Advertise on podcast: Gulf Coast Confidential with Mollye Barrows

Send us Fan Mail This is Christa Pike’s last full day of life.  Governor Bill Lee denied her clemency request and declined to block the 50-year-old woman’s death sentence.  If carried out, she will be the first woman the state of Tennessee has executed in more than 200 years. Pike is scheduled to die by lethal injection on September 30, 2026, for the cruel and brutal murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer in 1995, when they were both enrolled in the Knoxville Job Corps.  Prosecutors say Christa was jealous of Colleen and saw her as a “romantic rival.”  Pike, her boyfriend, and a friend orchestrated an attack so violent that after it was over Colleen’s face was indistinguishable from the back of her head.  Christa even kept a piece of Colleen’s skull as a trophy. Colleen’s mother, May Martinez, has long advocated for justice for her daughter and she is traveling from Florida to be there for the execution, thanks to support from her friends and neighbors. She and her husband live on a fixed income in Jacksonville, Florida.  With the help of a community campaign and the Justice Coalition they were able to cover the $2,500 in travel expenses needed for the trip to Nashville they otherwise couldn’t afford. While one execution is scheduled to soon be underway, a Florida plastic surgeon convicted of murder faces a possible death sentence for killing an attorney who was litigating a billing case against him.  Dr. Thomasz Kosowski planned and plotted to kill Steven Cozzi over a $15,000 medical bill. Police believe Kosowski executed his plan at Cozzi’s law office in Largo, Florida, but his body was never found.   That didn’t prevent a judge from convicting Kosowski of first-degree murder.   Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “The Death Penalty is alive and well for Christa Pike and Dr. Kosowski.”  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Ever been called an old hen? Well, we have. This episode is chock full of folks showing their entire hiney.  Some do it at 30,000 feet, like Layne Lundeen, whose behavior was so offensive and rude on an airplane that other passengers duct-taped and zip tied him to his chair.  Other folks are doing their worst right here on the ground. Caleb Flynn, a former American Idol contestant/pastor, is now on trial for shooting his sleeping in the wife and blaming it on an “intruder” because he didn’t want her interfering with the 100,000 texts he was exchanging with this mistress. There’s also Barry Morphew who is back in jail on a $10 million cash bond after police said they now have the evidence to show the Colorado man made his wife and mother of his children disappear on Mother’s Day. Investigators believe he used an elephant tranquilizer on her, killed her, and hid her body. Locally, we’re focusing on the court-martial of U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Green, former command chief of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, who was convicted and sentenced for hiding three cameras in his 15-year-old stepdaughter’s bedroom and live streaming what he saw. He told the judge it was just an “enormous mistake,” the result of a “military mindset.” The Judge was not having it.  And speaking of Hurlburt Field, Lt. Col. Steven and self-proclaimed “Purveyor of Toxic Masculinity” wants to enter the chat about Allie the alligator and with his expertise teach us about new “legal” ways to capture and torture alligators.  His approach to defending the former U.S. Navy Seal who is charged with a misdemeanor by FWC for capturing Allie without a permit and killing her with a power drill, is to start with gender-insulting name calling and blaming everyone but the accused offender. He even challenged a wildlife expert and called him names as well. Formerly with Air Force Special Operations Command, Spanovich claimed we “have too much time on our hands.” Well, we have just enough time to talk about him and these other examples of “toxic masculinity” on the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast.  Join us for “Purveyor of Toxic Masculinity and Allie the Alligator, plus the court-martial of Air Force SOC Anthony Green,” as we cluck back at all this unnecessary, chest beating cluckery.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail When "Allie" the alligator was taken from her Florida retention pond, hauled off in the back of a truck, and killed with a power drill at a former Navy SEAL’s home in Gulf Breeze, it sparked nationwide public outrage and a fierce battle over state wildlife enforcement.  The attorney for the men accused of illegally trapping and executing her with a power drill claim they were simply taking care of an active "nuisance."  But with state records showing their official removal permit had expired two years prior, was this a routine case of public safety—or an act of lawless animal poaching? Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, "Trapper Kevin Lacz, others accused of drilling 'Allie' the alligator in head, they’re bickering about paperwork instead." Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Former Playboy model Kelsey Turner took being selfish and greedy to a whole new level.  The 29-year-old was known as "Badd Barbie" online - a persona police say she carried into her personal life when she manipulated and exploited her 71 year old “Sugar Daddy” Child Psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Burchard like a professional fraudster. Over the course of their less than two year relationship he spent an estimated $500,000 to fund her lavish lifestyle, including covering her rent on homes in California and Las Vegas and the lease payments on a beautiful, blue Mercedes.   Fed up with her lies and finally realizing he was nothing but her Golden Goose, Dr. Burchard traveled to Las Vegas in March 2019 to confront Turner and cut off her financial support. Knowing the free ride was over, Turner’s actual boyfriend Jon Logan Kennison, who was secretly living off Burchard too, beat the elderly doctor to death with a baseball bat at Turner’s instruction.  He stuffed Dr. Burchard’s bludgeoned body into the trunk of Turner’s Mercedes-Benz and abandoned it in the Nevada desert near Lake Mead. Police found the car and Burchard’s dead body three days later.   This is a cautionary tale with a moral of financial exploitation and toxic relationships can have deadly consequences.  People were merely resources to Kelsey Turner and when her supplies were cut off, greed and selfishness trumped human life and resulted in death, despair, and some long prison sentences. Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, "'Badd Barbie' Kelsey Turner kills Sugar Daddy Psychiatrist." Support the show

Send us Fan Mail On August 14, 2026, a catastrophic medication mix-up occurred at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, where four routine joint-replacement surgery patients were accidentally injected in the spine with potassium phosphate instead of the intended local anesthetic, mepivacaine.  The severe error left at least one patient permanently paralyzed from the sternum down and sent others to intensive care.  An 80-page state investigation by the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission revealed that the incident was a systemic failure involving multiple missed safety checks and the hospital had a “culture of non-compliance.”  The Pharmacy Error: A pharmacy technician mistakenly grabbed vials of potassium phosphate from the wrong storage bin while preparing surgical nerve-block syringes. Ignored Safety Alerts: When the technician scanned the potassium vial, the computer system flagged an error. Rather than stopping, the technician overrode or bypassed the alert and proceeded to fill five syringes, which were then incorrectly labeled as the anesthetic.  Two other pharmacy technicians participating in the workflow had an opportunity to double check the correctness of the drug as well. A pharmacist final verification check failed to notice the mistake. Because surgical teams must rely on the labeled pharmacy syringes, doctors injected the high-alert medication directly into the patients' spines.  State regulators placed the hospital under an "immediate jeopardy" warning due to critical flaws in pharmacy protocols, surgical care, and administrative response and there's now an ongoing criminal investigation. Join us for more in the latest Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast episode, "Medication Mix-Up at Ascension Saint Thomas leaves patients paralyzed."  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Craig Heidt wanted everything his younger brother Carey had, a successful business, a pretty wife, and the respect of their father.  In a family synonymous with wealth, faith, and Southern charm, Craig was the self-proclaimed black sheep who never could get it right. He fell behind on child support, didn’t have steady work, and carried on a not-so-secret affair with his brother’s wife, Robin. When confronted with their illicit rendezvous by Carey and their real estate mogul father, Phillip Heidt, Craig and Robin defiantly doubled down on their low-rent romance, causing a massive split in the family.   It all came to a head on a sweltering August night in 2008, when the previously picture-perfect legacy was shattered by a hail of close-range shotgun blasts.  Philip and Carey were shot dead in their beds. Linda, the family matriarch was shot through the face and left clinging to life.   As small-town detectives raced to catch a monster, they didn't find a stranger hiding in the shadows. Instead, they unraveled a toxic web of forbidden lust, family betrayals, and a secret affair so explosive that a father actually rented a helicopter just to catch the lovers in the act.  In the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast we step inside a devastating family empire where greed and obsession drove one brother to do the unthinkable to another. Join us for more in our latest episode, “He took his brother’s life and wife, killed his dad and hurt his mom really bad - Craig Heidt.” Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Attorney Jason Bohn didn’t just kill his girlfriend, he tortured her by repeatedly choking her, he humiliated her by leaving her bare body in an ice bath, and he even threatened to kill her dog. He also had a degree from Columbia University, a law degree from the University of Florida, and a career on Wall Street. But behind closed doors, Bohn was spinning out of control and seething with rage.  