Real Life Real Crime

Today’s True Crime Time For is devoted entirely to a major development in #WhatHappenedToMadison—and the beginning of a new chapter: #JusticeForMadison.
Woody Overton attended a press conference with West Feliciana Parish Sheriff Brian Spillman, where authorities announced the execution of a search warrant at 9745 Morris Road in connection with the disappearances of Madison Renee Allen and Stephanie Hevia.
More than ten federal, state and local agencies are assisting in a slow, methodical search of approximately 15 acres, using specialized technology, cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar and other equipment. The warrant includes a search for possible human remains.
Thomas Morris, a person of interest in both disappearances, remains jailed on unrelated second-degree kidnapping and false-imprisonment charges stemming from the July rescue of another woman. Investigators say information from victims' families, media, podcasters and people with knowledge of Morris helped them develop sufficient evidence to obtain the new search warrant.
Woody then plays Sheriff Spillman's press conference, including a significant exchange in which the sheriff is asked whether investigators could be dealing with a serial killer.
His answer is carefully qualified but extraordinary: if investigators find what they expect to find on the property, he believes that definition fits.
After more than seven months of asking #WhatHappenedToMadison, Woody tells the Lifers it's time for a new message:
#JusticeForMadison.
The search has begun. The investigation continues. And anyone with information is urged to come forward.
313-RLRC-TIP.
True Crime Time For, Real Life Real Crime, Woody Overton, Justice for Madison, #JusticeForMadison, What Happened to Madison, #WhatHappenedToMadison, Madison Renee Allen, Madison Allen, Stephanie Hevia, Thomas Morris, Sheriff Brian Spillman, Brian Spillman, West Feliciana Parish, West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office, Morris Road, 9745 Morris Road, St Francisville Louisiana, Zachary Louisiana, missing women Louisiana, Louisiana missing persons, search warrant, human remains search, cadaver dogs, ground penetrating radar, serial killer investigation, Louisiana true crime, RLRC, 313 RLRC TIP
#JusticeForMadison
Madison Renee Allen and Stephanie Hevia
Thomas Morris
Sheriff Brian Spillman
West Feliciana Parish search warrant
15-acre Morris Road property
Search for possible human remains
More than ten assisting agencies
Cadaver dogs and specialized search technology
Thomas Morris kidnapping case
Public tips and the Lifers
Serial-killer question
Full sheriff's press conference
313-RLRC-TIP
This is the episode where #WhatHappenedToMadison officially becomes #JusticeForMadison, so I agree that should absolutely be the title hook. Woody explicitly asks listeners to stop using the former hashtag and begin using the new one.
We should continue being careful not to say Madison or Stephanie has been found or that Morris has been charged with their deaths. Sheriff Spillman says investigators believe the search may produce evidence implicating Morris and possibly others, and his serial-killer statement is expressly conditional on what investigators find. 

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/real-life-real-crime/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today, Real Life Real Crime goes back to the beginning of #WhatHappenedToMadison.
Woody explains that RLRC is re-releasing the first episode in the Madison Renee Allen series because, by the afternoon of September 10, listeners are going to understand why this case is back at the center of attention. He promises a brand-new episode Friday covering what the Lifers helped bring to fruition.
In this original conversation, Woody sits down with Lynn Rollins, Madison’s mother, to introduce listeners to the woman behind the missing-person case.
Madison Renee Allen was born in 1991 and raised primarily in Mississippi. Lynn talks openly about Madison’s childhood, early trauma, relationships, motherhood, addiction and attempts at rehabilitation—not to define her by those struggles, but to make sure listeners understand that Madison is a real person with children, siblings, a mother and a family that loves her.
As an adult, Madison eventually moved between Mississippi and Louisiana. After losing her Baton Rouge apartment and totaling her car in 2023, she became increasingly dependent on others for transportation and housing.
That is when she met Thomas Morris.
