Late Night True Crime

Sandra Birchmore was 12 when she joined the Stoughton Police Explorers. She wanted to become a police officer. At 23, she was pregnant when she was found dead in her apartment, and investigators initially concluded she had died by suicide. Her family kept asking for answers.In this Late Night True Crime deep dive, I share who Sandra was, how she came to trust the officers in the Explorers program, and what happened when federal investigators took a closer look. We’ll go through the text messages, security footage, and testimony jurors heard before they found former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell guilty on both federal counts on November 10, 2026.If you’re still awake, I have a case for you. I’m Lana Lemaster, and I’ll see you after dark. 🌙🖤#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #LateNightTrueCrime #TrueCrime #LanaLemasterSOURCES & FURTHER READINGSandra’s life and the Stoughton Police Explorers• The Boston Globe, Part 1 — Sandra’s childhood, family, and years in the Explorers programhttps://apps.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2024/12/sandra-birchmore-part-1/• NBC10 Boston — Who Sandra was, as remembered by loved ones and described in trial testimonyhttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/who-was-sandra-birchmore-what-weve-learned-from-loved-ones-and-testimony/4030701/The investigations and federal charges• Stoughton Police Department — Chief Donna McNamara’s June 2024 statementhttps://stoughtonpolice.com/2024/06/24/statement-of-chief-donna-m-mcnamara/• Associated Press — How the original state investigation and the FBI investigation reached different conclusionshttps://apnews.com/article/76069b1c984c3add28879970bcdf1764• U.S. Attorney’s Office — Federal case documents, including the original indictment, detention affidavit, and superseding indictmenthttps://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/united-states-v-matthew-farwell• U.S. Attorney’s Office — August 2024 arrest announcement and summary of the original federal chargehttps://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-massachusetts-police-officer-arrested-connection-murder-young-womanFederal trial and evidence• NBC10 Boston — Opening statements and the prosecution and defense accountshttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/matthew-farwell-trial-live-updates-in-the-sandra-birchmore-case/4028541/• NBC10 Boston — Testimony from Sandra’s friend and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamarahttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/matthew-farwell-trial-new-testimony-today/4031437/• NBC10 Boston — Text messages, phone records, and FBI testimonyhttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/matthew-farwell-trial-texts-phone-records/4033288/• Boston.com — Digital forensics testimony on Sandra’s phone activity and the apartment security footagehttps://www.boston.com/crime/live/live-updates-matthew-farwell-trial-sandra-birchmore-oct-28-2026/• WBUR — William Farwell’s testimonyhttps://www.wbur.org/news/2026/10/27/matthew-farwell-trial-william-sandra-birchmore-death• NBC10 Boston — Medical testimony on Sandra’s injurieshttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/matthew-farwell-trial-day-16-live-updates-on-the-sandra-birchmore-case/4041616/• NBC10 Boston — DNA and forensic anthropology testimonyhttps://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/live-updates-matthew-farwell-sandra-birchmore/4042408/Closing arguments, deliberations, and verdict• WBUR — November 6 closing arguments from both sideshttps://www.wbur.org/news/2026/11/06/matthew-farwell-trial-sandra-birchmore-death-closing-statements• WBUR — November 9 jury deadlock notehttps://www.wbur.org/news/2026/11/09/farwell-birchmore-stoughton-trial-deadlocked• U.S. Attorney’s Office — November 10 guilty verdict on both federal countshttps://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/matthew-farwell-convicted-murdering-sandra-birchmore-and-causing-death-her-unborn-baby• WBUR — Verdict and reaction from the courtroomhttps://www.wbur.org/news/2026/11/10/guilty-verdict-matthew-farwell-sandra-birchmore

