The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett

This update includes graphic and disturbing information about torture, captivity, group violence, and abuse involving a trans victim. Please take care while listening. When I first introduced you to Sam’s story earlier this season, we talked about what was publicly known at the time: a 24-year-old trans man from Minnesota who flew to New York to meet a woman he’d met on TikTok… and never made it home. He missed his flight. His phone shut off. And the messages that trickled back to his family didn’t sound like Sam at all. Sam was sweet. Artistic. Covered in tattoos he’d chosen with intention — two trans pride designs, an infinity symbol for his family. His sister Kayla describes him as someone who processed the world with the earnestness of a teenager, partly because of a head injury earlier in life. He wanted to be in love more than anything. He wanted to belong. Instead, he stepped into a nightmare. On December 18th 2025, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle released a well-sourced and detailed article by journalist, Madison Scott, which shows exactly how that nightmare unfolded for Sam. Please read Madison's article and share this episode and that article on socials. Here's my conversation with Sam's sister, Kayla and his mom, Linda. Thanks for listening and PLEASE SHARE Sam's story far and wide. If you appreciate Mel's work, please tip her. ❤️ Donate if you can to Sam's family's fundraiser. They're raising money to travel to New York from Minnesota to be there for the trial. Join the Something's Off Community on Youtube and Facebook.

The holidays are in full swing, so you'd think the news would slow down. It's not. It actually feels like it's ramping up. It's an advent calendar of true crime news on the daily and Mel and Rebecca are here to discuss and dish a little. In this episode the team breaks down the back-and-forth in the O'Keefe civil suit against Karen Read, new information dripping out about the contents of Michael Proctor's emails, and who is affected by his misconduct, those photos of all the president's men (and women) in Vanity Fair, the Sean Goode suspension letter, data scraping the McAlberts fundraiser, Corri Hopkins is back with a bombshell about Nick Guarino's testimony, and JP Miller is indicted on federal cyberstalking charges in the death of his estranged wife, Mica Miller. Hold onto your butts. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

In December 1993, a young man named Brandon Teena was trying to build a life in rural Nebraska—one built on truth, freedom, and finally being seen for who he was. Instead, he walked straight into a storm of transphobia, violence, and a criminal justice system that treated him like a joke rather than a victim. Days after reporting a brutal assault, Brandon, along with Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, was murdered in a farmhouse outside Humboldt. In this deeply personal episode, Mel revisits Brandon’s life, the failures that led to his death, and the courtroom battles that followed. She also reflects on her own journey—coming out in homophobic Texas at seventeen, traveling to Nebraska to stand vigil at the trials, and recognizing the same chilling patterns in the recent death of Sam Nordquist. This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a warning that echoes forward. If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Rebecca and Mel had a lot to talk about today that weighs heavy on the heart, but luckily they also know how to take a hard left at a tangent and keep the laughter shining a light. This shit is tough to talk about. Thanks for being with us. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news / @boston25news

Mega Something's Off episode with a few menopause breaks.  Mel and Rebecca are talkers...what can we say. 🤷🏻‍♀️  In this episode the hosts--who like to interrupt one another often--breakdown historic cases like OJ Simpson, Pamela Smart, and Matthew Shepard, while getting into the nuances of why the defense chose NOT to put on a case in the Brian Walsh Trial. We'll be on verdict watch starting (probably) tomorrow, but in the meantime, something's off...especially with all those Lowes and Home Depot buckets. WHERE ARE THE BUCKETS?? If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en/newticket  You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news    / @boston25news   Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC