now to hear the full story.

Jealousy is a powerful motivator, and jealousy is exactly the reason 20-year-old Fisk University student Andre Bell was killed. This is the story of 20-year-old Andre Bell. Listen now to hear the full details.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Campus Crime Scale).

On a frigid February night in 2015, Monroe County deputies responded to a quiet, upscale neighborhood just outside Rochester, New York. Inside one of the homes, they discovered a shocking scene: a man had been brutally shot and killed.

But before investigators even had a chance to piece together what happened, someone stepped forward and confessed. Nineteen-year-old Charlie Tan, an Ivy League student with no criminal history, immediately admitted that he had pulled the trigger. He told authorities that he HAD to shoot his father to...

This episode is rated a 3 (on my Campus Crime Scale).

When a group of college students from Assumption University decided to stage their own version of “To Catch a Predator” for clicks, views, and social media attention… well, let’s just say things did not go the way they expected. Because instead of exposing a predator, they ended up facing serious criminal charges themselves.

Listen now to hear the full story.

When family and friends suddenly couldn’t get ahold of two doctoral students attending the University of South Florida, alarm bells immediately started going off. This is the story of 27-year-old Zamil Limon and 27-year-old Nahida Bristy. Listen now to hear the full details.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

When University of Iowa student Alexander Jackson dialed 911 to report a home invasion in the early morning hours, first responders arrived to a scene that didn’t make sense — everyone inside the home had been shot and killed. Everyone except Alex.

He claimed he had struggled with an intruder, suffering a gunshot wound to his foot before the attacker fled from the house without a trace. But as investigators began to examine the evidence, cracks in Alex’s story quickly surfaced.

Within hours, police...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

Maple Batalia was beautiful, talented, and on the verge of something bigger. But as the college student and aspiring actress began gaining attention for her modeling and television work, not everyone in her life was happy to see her star rise.

When Maple was shot and killed in a parking lot on the campus of Simon Fraser University in Surrey, British Columbia, investigators uncovered a case fueled by jealousy, obsession, and betrayal.

Listen now to hear the full story.

This is a case that, for days, had family members, friends, classmates, and an entire university community desperately hoping for a different ending. This is the story of 20-year-old University of Alabama student James “Jimmy” Gracey.

Picture this: A fight breaks out on the campus of Kentucky State University. One particular college student is in danger, so his father shows up to protect him. But what begins as protection quickly escalates into gunfire. By the end of the night, one student is dead, and another is critically injured.

Then, in a twist of fate that defies almost every expectation of justice, the man who pulled the trigger walks free – while the father of the deceased student is the one who ends up behind bars.

This is a case that forces us to...

This episode is rated a 4 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

On April 1, 2008, 21-year-old Skye Budnick — a junior at Central Connecticut State University — boarded a one-way flight to Japan. She traveled alone. She packed lightly. And after she landed, she seemingly vanished without a trace. Her family searched desperately. They made two separate trips across the world, navigating a country they didn’t know, chasing leads, holding onto the hope that someone, somewhere, had seen Skye. But years later, Skye has never been seen again. She never came home. She never returned to American soil. Listen now to hear t...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

After Labor Day weekend in 2005, 17-year-old Taylor Behl returned to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University eager to resume her freshman year. Away from home for the first time, Taylor was embracing the independence and excitement of college life. But when more than 24 hours passed without anyone hearing from her, concern quickly turned to alarm – and those closest to her knew something was terribly wrong.

Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

When a beloved college student and aspiring beauty queen was found dead inside her apartment in a quiet Arkansas town, investigators quickly locked in to one single suspect – a person who insisted that the police had it all wrong. And when a jury agreed, delivering a stunning acquittal, police were forced back to square one in the hunt for her killer. Listen now to hear the full story.

After Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera was found dead following the University of Texas vs. Texas A&M football game, police were quick to point to suicide. But her family is pushing back and saying there has to be more to the story, and they are calling for an independent investigation. Listen now to hear the full story.

