189: The Secret Serial Killer & a Mother

Let's Go To Court!

It was the summer of 2004, and Charlie and Teri Brandt needed to get someplace safe. With Hurricane Ivan headed for their home in Big Pine Key, the couple went to Orlando to stay with their niece, Michelle Jones. Michelle was thrilled to have them, but toward what should have been the end of their visit, she stopped returning phone calls. So did Teri and Charlie. Finally, one of Michelle’s friends went to the house to check on everyone. She was horrified by what she discovered.

Then Kristin tells us about the evening of February 17, 2007. Melissa Lucio was in a panic. Her two-year-old daughter Mariah had fallen asleep, but wasn’t waking up. Paramedics arrived at Lucio’s apartment, and attempted to revive the little girl. But she remained unresponsive. As moments ticked by, the paramedics grew more and more concerned. The girl’s body was covered in bruises. It looked like she’d been badly beaten. Melissa’s other children told the EMT’s that Mariah had recently fallen down the stairs, but medical personnel feared something much more sinister had occurred.

And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

In this episode, Kristin pulled from:

The documentary, “State of Texas vs. Melissa”

Wrongful Conviction podcast episode, “Melissa Lucio”

“Divided Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Death Sentence for Texas Mother of Child Who May Have Died in Accidental Fall,” Death Penalty Information Center
“Did Melissa Lucio, the First Hispanic Woman on Death Row in Texas, Kill Her Daughter? An Uneven New Documentary Raises More Questions Than Answers.” by Roxanna Asgarian for Texas Monthly

“Doctor testifies abuse was ‘worst’ he’s seen,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star
“Mother found guilty of murder,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star
“Detective testifies in Lucio trial,” by Allen Essex for the Valley Morning Star

In this episode, Brandi pulled from:

“Deadly Obsession” episode 48 Hours

“Charlie Brandt Killed His Mom At 13 — Then Walked Free To Butcher His Wife As An Adult” by William DeLong, allthatsinteresting.com

“Deadly rage brewed in ‘quiet kid’” by Robert Perez and Melissa Harris, The Orlando Sentinel

“Killer tied to ’89 death—wife suspected him all along” by Gary Taylor, The Orlando Sentinel

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