This week on the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast we unravel the tragic murder of Danielle Thomas a sweet, beautiful, vibrant young executive for Weight Watchers.  She was a University of Florida Gator who was quite the thrill seeker. She swam with sharks, bungee jumped, and even enjoyed skydiving.  'Dani' loved everything Disney especially Disney Cruises. She even worked at Disney as a Revenue Analyst before working for Weight Watchers.  Join us for “Caught by pocket dial - Wall Street attorney Jason Bohn tortures girlfriend, leaves body on ice,” when we piece together a timeline of events that shocked investigators, including the protective order that couldn't stop him, a haunting "pocket-dial" audio recording that captured the crime, and a courtroom strategy that tried to blame his actions on childhood neglect. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Logan Tipton was a typical, outgoing, football loving preschooler who loved playing with his sisters and brother and watching Christmas movies with his family.  That’s what they were doing in early December of 2015 before they were all safely asleep in their beds – or so they thought. In the middle of the night Ronald Exantus, an Indianapolis nurse who had been acting erratically all day, was driving through the Tipson family’s Kentucky neighborhood when he saw their home aglow with festive Christmas lights and decided it was time to go inside and perform surgery on the people who lived here.  Police said Exantus was obsessed with the TV medical show, “Gray’s Anatomy” and that’s all he thought about when he walked into their home, grabbed knives out of their kitchen, then walked upstairs and started stabbing 6-year-old Logan in the head.  His fathers and sisters tried to protect Logan, but it was too late. They were also injured in the home invasion, but Logan’s dad managed to pin Exantus down until police arrived.  When it came time for trial, prosecutors were seeking the death penalty, but instead of convicting Exantus, the jury found him “not guilty by reason of insanity” for killing Logan, and “guilty but mentally ill” for attacking the murdered boy’s father and sister. After only serving about half of his 20-year sentence for the crime Exantus is now out of prison - a free man with no requirements for counseling, medication or probation.  While Logan’s family is serving a life sentence of grief and trauma over the loss of their boy, Exantus is free to roam wherever he pleases.  He even ended up in Florida right next to an elementary school.  That’s one of the cases we’re discussing this week on the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast. We’ve also got updates on two Cullman County cases - attorney Sarah Baker who is accused of trying to poison her husband with fentanyl and a former salon owner and accused drug trafficker Whitney Cheatham who prosecutors say used AI to create a phony request to travel out of state for an adult content creators event.   And we talked a little bit about the alleged overmedication of Lindsay Clancy, the mom accused of strangling her three children to death. Join us for the latest episode, “Legal loophole lets child killer Ronald Exantus walk free: RIP 6-year-old Logan Tipton.” Support the show

Send us Fan Mail The bright lights of showbiz faded into a dim New York outpatient clinic on August 28, 2014, when comedy icon Joan Rivers walked in for a routine throat procedure and never spoke again.  What was supposed to be a brief examination of her vocal cords instead unraveled into a chaotic display of gross medical malpractice, where star-struck doctors reportedly suffered from "VIP syndrome" and prioritized cell phone selfies over critical patient care.  When the 81-year-old’s airway began to swell shut under the heavy sedative propofol, the clinic’s medical director famously dismissed the supervising anesthesiologist's desperate warnings as "paranoid," steering a routine medical checkup into a fatal, oxygen-starved catastrophe. The tragedy left the entertainment world reeling, stripping Hollywood of its sharpest wit and exposing a terrifying lack of oversight in outpatient surgical centers. Following her death from irreversible brain damage a week later, a high-stakes legal battle culminated in a confidential multi-million-dollar settlement, forcing the physicians involved to publicly accept full accountability for her death.  While Rivers spent her legendary career fearlessly exposing the absurdity of celebrity culture, her final, tragic chapter ultimately pulled back the curtain on the deadly consequences of medical arrogance. Join us Tuesday for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “VIP treatment – How celebrity clinic culture failed Joan Rivers!” Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Did FWC cut some slack to three Santa Rosa County men accused of illegally capturing and killing an alligator with a power drill? They say “No,” but folks in our community still have a lot of questions. “Allie” the 8.5-foot-long alligator wasn’t bothering a single soul. She lived safely inside a locked, fenced in retention pond in the Garcon Point area of Milton, Florida for about ten years, neighbors said.  She was considered to be harmless by folks who live in the area, co-existing peacefully in the man-made environment, keeping to herself and catching a few fish, birds, and sunrays.  Some thought it was kind of a beautiful thing and enjoyed seeing her when they passed the pond which sits along Avalon Blvd., situated away from homes and busy neighborhoods. In March 2026, decorated former U.S. Navy SEAL Kevin Lacz along with two other Santa Rosa County men who were experienced in wildlife removal, Jason Giffin and Richard Reder, trapped, bound, and killed “Allie” using a power drill.  Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission charged all three men with second-degree misdemeanors.  However, the law clearly says what they did – removing and killing an alligator without the proper permits - is a third-degree felony.  Wildlife advocates and neighbors this is not a paperwork hiccup or slipup by some teenagers.  These are full grown men who say they saw a “capture of opportunity” and didn’t hesitate to snatch Allie out of her home, hog-tie her, and then take her to Lacz’s house where she was killed with a hand-held power drill. According to Florida law licensed trappers are supposed to get clearance and proper permitting to capture and dispatch an alligator and when they do, they’re supposed to kill it immediately and humanely on the spot.  Nowhere in Florida law does it say hauling the animal off alive and drilling into its head at your house is an acceptable or legal part of the process.   In fact, according to the report detailing their arrests Lacz said he used to have a nuisance complaint for the alligator – that had expired two years ago – and he and “agent trappers” picked her up because he “suspected” there would be another a nuisance complaint. He also mentioned he got $50 an alligator. So, is this about money? If not, why?! Was it the so called "thrill of the kill?" So many questions… These men were bold and seemingly unbothered by this incident that has turned into a heartbreaking mess and an embarrassment here in our beautiful part of the world.   Even the prettiest places have a bit of ugly.  How is this even a thing?!  Join us this week for our 200th episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “Outcry over ‘Allie’ the alligator drilled to death by Navy Seal & trappers.” Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Put your seatbelt on, we didn’t know some of these cases could get any wilder but apparently, they can.  From doctors behaving badly to a tragic story of child abuse, we’re running down some cases you’ve probably heard of and some you haven’t.  The worst medical malpractices cases in the state are piling up in North Florida and stretching to the Panhandle.  Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky is accused of accidentally removing an Alabama man’s liver instead of his spleen at a hospital in Miramar Beach. In Jacksonville, an orthopedic surgeon, the late Dr. David Heekin, is at the center of one of the largest mass-medical malpractice actions in Florida’s history with 522 lawsuits.  Both incidents happened at Ascension hospitals and the executive in charge during Heekin’s tenure when he was accused of botching patient surgeries, Tom VanOsdol, has been promoted to the national leadership team where he oversees “the strategic integration of Ascension's mission and values…across all organizational policies, programs, and culture.” From executives and doctors who patients trust to a mother of five who is expected to protect her children, sometimes alleged “bad actors” turn up when you least expect it. Mom and former law clerk Shanda Vander Ark was an abuser who cruelly ended the life of her 15-year-old special needs son through cruel, atrocious, and systematic abuse. On the surface Vander Ark appeared highly successful, a bit of a know-it-all, and a gruff, no-nonsense person. She graduated from law school with honors, clerked for two judges, and aced the bar exam. Then she ended up being tried for the murd3r of her son, Timothy Ferguson, in the same courtroom where she had previously worked, turning the trial into a circus with delays, motions, and shenanigans.  But there was no distracting from the terrible facts that she starved, t0rtur3d, and ended her boy's life with the help of another son and his older brother.  Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “Sadistic Shanda Vander Ark’s cruel campaign of hell against teen son,” but it comes with a sensitivity warning.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail  Did Hillary Brown die from an overdose of Lidocaine poisoning? Her husband, embattled plastic surgeon Ben Brown who was administering the local anesthetic when she went into cardiac arrest in his office, says she didn’t.  However, Medical Examiner, Dr. Deanna Oleske found that the 33-year-old mother of three did die from complications of lidocaine toxicity after she ruled out every possible cause of death.  