Welcome to Campus Crime News. On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2025, pharmacy student Ariel Spillner visited her friend, Jamica Mills, for Jamica's 32nd birthday. But the quiet celebration took a dark turn when both friends were shot, leaving Ariel to succumb to her wounds. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

After a night of birthday celebrations and heavy drinking, three friends stumbled back to a tiny high-rise apartment just outside of Washington, D.C. But within just a few hours, one of them would be dead, while the other two would have no memory of what happened, or how. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

Imagine losing your father from a heart attack when you’re only 11 years old; losing your stepfather from an apparent suicide a few years later at 16, and then waking up in the hospital at 20 years old, only to be told that you were poisoned by the one person you trusted most in the world. While this might sound like the plot of the next horror film to hit theaters, it was a terrifying reality for college student Ashley Wallace. Listen now to hear the full story.

Introducing Campus Crime News! On the morning of Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, the body of a Black male was found hanging from a tree on the campus of Delta State University near the pickle ball courts. At a press conference later that same day, the student was identified as 21-year-old Demartravion “Trey” Reed from Grenada, Mississippi. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

In February of 1980, Katherine Foster, an 18-year-old freshman attending the University of South Alabama in Mobile, was found shot to death in a wooded area next to campus. For nearly three decades, her case went unsolved until a new piece of evidence – a confession letter from the killer – busted the case wide open and a suspect was finally arrested in 2008 and later convicted in 2010. 

Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

In the summer of 2012, 24-year-old nursing student Megan Sharpton was standing at the edge of a bright future. Just months away from graduation, she was eager to step into the career that she had always wanted – one where she could care for others and put her compassion to work as a nurse. So, when the chance for a potential job interview came along, she leapt at the opportunity to jumpstart her career.

But instead of opening the door to the life she had worked so ha...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

On the night of May 11, 2019, three friends met for what was supposed to be a relaxed evening by the pool and hot tub — laughing, drinking, and soaking in the music. But by daybreak on Mother’s Day, May 12, two of them were dead. And the only survivor had a story that would raise more questions than answers. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

In the spring of 2017, Timothy Piazza was like many college sophomores — eager to find his place, to build lasting friendships, and to be part of something bigger than himself. At just 19 years old, he had his sights set on Beta Theta Pi, one of the most respected fraternities at Pennsylvania State University. To Tim, pledging meant brotherhood — an unbreakable, lifelong bond with men who would have his back. But what he couldn’t see was the danger lurking beneath the surface. Behind the promises of tradition and unity...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

In the spring of 2017, Timothy Piazza was like many college sophomores — eager to find his place, to build lasting friendships, and to be part of something bigger than himself. At just 19 years old, he had his sights set on Beta Theta Pi, one of the most respected fraternities at Pennsylvania State University. To Tim, pledging meant brotherhood — an unbreakable, lifelong bond with men who would have his back. But what he couldn’t see was the danger lurking beneath the surface. Behind the promises of tradition and unity...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

In the spring of 2017, Timothy Piazza was like many college sophomores — eager to find his place, to build lasting friendships, and to be part of something bigger than himself. At just 19 years old, he had his sights set on Beta Theta Pi, one of the most respected fraternities at Pennsylvania State University. To Tim, pledging meant brotherhood — an unbreakable, lifelong bond with men who would have his back.

But what he couldn’t see was the danger lurking beneath the surface. Behind the promises of tradit...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

Brandy Stevens-Rosine was a bright 20-year-old college student with a passion for understanding human behavior. Studying psychology and sociology at Youngstown State University in 2012, she was driven by the question: Why do people do what they do? But Brandy would never get the chance to answer that question for herself. That spring, Brandy was lured into the woods by someone she once trusted, only to be ambushed, beaten, strangled, and then buried in a pre-dug shallow grave while she was still breathing. Listen now to hear the...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale).

It was supposed to be routine — just another custody handoff between two parents in rural Madison County, Tennessee. Tyeasha Starks, a bright young student at Austin Peay State University, had done this before. She was there to pick up her 1-year-old son. But what happened next would shatter everything.

A heated argument. A gunshot. And then, sheer chaos.

In broad daylight, in front of her child’s grandparents’ home, Tyeasha was gunned down. The shooter? Known. The method? Recorded. The time? Documented to the se...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). In June 2017, Yingying Zhang — a 26-year-old Ph.D. student and visiting scholar from China — vanished after being seen at a campus bus stop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. What followed was a heartbreaking search, a chilling investigation, and a devastating truth – that Yinying Zhang was no longer alive. While a suspect was identified and convicted, Yingying’s body has never been found, and her final resting place still remains a controversial mystery. Listen now to hear the full story.