They trusted Nicole Virzi—a close friend and doctoral student—with their infant twins. Only a few hours into Nicole's visit, one baby would be injured, and one would be dead.In this episode of Late Night True Crime, Lana LeMaster examines the Nicole Virzi case, the parents’ search for answers, the medical evidence, and the guilty plea and sentencing that followed.Content note: Discussion of child abuse, infant death, and injuries to children.Subscribe for conversational, carefully researched true crime deep dives.I’ll see you after dark. 🌙🖤#NicoleVirzi #LateNightTrueCrime #TrueCrime #LanaLemasterSOURCES & FURTHER READINGWPXI — Guilty plea, sentencing, courtroom reporting, family statements, and the district attorney’s statement (October 28, 2026):https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/babysitter-takes-plea-deal-6-week-old-infants-death/E2PAZLF4VVEUDH2OJYHLXKQKTI/WTAE — Guilty plea, police interview admissions, and sentencing (October 28, 2026):https://www.wtae.com/article/nicole-virzi-infant-killed-guilty-plea-pittsburgh-san-diego/74273593Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Plea agreement and the family’s victim impact statements (October 28, 2026; subscription may be required):https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2026/10/28/nicole-virzi-plea-deal/stories/202610280039CBS Pittsburgh/KDKA — Initial investigation, criminal complaint reporting, and medical findings (June 17, 2024):https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/pittsburgh/news/pittsburgh-baby-dies-child-abuse-twin-brother-injuries-california-woman-babysitter-charged/Daily Voice — Sentencing breakdown and reporting on court documents (October 29, 2026):https://dailyvoice.com/article/nicole-virzi-sentenced-for-killing-baby-leon-katz/

Nineteen-year-old UNC student Faith Hedgepeth was murdered in her off-campus apartment in September 2012. Fourteen years later, a conviction was made. But the years between her death and that verdict deserve a closer look.Tonight on Late Night True Crime, Lana LeMaster takes a deep dive into Faith’s life, her final night, and the investigation that left her family waiting for answers.Through it all, Faith was a young woman with people she loved and a future she should have been able to live.🌙 Subscribe to Late Night True Crime with Lana LeMaster for conversational, carefully researched true crime deep dives.Share your thoughts respectfully below. Please keep discussion grounded in the evidence and avoid accusations against people who have not been charged.CONTENT NOTE: This episode discusses homicide, sexual assault, and details of crime-scene and autopsy evidence.SOURCES & FURTHER READINGFaith’s family — Justice for Faith:https://justiceforfaith.com/ABC11 — Opening statements and early trial testimony:https://abc11.com/live-updates/faith-hedgepeth-murder-trial-begins-miguel-salguero-olivares-accused-killing-nc-unc-student-2012/19917329/ABC11 — Forensic evidence, DNA testing, and defense questioning:https://abc11.com/live-updates/faith-hedgepeth-case-murder-trial-miguel-salguero-olivares-death-unc-student/19931883/ABC11 — Closing arguments, jury deliberations, verdict, and sentencing:https://abc11.com/live-updates/faith-hedgepeth-murder-miguel-olivares-trial-enters-closing-arguments-jury-deliberations-verdict-phase-unc-students-death/19968490/WUNC — Trial evidence and arguments from the prosecution and defense:https://www.wunc.org/news/2026-10-22/jury-deliberations-killing-unc-student-faith-hedgepeth-murderWRAL — Pretrial hearings and rulings:https://www.wral.com/news/local/motions-hearing-faith-hedgepeth-murder-trial-august-2026/The News & Observer — Case timeline, evidence, and arrest:https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article250170935.htmlChapelboro — September 2021 arrest announcement:https://chapelboro.com/news/arrest-made-in-faith-hedgepeth-homicide-investigation-9-years-laterABC News — The 2016 DNA-based composite and investigation:https://abcnews.com/US/police-release-facial-image-identify-murdered-unc-students/story?id=42312443I’ll see you after dark. 🌙🖤#FaithHedgepeth #LateNightTrueCrime #TrueCrime

A fictional killer. A real victim. A devastating case.Tonight on Late Night True Crime, Lana Lemaster examines the murder of Maria Saceanu and the disturbing connection to the television series Dexter. Beyond the headline is a woman whose story deserves to be heard.🌙 Join the conversation: When does fascination with fictional violence become something more troubling?Follow Late Night True Crime for thoughtful, thoroughly researched cases.Content warning: Discussion of murder and violence.I’ll see you after dark. 🖤