According to Lynn, Morris offered Madison a place to stay in Zachary, Louisiana, in exchange for helping care for his two children. Madison moved into his home around October 2023 and initially seemed to be doing better. She told her mother she had transportation, was helping with the children, intended to return to school and was looking at caregiving work.
Lynn last communicated with Madison on a different phone number on November 29, 2023.
Then Madison went silent.
At first, Lynn believed her daughter was simply busy. But when Madison failed to contact her on important occasions—including Lynn’s birthday—concern turned into fear.
By April, Lynn began contacting Madison’s friends and eventually reported her missing.
That search led her back to Thomas Morris.
Lynn says Morris initially told her that he had not seen Madison since around Thanksgiving and claimed he had been looking for her himself. What he did not initially tell Lynn was that Madison had actually been living in his home.
According to the account in this episode, Morris later told Zachary Police that Madison left his residence with another man and took her belongings with her.
That became one of the first major questions in the case.
Woody ends the episode asking listeners to remember Madison’s name, share #WhatHappenedToMadison, and call 313-RLRC-TIP with any information—no matter how small.
Because somebody knows what happened.
And this episode is where the investigation began.
Real Life Real Crime, Woody Overton, Lynn Rollins, Madison Renee Allen, Madison Allen, What Happened to Madison, #WhatHappenedToMadison, missing Madison Allen, missing woman Louisiana, Zachary Louisiana, Thomas Morris, Madison Allen Zachary, Louisiana missing person, missing mother, Baton Rouge missing woman, November 29 2023, RLRC investigation, missing persons podcast, true crime investigation, cold case, 313 RLRC TIP
Madison Renee Allen
Lynn Rollins
Madison’s childhood
Childhood trauma
Addiction and rehabilitation
Madison as a mother
Move to Louisiana
Baton Rouge hotels
Loss of her vehicle
Thomas Morris
Move to Zachary
Last communication November 29, 2023
Madison reported missing
Initial statements from Thomas Morris
Zachary Police Department
#WhatHappenedToMadison
313-RLRC-TIP
Major case development

This is a Real Life Real Crime episode, not True Crime Time For.
It is a re-release of the first #WhatHappenedToMadison episode, deliberately timed because Woody says a major development is unfolding and a new episode will follow Friday.
The correct name is Madison Renee Allen, and her mother is Lynn Rollins. Madison disappeared after living with Thomas Morris in Zachary, Louisiana.
The last communication Lynn describes in this episode occurred on November 29, 2023.
I would not put Thomas Morris’s name in the episode title for this re-release. The emotional and promotional hook is that listeners are being taken back to the beginning immediately before the new development drops. That creates more urgency without making the title overly accusatory. 

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/real-life-real-crime/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On today’s True Crime Time For, Woody opens with the bizarre 1999 disappearance and murder of Girly Chew Hossencoff in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving into a packed episode involving police misconduct, disturbing family violence, international crime and two major death-penalty stories.
In Georgia, a Cedartown police officer is under investigation after fatally shooting a beloved bottle-raised donkey named HeeHaw while officers searched private property for a missing child. Officer Trenton Garner says the donkey charged and that a Taser attempt failed; HeeHaw’s owner, Hannah Israel, disputes that the animal was aggressive. Garner has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Then Woody turns to an increasingly disturbing investigation in Philadelphia involving Eugene Horsch and the home once shared with his late father, Raymond Charles Horsch. Authorities have recovered more than 600,000 images, 70,000 videos and 10,000 pages of writings and drawings, along with chemicals, urns and other evidence. Investigators say digital evidence appears to depict missing women Maribel Fresses and Gabrielle Amarando deceased. A more recent report says investigators also found video that appears to show Raymond Horsch, not Eugene, strangling an unidentified woman. Eugene Horsch has not been charged with any homicide connected to the women.
In Maine, Nathan Lagasse, 27, is accused of attacking his own mother with a 25-pound weight, a butter knife and pliers before forcing her to drive for hours. She survived and was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Woody also covers the case of Leila Abolhasani, a 43-year-old Iranian mother of two who has been sentenced to death on a charge of moharebeh, or “enmity against God.” Her family says she merely photographed a burning supermarket during January protests; Iranian authorities accuse her of involvement in the arson. Her appeal is now before Iran’s Supreme Court.
Back in the United States, Georgia death-row inmate Stacey Humphreys is scheduled for execution September 16 for the 2003 murders of real estate agents Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown. Evidence at trial showed the women were forced to give up their bank PINs before being shot to death. Humphreys later admitted, “I know I did it,” while forensic evidence tied him to the victims and the murder weapon.
Finally, Woody revisits the death of Mica Miller, whose 2024 death was officially ruled a suicide. Her estranged husband, pastor John-Paul Miller, is now facing federal charges for cyberstalking and allegedly lying to investigators. Prosecutors accuse him of harassing Mica, interfering with her finances, tracking her, damaging her tires and distributing an intimate image without consent. Miller has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled for October 2026.
True Crime Time For, Real Life Real Crime, Woody Overton, Girly Chew Hossencoff, Diazien Hossencoff, Linda Henning, HeeHaw donkey, Trenton Garner, Hannah Israel, Cedartown Georgia, Eugene Horsch, Raymond Horsch, Philadelphia house of horrors, Maribel Fresses, Gabrielle Amarando, missing women, Nathan Lagasse, Maine crime, Leila Abolhasani, Iran death penalty, Stacey Humphreys, Cyndi Williams, Lori Brown, Georgia execution, Mica Miller, John-Paul Miller, Death of a Pastor’s Wife, cyberstalking, true crime podcast
Girly Chew Hossencoff murder
HeeHaw donkey shooting
Trenton Garner
Eugene and Raymond Horsch
Philadelphia missing-women investigation
Maribel Fresses
Gabrielle Amarando
Nathan Lagasse
Leila Abolhasani
Iranian death sentence
Stacey Humphreys execution
Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown
Mica Miller
John-Paul Miller
Cyberstalking charges
The biggest correction in this episode is the Philadelphia story: the newly reported video allegedly shows Raymond Horsch, Eugene’s deceased father, appearing to strangle a woman—not Eugene Horsch. Eugene remains in federal custody on separate charges and has not been charged with homicide in connection with the missing women.
The Iranian woman’s correct name is Leila Abolhasani, not the transcript’s phonetic rendering, and her case is currently under Supreme Court review.
The Georgia death-row inmate is Stacey Humphreys, and his victims were Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown. His execution is currently scheduled for September 16, 2026.
And the final Mica Miller segment should stay carefully worded: her death was officially ruled a suicide, while John-Paul Miller faces federal cyberstalking and false-statement charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/real-life-real-crime/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On today’s episode of True Crime Time For, Woody starts with an update about the direction of the shows. Saturdays are going back to old-school Real Life Real Crime stories, while True Crime Time For continues during the week. He also reminds listeners that work continues on #WhatHappenedToMadison, #JusticeForHailey, and the other cases RLRC is involved with—and that any breaking developments will be brought to listeners as soon as possible.
Then it is time for a disturbing edition of Family Matters.
Four Children Allegedly Kept in a “Rolling Prison”
Florida authorities say four children were kept for years inside the cab of a semi-truck and subjected to horrific abuse by the adults who were supposed to protect them.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges against Keysha Monique Epps, 51, and Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37.
Authorities allege the two women kept two boys and two girls confined in the cab of a tractor-trailer for approximately six years while traveling freight routes between Florida and Georgia. Uthmeier described the truck as a “rolling prison.”
Investigators allege the children were deprived of schooling, adequate medical care, hygiene and basic opportunities to move freely outside the truck. According to the case outlined by Woody, some of the children suffered untreated injuries, including burns that left permanent scarring.
The allegations become even more disturbing.