Hey y’all — quick heads up, I’m taking a little break this week. BUT, I didn’t want to leave you hanging with no episode at all. So today, I’m re-airing a story that originally ran back in 2022. It’s Chronicle 40, titled “From Friend to Foe.”

Now, I didn’t just pick this one at random — there’s a specific reason I wanted to bring it back. There’s actually been a new development in this case in 2025, and I’ll be sharing that update at the very end of this episode. So definitely stick around for that.

Now...

Today’s episode is rated a 3 (on my Serious Crime Scale). With March Madness still somewhat fresh in our minds and brackets either busted or celebrated, I figured it was the perfect time to explore a different kind of madness – one that doesn’t involve murder, but still raises serious questions about integrity, pressure, and the high-stakes world of college basketball.

In 1994, Stevin “Hedake” Smith was the star point guard at Arizona State University and the leading returning scorer in the Pac-10. But off the court, he was buried in gambling debt. His way out? A dangerous gamble of...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It was a warm summer night in July 2016 when 23-year-old Kaylee Sawyer crossed paths with a public safety officer from Central Oregon Community College. A simple offer for a ride – something meant to ensure safety – became the start of a nightmare. What happened next was a fight for survival that ended in tragedy. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). Now, as you can probably tell from the title on your screen, this is an UPDATE to a previous episode I covered about a year ago, back in March 2024. That episode, Chronicle 72, was titled “Suspension Sparks Murder.”

In that episode, I told you the chilling story of Sydney Powell, a college student at the University of Mount Union in Ohio. After being placed on academic suspension for poor grades, Sydney's defense claimed she suffered a psychotic break, which led her to brutally attack and kill her mother, Bren...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It is an UPDATE to a previous episode from March 2024. That was Chronicle 72: “Suspension Sparks Murder.”

In that episode, I told you the chilling story of Sydney Powell, a college student at the University of Mount Union in Ohio. After being placed on academic suspension for poor grades, Sydney's defense claimed she suffered a psychotic break, which led her to brutally attack and kill her mother, Brenda Powell. But prosecutors argued—and successfully proved in Sydney's September 2023 trial—that she was fully aware of her actions when she beat...

Today’s episode is rated a 2 on our Serious Crime Scale—but stick with me, because that scale is a little unconventional this time. While this story leans more toward human interest, the case at its center—the one that made national headlines—would have easily been rated a 5. That’s because today, we’re diving into the incredible story of a college student who used genetic genealogy to crack a decades-old cold case. It’s a fascinating look at the power of advanced DNA technology and the real impact it can have in solving crimes. Listen now to hear the full...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). It was December 2007 when 21-year-old Marshall University student Leah Hickman vanished without a trace in Huntington, West Virginia. As her family and friends desperately searched the city, police launched an investigation into her mysterious disappearance. But one week later, the search came to a devastating end – Leah’s body was discovered hidden in a crawl space beneath her apartment building. Nearly two decades later, her killer remains unknown, and justice has yet to be served. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). You may remember hearing something in the media from back in August of 2016 about a college student who attacked and killed a Florida couple in their garage. And, when police arrived to the scene, they found the student literally eating one of the victim’s faces. Now, at the time, there was a massive media frenzy that suggested the student, 19-year-old Austin Harrouff, had been high on bath salts or some other hallucinogenic drug that resulted in the bizarre, zombie-like attack. But y’all, there is SO much more to t...

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). In 1994, the University of Kentucky was rocked by tragedy when star offensive lineman Trent DiGiuro was shot and killed while sitting on his front porch. His death sent shockwaves through the campus, leaving fear and confusion in its wake. No one saw anything, no one heard anything, besides the gunshot itself, and there seemed to be no reason – no logical motive – for the senseless act. Ultimately, it would take years before the truth would even begin to unravel. Listen now to hear the full story.

This episode is rated a 5 (on my Serious Crime Scale). In the spring of 2008 at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, life was bustling and students were deep in their studies. Among them, was 22-year-old Eve Carson, a vibrant senior and the student body president, known for her leadership and passion as she juggled a double major in political science and biology. Eve was a source of inspiration for many on campus, leaving an indelible mark on her fellow students and community. But on March 5, 2008, tragedy struck when Eve was kidnapped, robbed, and fatally shot by two strangers, fo...