130 miles per hour. A red light. Six lives lost.On August 4, 2022, a devastating crash at Slauson and La Brea changed countless lives forever. Behind the wheel was traveling nurse Nicole Linton. What happened—and why—would become the center of a fiercely contested case.Join Lana Lemaster on Late Night True Crime as we look beyond the viral footage to examine the Windsor Hills crash, the people remembered as the Slauson Six, and the questions that followed.In memory of Asherey Ryan, Alonzo Quintero, Armani, Reynold Lester, Nathesia Lewis, and Lynette Noble.Content note: Discussion of a fatal crash, traumatic injuries, child death, and pregnancy loss. Listener discretion is advised.🌙 Prefer to watch? Find Late Night True Crime with Lana Lemaster on YouTube. Follow the podcast for more cases, and leave a rating or review to help fellow night owls find us.SOURCES & FURTHER READINGThese links discuss the case’s outcome.Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office:https://da.lacounty.gov/media/news/jury-convicts-nurse-murdering-four-adults-infant-and-unborn-child-130-mph-windsor-hillsABC7 Los Angeles:https://abc7.com/post/nicole-linton-murder-trial-jury-begins-deliberating-deadly-2022-windsor-hills-crash/19901495/FOX 11 Los Angeles:https://www.foxla.com/news/nicole-linton-verdict-reached-windsor-hills-crashI’ll see you after dark. 🖤

🌙 A little boy was found alone in a parking lot. No parent in sight. Someone stopped to help—and as they began looking for his mother, they realized she was missing.Join Lana Lemaster on Late Night True Crime as we follow the disappearance of Leila Cavett, the search for answers, and the evidence that brought Shannon Ryan to trial.Watch the video version on YouTube: Late Night True Crime with Lana Lemaster.I’ll see you after dark. 🖤

Years before Ashley Flynn was murdered, her husband Caleb appeared on American Idol, talking about how much he loved her.Then came a late-night 911 call. Ashley had been shot in their bed, their two daughters were inside the house, and Caleb claimed someone had broken in.In this episode of Late Night True Crime, Lana Lemaster examines Ashley’s life, the affair and messages revealed in court, the evidence investigators uncovered, and the arguments presented by both sides at Caleb’s murder trial.This episode covers the September 29, 2026 guilty verdict and was recorded before sentencing.Content warning: Murder, domestic violence, explicit language, and discussion of children’s bereavement.Follow Late Night True Crime for more thoroughly researched cases, and watch the video version on YouTube.I’ll see you after dark.

Christa Pike was supposed to die this morning.She didn’t.Tennessee attempted to carry out her execution, but the execution was halted after the state was unable to establish IV access. Now Pike remains on death row, and Tennessee is facing a question almost nobody expected to be asking today: can they try to execute her again?In this breaking update, we’re talking about what happened inside the execution chamber, what Tennessee has said about executions moving forward, what could happen next for Christa Pike, and the much larger questions this raises about the death penalty.Because whatever you believe about Christa Pike and what she did, there is something deeply unsettling about a system designed to carry out the ultimate punishment failing after the process has already begun.This is a developing story. Information is current as of October 1, 2026.Late Night True Crime with Lana Lemaster 🌙I’ll see you after dark.

On January 12, 1995, 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer left the Knoxville Job Corps campus with Christa Pike, Tadaryl Shipp, and Shadolla Peterson. Only three of them came back.Colleen was brutally murdered. Christa Pike was just 18 years old when she committed the crime and was ultimately sentenced to death.In this episode of Late Night True Crime, we look at Christa's childhood, her relationship with Tadaryl Shipp, what happened to Colleen Slemmer, the investigation and trial, the evidence presented at sentencing, and the questions surrounding Christa Pike's execution.Most importantly, we remember Colleen Slemmer, who was only 19 years old and had a life she was trying to build.Content warning: This episode discusses child abuse, sexual assault, torture, murder, suicide, and capital punishment. Listener discretion is advised.🌙 I'll see you after dark.

On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered inside their home at 92 Second Street in Fall River, Massachusetts. Andrew’s daughter, Lizzie Borden, was arrested, tried, and acquitted.More than 130 years later, the question hasn’t gone away: Did Lizzie Borden do it?Tonight, we’re going back inside the Borden house and reconstructing what happened before, during, and after the murders. We’ll look at the strange layout of the house, the family’s increasingly tense relationships, Lizzie’s movements that morning, the investigation, the evidence the jury never heard, and the trial that turned Lizzie Borden into one of the most infamous names in American true crime.And then we’ll come back to the question people have been arguing about since 1892: if Lizzie didn’t kill Andrew and Abby Borden… who did?This episode discusses an unsolved historical case. Lizzie Borden was tried for the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden and was acquitted in 1893.Sources and further reading:Historic Trial TranscriptsLizzie Andrew Borden Virtual Museum & LibraryFall River Historical SocietyLibrary of Congress — Chronicling AmericaFamous Trials — UMKC School of LawCrimeArchivesLizzie Borden Encyclopedia🌙 I’ll see you after dark.