Prosecutors say the children were also subjected to sexual abuse, with Stewart accused of abusing the girls and physically assaulting the boys when they witnessed or challenged what was happening. One child was reportedly found with an untreated sexually transmitted infection.
Uthmeier has publicly said Florida intends to pursue the harshest punishment available.
Woody makes his own feelings about cases involving sexual abuse of children unmistakably clear.
His focus, though, remains on the four children—who now face the long process of recovering physically and emotionally after years of alleged abuse.
On This Day: The Mathis Family Murders
Woody then turns to a still-unsolved South Dakota case dating back exactly 45 years.
On September 8, 1981, LaDonna Mathis, 30, and two of her sons, Brian Mathis, 4, and Patrick Mathis, 2, were shot to death at their home near Mount Vernon, South Dakota.
LaDonna’s husband, John Mathis, survived with a gunshot wound to his arm and said a masked attacker had killed his family.
Investigators focused heavily on John, and he was eventually charged with the murders.
But in May 1982, a jury acquitted him.
The South Dakota Attorney General still lists the murders as unresolved. Neither the killer nor the murder weapon has ever been definitively identified.
The case remains one of South Dakota’s most enduring murder mysteries.
Family Matters: A Mother and Daughter Killed in Las Vegas
Next, Woody goes to Las Vegas for a horrific domestic-violence case.
Nicole Drummond, 47, died after suffering severe burns and a gunshot wound during an August attack.
Police say Jason Simmons, 48, attacked Drummond and killed her 14-year-old daughter before dying by suicide.
According to Woody’s account, Drummond called police during the attack and was later found badly burned and wounded inside the residence.
A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer responding to the scene was also shot when Simmons allegedly fired multiple rounds through a closed door. The officer’s ballistic vest stopped the round from penetrating completely, though she suffered injuries.
Woody closes the segment with the sad reality that the mother and daughter are dead while the alleged attacker cannot be prosecuted because he took his own life.
F’d Up Professionals: Officer Charged in Wrong-House Shooting
Then Woody heads to Pennsylvania for a case involving the fatal police shooting of a young man who appears to have simply gone to the wrong house.
Upper Pottsgrove Police Corporal Sean Farrell, 58, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the August 23 death of 22-year-old Glenwood Earl Pysher IV.
Authorities say Pysher had been drinking with friends and became confused while walking to a friend’s house.
He ended up at the wrong residence.
The homeowners called police.
Farrell arrived and encountered Pysher on the back patio.
According to the criminal complaint, Pysher was unarmed.
Body-camera footage allegedly shows Pysher with his hands raised while moving toward the officer. Farrell gave commands for him to get down, then fired twice while Pysher was approximately 17 to 20 feet away.
The district attorney says the video does not support Farrell’s later claim that Pysher aggressively charged him.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele publicly described the shooting as an unlawful use of deadly force.
Farrell was charged with voluntary manslaughter and subsequently left the department after 21 years in law enforcement.
Woody approaches this story from the perspective of a former officer.
Police officers sometimes have only seconds to make life-or-death decisions. But, he says, that responsibility also means officers must rely on their training, assess the actual threat, and use force proportionate to what is happening.
In Woody’s assessment, based on the allegations and video described by prosecutors, this was a bad shooting.
F’d Up Professionals: K-9 Apollo Starved to Death
The next story makes Woody particularly angry because it involves a police K-9.
Former Dexter, Missouri police officer and K-9 handler Derrick A. Durall pleaded guilty in an animal-abuse case involving active-duty K-9 Apollo and retired K-9 Knox.
Authorities say Durall failed to adequately feed and water the dogs.
Apollo died.
Knox survived but was found in poor condition.
Durall received a one-year jail sentence, but the execution of most of that sentence was suspended. He was ordered to serve 15 days in jail, complete two years of supervised probation and pay the City of Dexter $8,900 in restitution.
That restitution amount is an important correction from the transcript, which says $80,900.