It’s a point of contention for Dr. Brown who tried to block Oleske from being able to testify about her findings at his manslaughter trial, but the judge ruled against him and the ME will testify when the time comes. According to official investigative documents, the medical examiner isn’t the only one who suspected lidocaine was to blame for the young woman’s death – the victim did too.   Hillary Brown did not explicitly use the words "you gave me too much lidocaine."  However, she did explicitly tell her husband that she was experiencing severe adverse symptoms—which she recognized as a sign that she was overdosing. The details regarding her exact statements during the November 2023 procedures are documented in the Florida Department of Health’s investigation and the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit:  • Her Explicit Statements: During the procedures, after Dr. Brown injected her face and arms, Hillary stated that her "vision was blurry" and that she was "seeing orange."  • Her Realization: The probable cause affidavit notes that Hillary stated her face felt really "puffy". The document states she communicated that she thought those symptoms were a sign she was overdosing, right before she began convulsing.  • The Medical Response: Despite alerting him to these textbook symptoms of lidocaine toxicity, the report indicates Dr. Brown "stayed the course," continuing to inject local anesthetics (lidocaine and xylocaine) and operated on her until she suffered a grand mal seizure and went into cardiac arrest. Based on these investigative findings and his delay in calling in 911 and beginning CPR on his unconscious wife, Brown was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree felony homicide (manslaughter by culpable negligence). Join us as we discuss his latest hearing in Santa Rosa County that cleared the way for his trial. This will be the 9th Episode of the Playlist of Beauty Buyer Beware: Dr. Ben Brown. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Louisiana Pastor Tony Spell doesn’t hold back.  He first made national news in 2020 when he continued to hold massive in-person services at Life Tabernacle Church in Central, a city north of Baton Rouge, despite health restrictions.  Now he’s back in the headlines after a video went viral of him sprinting across four lanes of highway to confront his neighbor’s son after the young man allegedly hurled insults and threats against Spell’s family.  Police say it’s part of an on-going feud between Spell and his neighbors.  The pastor was arrested for second-degree battery, and he wasn’t out of jail anytime before his neighbors called the police on Spell again when he started doing yard work at his church at 4:00 in the morning, disturbing their peace they said.  But people love Spell’s won’t-back-down spirit and for many the incident has only boosted their support of him! Join us for the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, “Louisiana Pastor Tony Spell goes to jail after feud with young neighbor,” and a mixed bag of other “What the feezy?!” cases! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail What is it about pickleball that it sometimes turns into pickle-BRAWL?! For some, the fastest growing sport in America is just a game, but for others it’s almost a total obsession. In this week’s episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, we’re talking about the community, the weird terminology, and why a lot of folks are suddenly spending their Saturdays fighting over court time and some are fighting over more than that In these cases, some folks ended up in the Emergency Room with direct hits to the face and head. Drawing blood is frowned upon in most sports unless it’s boxing and that popping sound you hear isn’t just the ball hitting the paddle, it’s the ball and the paddle hitting heads, ouch!! Isn’t pickleball supposed to be a bit more civilized than that?  Join us for more a very different kind of court…one that has some very severe consequences!! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Thank goodness most of us feel safe in our own homes. Botham Jean thought he was safe when he was sitting on the couch in his apartment enjoying a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Afterall, he lived only a couple of blocks from the Dallas Police Department Headquarters.  However on September 6, 2018, that turned out to be a downside when his downstairs neighbor, police woman Amber Guyger, was so busy sexting her married mentor that she mistakenly walked into Jean's apartment believing it was her own. When she saw the 26-year-old accountant in the living room, she pulled her service weapon and shot him twice, like he was the intruder. Guyger never once rendered first aid and when she called 9-1-1 she repeated 19 times that she thought it was her apartment. Although she claimed to be so weary after a 13.5 hour shift that she didn't notice she parked on the wrong floor of the garage and walked past 16 apartments, she found the time to delete the steamy text messages she was exchanging with her lover shortly before the shooting.  Join us for more on the case that nearly tore a family and a city apart in the latest episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential Podcast, "Hot to trot and double shot – Police officer Amber Guyger shoots to kill Botham Jean." Support the show