CRUISE SHIP ANNA KEPNER ASSAULTED, STRANGLED, STEP-BRO UNMASKED

Brian Hooker, husband of the Michigan woman who went missing in the Bahamas, says he will be staying in the country to search for his wife.  Hooker was held in jail for 5 days, but has now been released. His attorney says Hooker is free to leave any time he wishes. Brian Hooker has repeatedly said he would never hurt his wife, Lynette. He also refused to discuss details about what happened with reporters saying he did not want to interfere with the search for Lynette.  Joining Nancy Grace Today:  Randolph Rice  - Former Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense & Civil Attorney at Rice Law, website: ricelawmd.com, IG, FB, X: @ricelawmd Ben Dobrin  - Boat Captain with  50-Ton Master license / Emergency Response Diving Instructor and Instructor Trainer, Police Diver,  Emergency Services Diver Scott Rouse  -  Body Language and Behavior Analyst, trains law enforcement and military interrogation and body language, Author of “Understanding Body Language,” on YouTube @ScottRouse with his channel “Behavior-X,” which focuses on body language and behavior of True Crime Stories, Pop Culture and Politics Vanessa Walsh - Host of the podcast, Unmasked True Crime, Facebook and YouTube: UnmaskedTrueCrime, X: CrimeUnmasked Sydney Silvagni - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We now know Anna Kepner's stepbrother sex assaulted the 18-year-old before he killed her. That according to court documents.   He is now charged in federal court with murder and aggravated sexual abuse. The arrest comes months after Anna Kepner dies on a cruise with her family.  The manner of death  ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Anna Kepner, 18, had begun her senior year at Temple Christian School, and was reportedly excited about her future, painting her school parking spot to match her favorite movie, "Clueless. "   Anna plans included joining the military after high school.   Anna was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship during a recent western Caribbean voyage that ended in Miami. Her body stuffed under a bunk in the room she shared with her stepbrother.     Joining Nancy Grace today:  Danny Rubin -  Criminal Defense Lawyer and Founder of Rubin Law, PC. website: rubinlawpc.com Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter  - Clinical Psychologist specializing in psychological evaluations and risk assessments for individuals involved in the criminal justice system, Author of “Mainlining Philly: Survival, Hope and Resisting Drug Addition,” and “Aftershock: How Past Event Shake Up Your Life Today”, and Producer of “Utter Nonsense,” a documentary of exploration of addition and severe mental illness, available to stream on Apple TV and Prime Video, website:drgerilynnutter.com, Instagram & Facebook: DrGeriLynnUtter  Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", Instagram @JoScottForensic Sydney Sumner  -  Investigative Reporter, ‘Crime Stories’  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Texas man accused of firebombing the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman held without bail, as details of a premeditated plot against the AI industry begin to surface. A weekend bike ride turned nightmare in South Carolina. Florida high school teacher behind bars after being accused of a sexual relationship with a student. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal charges unsealed against the stepbrother of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old cheerleader found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Bahamian authorities release Brian Hooker, who claims his wife fell overboard from their dinghy on a trip across Elbow Cay back to their yacht. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Hooker, the husband of missing Lynette Hooker, caught on tape, speaking to a friend in a recorded call  about the incident. The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a criminal investigation into Lynette's disappearance.  Brian Hooker taken in for  questioning, but now authorities must decide whether to charge him in connection with her disappearance or release him. That deadline is tonight.  Brian Hooker's attorney says he “categorically denies any wrongdoing. ”   Police say Lynette and husband Brian Hooker were using an 8‑foot dinghy to travel from Hope Town to their yacht, Soulmate, moored near Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands. Husband Brian says around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Lynette fell overboard, along with the boat’s engine key, which caused the motor to stop. He says strong currents carried her away, but he saw her swimming toward shore before losing sight of her. Brian reportedly paddled the boat to Marsh Harbour and contacted police around 4 a.m. Authorities from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and U.S. Coast Guard conducted an extensive search of the area. Now days later the search has officially shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission. Lynette has not been found.  Lynette’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, says her step-father's story “doesn’t add up” and points to past marital problems between him and her mother. Joining Nancy Grace today: Eric Faddis  - Founder of The Law Offices of Eric Faddis, “The Mile High Lion,”  former felony prosecutor and current criminal defense and civil litigation attorney; website: EricFaddisLaw.com, Janine Driver - Body Language Expert and CEO of the Body Language Institute, New York Times Bestselling Author of “You Say More Than You Think,” Host of podcast “In The Driver’s Seat with Janine Driver” website: JanineDriver.com, Instagram: NewBodyLanguage Vanessa Walsh  - Host of the podcast, Unmasked True Crime. She obtained a phone call from Brian Hooker to a friend a day after Lynette vanished. Facebook and YouTube: UnmaskedTrueCrime, X: Crime Unmasked Jordan Plentz  -   Neighbor   Sydney Silvagni  -  Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Hooker remains in police custody after second questioning regarding wife Lynette's "overboard" disappearance. A California sheriff says an armed suspect killed a deputy and barricaded himself when an eviction notice was served. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the death of a teenage Illinois boy who vanished nearly a decade ago. Sydney Silvagni reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Whisman was always too trusting of his cousins, even when they were mean to him. On the last night of his life, Matthew Whisman was beaten senseless, forced to take a bath to wash off evidence, fed his "last supper", injected with fentanyl and dumped over a bridge. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack investigate the timeline to find out why Matthew was missing for three months before anyone reported him missing.              Transcript Highlights 00:00.09 Introduction - family 03:09.23 Matthew was very trusting 08:03.38 Text messages show Matthew helping police in shooting into a house 14:02.61 Suspects make Matthew wash himself  19:14.43 Last Supper 23:35.13 Torture/kidnap/poison homicide  28:34.17 Mom reports Matthew missing 32:52.57 Body in water for 5 months 38:24.95 ConclusionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young rich kid driver, Fraser Bohm, accused of crashing a speeding car into four Pepperdine University sorority sisters, walking along Pacific Coast Highway before being mowed down. Bohm pleads not guilty in the deaths of all four sorority sisters.   In a court win for the defense, a Los Angeles judge orders prosecutors to return a cell phone belonging to Bohm, to the defense so the data can be analysted. Prosecutors objected over concerns that the information would be changed or damaged.  Judge Thomas Rubinson compromised,  ruling the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department would deliver the device in a sealed bag to a defense-appointed technical expert. Prosecutors would then observe the extraction to ensure nothing "nefarious" occurs.  A trial date has not yet been set. The next pre-trial hearing will take place May 19  Joining Nancy Grace today: Bridget Thompson - Roommate and Best Friend with Pepperdine Crash Victims Coco Crandall - Roommate and Best Friend with Pepperdine Crash Victims Brian Claypool -Trial Attorney, Owner and Managing Partner at the Claypool Law Firm, and Author of "Break the Code of Silence: Raising My Voice to Protect Our Kids;" Instagram: @brian.claypool, Facebook: @BrianClaypoolMedia Caryn Stark -  Forensic Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Joseph Tremblay - Senior Forensic Engineer and Accident reconstructionist, Veritech Consulting Engineering Dr. Kendall Crowns - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), NEW Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue" (launching AUGUST 20), and Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Dave Mack - 'Crime Stories' Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The search for Nancy Guthrie is in week 10. Savannah Guthrie has returned to work, detailing the horror her family has gone through.  This as new "ransom" notes have been delivered to TMZSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.