Veterinary records showed Apollo weighed only 41.6 pounds at death and had lost roughly 25 pounds since a previous visit. Investigators documented malnutrition, dehydration and pneumonia.
Retired K-9 Knox was also found with serious health problems.
Woody talks about the bond between police dogs and their handlers and how deeply dependent those animals are on the officers responsible for them.
To him, this wasn't simply neglect of an animal.
It was a betrayal of a partner.
Worldwide Crime: Son Steals £50,000 From His Father
In Scotland, Stephan Dewar stole approximately £50,000 from his vulnerable, housebound father over a period of years.
Dewar’s father had suffered a stroke and did not use online banking.
According to court reporting, Dewar initially asked his father for a £5,000 loan to help buy a pub. He then impersonated his father when dealing with the bank and secretly established online banking access.
Between 2019 and 2022, he transferred approximately £50,000 to himself.
Bank records showed spending at pubs, gambling platforms, OnlyFans and through large cash withdrawals.
Dewar was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
The transcript mentions Greggs as part of his spending; the stronger court reporting I found specifically confirms pubs, OnlyFans, gambling and cash withdrawals, so I would leave Greggs out of the published show notes unless we get a stronger source supporting that detail.
Woody’s disbelief is pretty simple:
The victim was his own father—someone whose medical condition made him particularly vulnerable.
And Dewar used that vulnerability to steal from him.
Louisiana Judge Orders Surgical Castration
Woody closes with a Louisiana case that he actually considers a positive development.
A St. Mary Parish judge sentenced a man to 35 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to offenses including second-degree rape and indecent behavior with juveniles.
The court also ordered surgical castration.
Woody strongly supports severe punishment for adults who sexually abuse children and argues that the purpose is ultimately to prevent another child from becoming a victim when an offender eventually leaves prison.
Finally, Woody returns to the cases RLRC is actively working.
He knows listeners are tired of hearing that major developments are coming.
But, he says, they are.
And when those developments finally break, the Lifers will understand exactly what he has been talking about—and the role the RLRC community played in helping push those cases forward.
He signs off as host of True Crime Time For Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
True Crime Time For, Real Life Real Crime, Woody Overton, James Uthmeier, Keysha Monique Epps, Tamra Marshon Stewart, rolling prison, child abuse, semi truck child abuse, Florida crime, death penalty, LaDonna Mathis, Brian Mathis, Patrick Mathis, John Mathis, Mathis family murders, Mount Vernon South Dakota, South Dakota cold case, Nicole Drummond, Jason Simmons, Las Vegas domestic violence, Sean Farrell, Glenwood Earl Pysher IV, Glen Pysher IV, Upper Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania police shooting, voluntary manslaughter, Derrick A Durall, K9 Apollo, K9 Knox, police K9 neglect, Dexter Missouri, Stephan Dewar, father fraud, OnlyFans fraud, Louisiana surgical castration, child sex offender, true crime podcast
Keysha Monique Epps
Tamra Marshon Stewart
Florida “rolling prison” case
Four children confined in semi-truck
Alleged child sexual abuse
Florida death-penalty prosecution
LaDonna Mathis
Brian and Patrick Mathis
John Mathis
1981 Mathis murders
Unsolved South Dakota homicide
Nicole Drummond
Jason Simmons
Las Vegas domestic violence
Officer wounded during response
Sean Farrell
Glenwood Earl Pysher IV
Wrong-house police shooting
Police use of force
Derrick A. Durall
K-9 Apollo
K-9 Knox
Police K-9 neglect
Stephan Dewar
£50,000 fraud
Financial abuse of vulnerable parent
Surgical castration sentence
Justice for Hailey
What Happened to Madison
The Florida defendants’ names are Keysha Monique Epps and Tamra Marshon Stewart, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has described the alleged confinement of four children inside the truck as one of the most horrific cases his office has handled.
The Mathis murders remain unresolved. John Mathis was charged but acquitted, and South Dakota authorities still list LaDonna, Brian and Patrick Mathis among unresolved homicide cases.
The Pennsylvania victim is Glenwood Earl Pysher IV. Prosecutors say body-camera footage contradicts the officer’s claim that Pysher charged him, and Corporal Sean Farrell is charged with voluntary manslaughter.
The Missouri K-9 handler is Derrick A. Durall, and the restitution amount was $8,900—not $80,900. He must serve 15 days in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty in the neglect case involving Apollo and Knox.
Stephan Dewar is the correct spelling in the Scottish fraud case. He stole £50,000 from his father and received a two-year prison sentence.
The episode also establishes the new programming plan: Saturdays return to Real Life Real Crime stories, while True Crime Time For continues during the week. 

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/real-life-real-crime/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This is Real Life Real Crime.
In this episode from the RLRC archives, Woody Overton takes listeners to rural Washington Parish, Louisiana, and the 1995 murders of a well-known dairy-farming couple inside their own home.
George Lander Spears Sr. and Bobbie Jean Spears were longtime members of their community. They operated a dairy farm on Star Hill and also owned a bar on their property. By Woody's account, they were successful, hardworking people who were well known in the area.
Then, on January 25, 1995, both were found shot to death inside their home.
And the person who would ultimately be convicted of killing them was their own daughter:
Shanda Spears Crain.
The crime scene initially presented investigators with a frightening possibility. Other members of the Spears family had recently been murdered, and detectives had to consider whether someone might be targeting the family. Lander Spears had even recently purchased a revolver because of those deaths.
That gun was now missing.
The telephone lines to the Spears home had also been cut.
There were no obvious signs that the house had been ransacked.
Then investigators learned that money was disappearing from the Spears' bank account. Checks had allegedly been forged, and suspicion began turning toward Shanda, who helped handle her parents' finances. Woody recounts that investigators also learned she had developed a video-poker gambling problem.
A Daughter Confesses
Five days after the murders, investigators questioned Shanda as a suspect.
She initially denied killing her parents.
Then she confessed.
According to the confession Woody recounts, Shanda had arrived at her parents' home that morning with one of her daughters, who was sick. She left the child with her father while she went to work milking cows at the dairy.
She later returned to the house, got her daughter and placed her in the car.
Then she went back inside.
Her father's recently purchased revolver was beside his bed.
Shanda said she picked it up and fired at him.
She missed.
Her father woke up.
She fired again.
When her mother came from her bedroom after hearing the gunfire, Shanda shot her too.
Then Shanda told investigators what she had done with the gun:
She threw it into the oxidation pond beside the dairy barn.
Investigators eventually drained the pond.
They found the gun exactly where she said it would be.
Shanda was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
But that confession would not remain her story.
The Story Changes
After her arrest, Shanda recanted.
She claimed she hadn't killed her parents and attempted to place responsibility on her husband. Investigators checked his alibi and did not charge him. According to the record discussed during her later clemency hearing, she also at one point implicated her younger brother.
Shanda went to trial.
Her defense challenged the confession and argued that it had been coerced. Prosecutors presented evidence of the financial problems, forged checks and the potential financial benefit Shanda could receive following her parents' deaths.
After approximately four and a half hours of deliberation, the jury found her guilty.
The state sought the death penalty, but jurors did not unanimously agree to impose it.
Shanda Spears Crain was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.
But years later, this case would become controversial all over again.
“I Didn't Kill My Parents”
While incarcerated, Shanda maintained her innocence.
She portrayed herself as the victim of a coerced confession and gained supporters who believed she had been wrongfully convicted. Eventually, she sought clemency.
And Woody doesn't simply tell listeners what happened at that hearing.
He lets you hear it.
The clemency board begins confronting Shanda with the inconsistencies that had followed her case for decades.
She had confessed to shooting her parents.
She later blamed her husband.
She had also implicated her brother.
Her husband had not been charged.
She admitted disposing of the murder weapon in the oxidation pond.
And as recently as 2022, she had maintained that she did not kill her parents.
The board wants a straight answer.
Finally, one member asks her directly whether she shot and killed both of her parents.
Shanda answers:
“Yes, ma'am.”
But even during the hearing, the story continues shifting.
Shanda discusses an allegedly abusive marriage and at one point again claims her husband was actually at the scene—despite the investigative record indicating otherwise.
A board member reads Shanda's original statement back to her in detail.
According to that statement, Shanda said that after shooting her father she went toward her mother's room. She described firing at her mother and later told investigators:
“I thought that if I could get rid of mama and daddy, that all of my problems would be solved.”
Her Daughter Defends Her
The hearing takes another emotional turn when Shanda's youngest daughter, Megan, speaks.
Megan passionately defends her mother and alleges that she witnessed serious domestic abuse in the home. She describes Shanda as a survivor and argues that fear and abuse played a role in what happened.
Her defense of her mother becomes so heated that the board eventually ends her comments.
But the central question for the clemency board remains whether Shanda has genuinely accepted responsibility.
And the board concludes that she hasn't.
Member after member cites her inconsistent stories and failure to fully acknowledge her actions.
The votes come in:
Deny.
Deny.
Deny.
Her request for clemency fails.
The Story Behind “Bag Dagger”
After the clemency hearing, Woody shares information he says was provided by people who had firsthand experience around Shanda while incarcerated.
This portion needs to remain exactly what Woody presents it as: prison allegations relayed to him by other people, not facts Woody independently witnessed.
Among those stories is the prison slang that ultimately gave the original episode its unusual title:
“Bag dagger.”
Woody explains the term and recounts what his sources alleged about Shanda's prison relationships, personality and behavior. He repeatedly makes clear that he wasn't there and has no direct knowledge of whether those allegations are true.
And that's how an episode about the brutal murder of two parents, a daughter's confession, decades of innocence claims and an extraordinary clemency hearing became known to longtime Real Life Real Crime listeners simply as:
“Bag Dagger.”
Real Life Real Crime, Real Life Real Crime podcast, Woody Overton, RLRC, Bag Dagger, Shanda Spears Crain, Shanda Crain, Lander Spears, Bobbie Jean Spears, Spears murders, Washington Parish, Washington Parish Louisiana, Louisiana murder, Louisiana true crime, daughter kills parents, parents murdered, double murder, family murder, video poker murders, gambling addiction, murder confession, recanted confession, clemency hearing, Louisiana clemency board, life without parole, Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, true crime podcast, Southern true crime
Shanda Spears Crain
Murder of her parents
Lander and Bobbie Spears
Washington Parish, Louisiana
Spears dairy farm
Missing revolver
Cut telephone lines
Forged checks
Video-poker gambling
Shanda's confession
Murder weapon recovered from oxidation pond
Recanted confession
Allegations against her husband
First-degree murder convictions
Death-penalty deliberations
Two life sentences
Claims of innocence
Clemency petition
Clemency hearing audio
Shanda's admission
Megan's defense of her mother
Clemency denial
Prison allegations
Origin of the title “Bag Dagger”
The heart of this Real Life Real Crime episode isn't actually “Bag Dagger.” It is the evolution of Shanda Spears Crain's story—from confession, to recantation, to years of innocence claims, and finally to the clemency hearing where board members force her to confront those contradictions.
One of the strongest pieces of the original episode is that listeners don't have to rely solely on Woody's characterization of the hearing. They hear portions of it themselves—including Shanda acknowledging that she killed her parents and later telling the board that she regretted taking the lives of “two beautiful people.”
The episode also demonstrates why Woody has always distinguished Real Life Real Crime from a traditional true-crime recap. He opens the original episode by explaining that he doesn't simply pull case facts from television or the internet; the show's storytelling comes from his law-enforcement experiences and information from people directly connected to cases. 

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Progressive: https://www.progressive.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/real-life-real-crime/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy